Made in Japan diapers being sold in India

In August 2018, Japan’s Kao Coporation started sellings its Merries brand of disposable diapers in India, hoping to replicate the success it had with the products in China and expand its global presence. diapers.

Kao’s Merries brand generates more than ¥10 billion in sales annually and is the leading premium diaper brand in Japan, and the company is betting on some Indian consumers having the same taste for premium diapers as its Chinese counterparts. Kao was one of the first companies to launch a premium diaper in China after it noticed Chinese tourists travelingto Japan buying them in bulk. 

A single Merries diaper costs two to three times that of a Unicharm diaper manufactured locally, as Kao exports such products from Japan to India. Kao hopes to capitalize on Merries's reputation for being  gentle to the skin, which is highly valued in many countries.

The Indian diaper industry is currently pegged at about 4.6 billion pieces or $800 million. The industry is expected to grow to about 10 billion pieces or $1400 million by 2022. Increasing birth rates, higher disposable incomes, increased hygiene awareness and a radical increase in the number of working women are factors driving this market growth.

Nonwovens Industry spoke to Kao executives about their plans for the Indian subcontinent and why it feels that emerging markets prefer premium diapers.

NWI: Do you plan to produce the diapers in India or import them from Japan?

Kao: At present, our baby diapers sold in India are manufactured in and imported from Japan.

NWI: Why have you decided to partner with Mitsui Chemicals to enter India? Can you discuss this partnership?

Kao: We have established that MITSUI & CO.’s knowledge of the Indian market, as well as their investment business and networks in India, might prove very useful for our business expansion in the Indian market, and we have thus reached a partnership agreement.

NWI:　How great do you consider the potential of the Indian diaper market?

Kao: As 25 million babies are born in India every year, we view this market with huge potential for baby diapers.

NWI: Has Kao focused on any other countries in Asia like Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, etc? Can you talk about the needs of these countries?

Kao: Kao is currently selling its baby diapers in about 30 countries and regions, including non-Asian countries such as Russia. When we launch a new product, we conduct rigorous home visit surveys to address the true needs of local customers. For example, our surveys show that the need for baby diapers differs from country to county: pants diapers are predominantly used in Indonesia while, in China, tape diapers had been the mainstream diapers although the popularity of pants diapers is on the rise in recent years. However, as mentioned in the answer to Q2, we regard the need for "gentleness on the baby's skin" is common to all countries.

NWI: Does Kao have any plans for acquisition or investment in Asia (outside of Japan). What are some parts of your strategy to continue to grow in Asia?

Kao: Unfortunately, we can’t tell you specific plans for the future, but Kao is actively investing in various aspects of its business, such as R&D, marketing and capital assets, both in Japan and overseas. We make use of the results and outcomes of these investments to develop products and services for global markets, including those in Asia.      Regarding our growth strategy in Asia, we plan to develop new markets and businesses, as was the case with the launch of our baby diapers in India in late June this year.

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