The advanced toothbrush looks like any normal toothbrush, but comes with an inbuilt mechanism for dispensing toothpaste
It is quite usual to find people frantically looking for their toothbrushes and paste tubes in their bags in morning while on a train journey.
But for some people this observation might lead to the spark of a new idea. One such person was Agastya Narain Shukla, who was thus inspired and went on to create an advanced toothbrush with a mechanism for dispensing paste.
Mechanism
The toothbrush that Shukla has innovated comes as a single unit with provision for filling up toothpaste in the handle. It is made completely of food grade (first grade) plastic, Shukla claims. A knob, attached at the back of the brush, is twisted to push paste up and on to the bristles. At one time 30 gram of paste can be stored in the toothbrush, which is sufficient for use up to 15 days. Once the bristles get worn out, one can change them. Bristles can be cleaned after brushing like any normal toothbrush. Shukla says there is no question of water seeping into the paste chamber while brushing or otherwise.
“The paste-containing chamber is airtight with a piston attached to it,” he says. “The question of anything, including water, getting inside while brushing is not possible. However, it is possible to open it completely for cleaning purposes.”
One can refill paste in the toothbrush through an attachment given for the purpose. Shukla has designed the brush himself. He has, however, outsourced manufacturing of all components, from the bristles to the molding of the unit. Even assembling is outsourced. Shukla purchases toothpaste from the Kundli-based Jaykaran Herbal, a big player in the field. However, one is always free to use a paste of his or her choice.
| Overview | |
| Product | Advanced toothbrush |
| Features | Toothpaste container in the handle Mechanism to dispense paste Maintains cleanliness Bristles can be changed |
| Challenges | Price Variants Acceptance Marketing |
| Market drivers | Helpful during travel Handy in remote and war-torn areas Reduces wastage of paste |
Pros and cons
There are obvious positives attached to this toothbrush. It can prove handy during travel, particularly to remote areas. The toothbrush is easy to handle and clean, and may save on wastage of paste. Shukla, who is the main protoganist in the whole show, got a patent for his toothbrush in India in 2008. He had started marketing the toothbrush well before applying for the patent. Marketing is done through a few wholesalers and contacts. So far he has managed to sell about 7,000 pieces.
Negative feedback, which is quite common in the initial stages of development of a new product, are also coming in. While users have appreciated the whole idea, many of them complain that the handle of the brush, which contains toothpaste, is too big.
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I want to keep the MRP at Rs 45 to Rs 50, and sell the product to wholesalers for anything between - Agastya Narain Shukla |
Shukla says, “The outlook of the toothbrush is not of the level where it can be marketed alongside Colgate or Oral B products. I want to give it a professional touch.”
There have been complaints about the quality of bristles as well, which Shukla is well aware of. He says pricing of the product is a little on higher side as well. Its maximum retail price (MRP) at the moment is Rs. 180, and the wholesale price comes to Rs. 60.
“I want the MRP to be kept at Rs. 45 to 50, and sell the product to wholesalers for anything between Rs. 25 and Rs30,” says Shukla.
The other disadvantage is a lack of variety at this juncture. It comes in a fixed color, quite unlike other companies that have products with different color options. While the toothpaste is green, the bristles are red and white, and the knob for pressing the paste up is also red.
“We are planning variants,” Shukla says. “When we start working on that we will make different models for children.”
The cost of manufacturing has come down to Rs. 40 per piece since the initial days of Rs. 60 to 70. Shukla has spent well over Rs. 17 lakh from his pocket on this project so far, and for all practical purposes it has remained a one-way process.
Support
“When you are an innovator, it is not easy to get support,” Shukla summarizes when asked about the support he has received so far. The National Innovation Foundation (NIF) did provide Rs. 70,000 three years ago. The NIF, he says, has arranged a funding of Rs. 5.5 lakh from the Department of Scientific and Industrial Reserach (DSIR) to help him make a few variants of the advanced toothbrush. However, this funding has so far remained only on paper. The paperwork is going on between the NIF and DSIR for it.
Encouragement in the initial phases from Anil Gupta, professor at the Indian Institute of Management, did prove a boost for Shukla. When he showed Gupta the prototype of his toothbrush – the one he had made using big medical injection series and iron nuts and bolts, Gupta liked it.
| Advanced toothbrush: A closer look | |
| Maximum paste quantity | 30 gram |
| India patents obtained | 2008 |
| Pieces sold so far | 7,000 |
| MRP printed Rs. | 180 |
| Wholesale price | Rs. 60 |
| Cost of production | Rs. 45-50 |
| Total investment so far | Rs. 17 lakh |
| Amount from the NIF | Rs. 70,000 |
| Amount approved from the DSIR | Rs. 5.5 lakh |
“Professor Gupta liked the concept very much [and] I thought I must move ahead with the project,” Shukla says.
Opportunities
Besides being useful in regular travel services, this innovative product may be useful for adventure travelers going to off-beat areas or for military personnel working in remote areas. NGOs working in far-flung and war-torn areas may find this quite handy. Children’s habit of wasting toothpaste can also be checked using this.
There are obviously huge opportunities waiting to be tapped, for there is no parallel of this product in the market. However, some fine-tuning is required, as Shukla himself is aware of. The fine-tuning should be in the form of manufacturing variants, bringing the price down, putting in more investment, and reaching markets outside Delhi.
He says, “I would not like to file for patents in other countries. Instead, I would want to keep working on the product to make it really attractive in the Indian market itself.”
Shukla knows the importance of investments, and admits to talking to a few venture capitalists, but he is reluctant to toe their line: “Working with them brings several kinds of restrictions.” He says it is important to think of a consumer product by putting oneself in the shoes of the consumers – something investors seldom do.
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written by Agastya N. Shukla, September 22, 2010
written by Vasu, December 22, 2009
Can you forward me the dealer or retailer location at Bangalore..
Thank u
Vasu
written by Vineet Dwivedi, October 23, 2009
All it needs is a little finishing to make it look more professional. You can also think of making a smaller version at a much lower price which can be used only for 2-3 days. Will be useful in hotels.
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