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Introducing Paper Towels: A FeasibilityStudyShelbie Henry, Angela Beebe, Dylan Bellows, Ian Karcher
Introducing Paper Towels: A Feasibility StudyContentsIntroduction . 5Criteria and Testing Methods . 5Test 1: Area per Sheet. 7Test 2: Cost per Sheet . 9Test 3: Absorbency. 11Test 4: Strength . 12Conclusion . 13Test 2 Area per Sheet . 13Test 1 Cost per Sheet . 13Test 3 Absorbency . 13Test 4 Strength . 13Recommendation. 15Feasibility Study3
Introducing Paper Towels: A Feasibility StudyIntroductionCollege students with a budget must make many purchases. They often make purchasesbased on what is the cheapest or they buy what they always have. The “usual” option mightnot be the best option and the cheapest option may be low in quality. The best valueencompasses not only price, but also product performance and volume.We thought that since individuals purchase paper towels more frequently than reusablepaper towels, we would evaluate four prominent paper towel brands based on four criteriato find the brand that would provide the highest quality for the lowest price. We chose fourbrands of paper towels to test.Viva This brand is newer to the market and is one of the top name brands out today. Hasbeen on the market for less than a decadeBounty Probably the most frequently advertised paper towel brand. Has been on the marketfor over a decadeGreat Value (Wal-Mart Generic) This is Wal-Mart’s store brand. Has been on the market for over a decade and is theonly store brand in the sampleBrawny Probably the next most frequently advertised paper towel brand after Bounty. Hasbeen on the market for over a decadeCriteria and Testing MethodsWe evaluated the paper towels based on four criteria: Feasibility StudyCost per sheet: Divide the total price of the roll by the number of sheets inthe roll. Highest cost per sheet receives a score of 1 and lowest cost per sheetreceives a score of 4.Strength: Place wet marbles on a suspended paper towel until it tears. Theroll that can hold the least marbles receives a score of 1 and the roll that canhold the most marbles receives a 4.5
Introducing Paper Towels: A Feasibility Study Absorbency: Pour ¼ cup of water on to paper towel. The brand that drips themost water receives a score of 1 and the sheet that drips the least amount ofwater receives a 4.Area per sheet: Measure the dimensions of one sheet. The sheet that has thesmallest area receives a 1 and the sheet with the largest area receives a 4.Each test is based on a scale of 1- 4 points with 4 being the highest. Each brand can receivea total 16 points. We hypothesized that the best brand of paper towels would have thehighest amount of points.Feasibility Study6
Introducing Paper Towels: A Feasibility StudyTest 1: Area per SheetThe purpose of measuring the sheets is to discover which sheet has the greatest area.Paper Towel BrandLength/WidthBounty11 in 10.4 inBrawny11 In 10.4Great Value11 in 12 inViva11 in 10.4 inBounty, Brawny, and Viva received an equal score of 3.Great Value received a score of 4 because it hadthe greatest area.Feasibility Study7
Introducing Paper Towels: A Feasibility StudyTest 2: Cost per SheetWe agreed that measuring cost per sheet would analyze price better than cost per roll ofpaper towel. To find the cost per sheet, we divided the total price of the roll by the numberof sheets in the rollBased on the Results we found Great Value paper towels to be least expensive.Paper TowelBrandPriceCost perSheetBounty(2) 1.99 64 0.03Brawny(1) 1.50 46 0.03GreatValue(4) 1.49 61 0.02Viva(3) 1.97 68 0.03# of SheetsWhen measured based on the information on the Bounty package, we divided the price ofthe Bounty Roll ( 1.92) by 64 sheets. After this calculation, our cost per sheet equals 0.03.When measured based on the information on the Brawny package, we divided the price ofthe Brawny Roll ( 1.38) by 46 sheets. After this calculation, our cost per sheet equals 0.03.When measured based on the information on the Great Value package, we divided the priceof The Great Value Roll ( 1.22) by 61 sheets. After this calculation, our cost per sheetequals 0.02.When Measured based on the information on the Viva package, we divided the price of theViva Roll (2.04) by 68 sheets. After this calculation, our cost per sheet equals 0.03.Based on these results, Great Value is the best option for the cost per sheet criteria.Feasibility Study9
Introducing Paper Towels: A Feasibility StudyTest 3: AbsorbencyWe decided to test absorbency because it is an important factor on how many paper towels you willhave to use when cleaning up spills. Paper Towel results were measured 1-4, 4 being the best.Absorbency Test1.2.3.4.Lay a folded a single sheet of paper towel on a tableMeasure out ¼ cup of waterPour ¼ cup of water onto paper towelIf possible lift paper towel to see if any water drips outBrawny: (1) Brawny received a score of 1on the absorbency test. The water rolled right of thepaper towel soaking very little water.Bounty: (2) Bounty received a score of 2 on the absorbency test because the water didn’t soak in aswell as Viva or Great Value. The water did not roll right off like Brawny but when we picked up thepaper towel a lot of water dripped out. The paper towel also left a puddle on the table showing thepaper towel did not absorb much water and instead the water fell through.Great Value: (3) Great Value scored higher than Bounty and Brawny because it did a better job atabsorbing the water. The sheet absorbed most of the water and did not leave as much residualwater on the surface.Viva: (4) Viva was amazing in the absorbency test, Viva left barley in water on the table and did notdrip any drops when it was lifted to check the test.Feasibility Study11
Introducing Paper Towels: A Feasibility StudyTest 4: StrengthFor test 4 we used wet marbles to determine strength. Strength is an important factor in terms of howwell the paper towels are because the more strength it has the less the chance it will tear apart whileusing it.Strength Test1. Fill a cup half way with marbles and then fill past the top of the marbles to moisten them2. Have a partner hold the paper towel with a hand on each side completely opening it3. Place the marbles one by one on top of the towel4. When the towel rips, count all the marbles that you usedBounty: (4) In terms of ranking Bounty made a 4, the highest score, withstanding 165 marbles.Viva: (3) Viva scored a 3, withstanding 130 marbles before finally tearing.Brawny: (2) Brawny received a score of 2, only withstanding 115 marbles before ripping.Great Value: (1) Great Value achieved a score of just 1, only withstanding 56 marbles before ripping.Feasibility Study12
Introducing Paper Towels: A Feasibility StudyConclusionOur test were based on four criteria’s cost per sheet, length per sheet, absorbency, andstrength, for each criteria a brand of paper towels could score a 1-4, with 4 as the highestscore and 1 as the lowest in each criteria. The paper towel brand could score an overallgrade of 16.Test 2 Area per SheetIn this test every paper towel brand except Great Value had the exact same area of sheet, sowe gave all other brand other than Great Value a score of 3 and Great Value received ascore of 4.Bounty, Brawny, Viva: (3) 11 In 10.4 In each sheet.Great Value: (4) 11 In 12 In each sheet.Test 1 Cost per SheetBrawny: (1) Brawny scored a 1 in the cost per sheet test, each sheet averaged .03 cents butBrawny only came with 46 sheets, 36.5 Sq. ft. per roll.Bounty: (2) Bounty scored a 2 in the cost per sheet test, each sheet averaged .03 cents butBounty came with 64 sheets, 50.8 Sq. ft. per roll.Viva: (3) Viva scored a 3 in the cost per sheet test, each sheet averaged .03 cents but Vivacame with 68 sheets, 54.1 Sq. ft. per roll.Great Value: (4) Great Value scored the highest score in the cost per sheet test, each sheetaveraged .02 cents but Great Value came with 61 sheets, 55.45 Sq ft per roll.Test 3 AbsorbencyBrawny: (1) Brawny scored a 1 on the absorbency test.Bounty: (2) Bounty scored a 2 on the absorbency test.Great Value: (3) Great Value scored a 3 on the absorbency testViva: (4) Viva scored a 4 on the absorbency test.Test 4 StrengthGreat Value: (1) Great Value scored a 1 on the strength test; the paper towel was able tohold 56 wet marbles before ripping. Great Value did horrible on the strength test comparedto the other brands it lost by greater than 50 marbles.Feasibility Study13
Introducing Paper Towels: A Feasibility StudyBrawny: (2) Brawny scored a 2 on the strength test; the paper towel was able to hold 115wet marbles before ripping.Viva: (3) Viva scored a 3 on the strength test; the paper towel was able to hold 130 wetmarbles before ripping.Bounty: (4) Bounty scored a 4 on the strength test; the paper towel was able to hold 165marbles before ripping.Overall Test ScoresBrawny: 7/16Bounty: 11/16Great Value: 12/16Viva: 13/16Viva scored the highest overall score, scoring 13 points out of a possible 16.Number of Points for Each Brand1412108Number of Points for Each Brand6420BountyFeasibility StudyBrawnyGreat ValueViva14
Introducing Paper Towels: A Feasibility StudyRecommendationBased on our results the best brand of paper towels is Viva. Viva received 13 out of the 16possible points. We recommend college students use Viva paper towels because it is thestrongest and most useful for its price.Feasibility Study15
1. Lay a folded a single sheet of paper towel on a table 2. Measure out ¼ cup of water 3. Pour ¼ cup of water onto paper towel 4. If possible lift paper towel to see if any water drips out Brawny: (1) Brawny received a score of 1on the absorbency test. The water rolled right of the paper towel soaking very little water.
