Saathi sanitary pads will have an absorbent core made from waste banana tree fiber, a biodegradable top and bottom layer, a contoured shape, and wings. saathi will use its trade secret process to transform high volumes of raw banana fiber into absorbent pulp. through this process, uv lighting is used to sterilize the fiber. processed banana fiber is used as the absorbent pad filling material. using the saathi machine, the processed banana fiber is filled between biodegradable top and bottom layers. additional raw material, shipping, wastage and other expenses contribute to the overall rs. 2.85 material cost of the pad. the saathi machine can be attached to any conventional tabletop and requires substantially less space than other pad producing methods. the machine is designed to create an integrated and easy to use system that can make pads quickly, cheaply, and efficiently. in january 2010, the alpha prototype was completed. the machine can produce four pads per minute (324,000 pads per year) and requires two operators. in september 2011, saathi moved its operations to india and quickly realized that the pads produced by our alpha prototype did not meet indian consumer expectations. the pads were too thick, did not have wings, which consumers felt was an important feature to have, and did not meet the aesthetic standards of customers, which were based on high-end, mass-manufactured pads. based on feedback from the consumers, saathi set out to develop a beta prototype, which was completed in summer of 2012. the beta prototype pads are shaped and contoured, with an appearance comparable to similar high-end pads. from this point, we are in the process of redesigning our manufacturing setup and materials processing capabilities in order to create consistent-quality pads at a the scaled-up production level we require. since pilot testing in summer of 2012, development of final design for manufacturing has been underway. the beta prototype is expected to be completed by march 2016 and includes uv sanitation, adhesive application and as mentioned previously, saathi is unique in that we are the only player in the sanitary pad market focused on manufacturing fully ecofriendly and biodegradable sanitary pads. we are also using all locally sourced materials including banana tree fiber as the core of the pad. by using banana tree fiber as the core of the pad, we are also providing additional income to banana tree farmers. all other disposable sanitary pads use wood pulp, which is usually imported from china.