710064Creation of a proof-of-concept, wet wipe dispense technology for both portable pouch pack and plastic tubs.ClosedGRD Proof of ConceptInnovate UKSound Approach Ltd was set-up as a start-up company in 2004 by Mick Gordon who has conceived the innovative ideas. Mick has invested considerable effort into developing the business model and has invested nearly £250k of his personal money into the project to date. The mission of Sound Approach Ltd is to develop innovative technologies that solve known problems related to dispensing wet wipes, and then licence the resultant I.P. to selected multinationals. It is well known that wet wipes dispense inefficiently from their containers. Up to 30% of wipes are wasted due to a combination of multiple wipes ‘streaming’ out of the packs and wipes prematurely drying out. These problems remain unresolved leaving a huge opportunity for the provider of the correct solution. Solutions have been developed and patented by Sound Approach Ltd which solve these problems. The inefficiency with which wipes dispense from tubs has made deploying wipes from fixed, lockable dispensers completely unviable. But extensive research has indicated that there are burning requirements for wet wipe dispensing systems within the commercial and medical sector : (i) Within healthcare establishments they can be used for cleaning hands and other body parts as well as surfaces, (ii) Within the food industry (eateries, food manufacturers etc) they could be great help to enable staff to comply with prevailing hygiene regulations and to enable diners to cleanse their hands before and after dining. (iii) Within public toilet cubicles to enable easy cleansing of toilet seats prior to usage or private parts cleansing after toilet usage. But in order to be feasibly deployed and enable these new applications to be addressed, the consumables must be locked within the dispenser so as to protect them from pilferage. In order to minimise disruption, this therefore means that the wipes must dispense extremely reliably from their containers, one-at-a-time, leaving ample 'tail' for the next user to grasp and the consumable container must be able to keep the wipes wet. Lockable ‘KlenzPod dispensers have been developed to a very high standard by the Sound Approach. They securely attach to a variety of supports and certain models allow for the spent wipes to be disposed of at the point of usage. One of the objectives of this project is therefore to produce reliably performing consumables so that KlenzPod can effectively address the huge opportunities that have been identified. Similarly, developing more efficient dispense systems for pouch packs of wipes will provide the chosen licensees with a major competitive advantage. By offering the domestic consumer a product that will obviate the present frustrations and costs associated to using wet wipes, they will be able to increase their share of the massive, growing $ 4.0 billion annual market for pouch packs of wet wipes. The ‘proof-of-concept’ samples featuring these innovations are therefore eagerly awaited by major companies.