Unveiling a Day at an Adult Diaper Factory--Noda

1. Today’s Production Lines: How Many Are Running?

Today is Friday, and order volume is at a weekly high. Among Noda’s three fully automated production lines, two are running at full capacity, while the remaining one is undergoing equipment maintenance and model changeover to prepare for the next batch of export orders.

Each of the two fully loaded lines runs at a stable speed of 600 pieces per minute. Let’s do the math:

Approximately 1,200 pieces of adult diapers / underpads per minute

Approximately 72,000 pieces per hour

Approximately 1.7 million pieces per day (if running 24 hours at full capacity)

Of course, real world production must account for changeover time, quality reject deductions, etc. Even so, Jiangsu Nova’s annual production capacity remains firmly above 180 million pieces.

The main products being manufactured today include: overnight heavy absorbency adult diapers (mainly for nursing homes and hospital channels), lightweight day use style (for e commerce summer promotions), and XXL extra wide underpads for export (specially developed for European and American body types, with 30% better fit for waist circumference 120–150 cm). Different products have different requirements for absorbency, rewet value, and leakage protection, but every piece undergoes the same strict standards before leaving the factory.

Raw materials

Production line

2. Today’s Shipments: Which Countries Are They Going To?

As of this afternoon, the Nova logistics center arranged outbound shipments of approximately 3,800 cartons to 6 countries and regions.

The breakdown is as follows:

Domestic ecommerce (Tmall, JD, Pinduoduo brand customers): approx. 1,500 cartons – mainly sent to ecommerce warehouses in East and South China, covering the core consumption areas of the Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta. Noda’s daily sales volume on domestic ecommerce channels has reached 30,000 pieces.

Domestic B2B customers (nursing homes, hospitals, government procurement): approx. 1,200 cartons – including several chain nursing homes in the Yangtze River Delta and civil affairs projects procured through longterm care insurance channels.

Export orders: approx. 1,100 cartons – destined for Southeast Asia (Vietnam, Philippines), the Middle East (UAE, Saudi Arabia), and Eastern Europe (Poland). Currently, Nova’s products are exported to more than 20 countries worldwide.

It is worth mentioning that the shipment to Vietnam today is the customer’s second trial order – after the first batch arrived, local end users reported “fast absorption, no leakage”, and repurchase rates exceeded expectations. Good news also came from a Middle Eastern customer: because of the hot climate, local users have extremely high demands for breathability, and Nova’s 3D perforated topsheet perfectly solved that pain point.

This accumulation of word of mouth is precisely the greatest confidence of Jiangsu Nova as an original manufacturer.

3. Today’s Quality Inspection: What Problems Were Found?

Many people think that a factory’s quality control department simply “sits and looks at products”. But real quality control is far more complex.

Jiangsu Nova’s QC system consists of three layers: incoming raw material inspection, in line production monitoring, and finished product sampling / retention testing.

Today, the QC department identified the following main issues:

① A batch of imported fluff pulp with moisture content 0.7% above standard – entire batch rejected

At 9:15 a.m., during incoming inspection of a batch of imported fluff pulp, the QC technician found that the moisture content exceeded the company’s internal control standard by 0.7%. Although this value was still within the national standard’s allowable range, to ensure the final product’s absorbency performance and mold resistance, Nova decided to reject the entire batch and return it to the supplier. Behind this seemingly “strict” decision is Jiangsu Nova’s bottom line commitment to the quality of every single piece.

② In line AI inspection system automatically rejected 11 pieces with uneven adhesive distribution

During operation of the fully automated line, the AI vision inspection system detected 11 adult diapers with uneven hot melt adhesive distribution – the adhesive amount was not excessive, but the distribution area had shifted, which could lead to reduced local fit. These products were automatically flagged and rejected on the line; none entered the packaging stage. Nova has introduced an overseas high speed servo drive system, combined with AI vision inspection, to achieve 100% in line inspection, ensuring that each diaper meets international standards for absorbency, rewet value, breathability, and other indicators.

③ Two rolls of packaging film with print color deviation

During the finished product packaging stage, the QC inspector found that the pattern color of a certain batch of outer packaging film deviated slightly from the standard color plate. Although end consumers would hardly notice this difference, we still suspended packaging for that batch, requested the supplier to replace the film, and manually re inspected more than 200 cartons that had already been packed.

④ Finished product sampling: rewet value ≤0.3%, far better than the national standard

This afternoon, the laboratory randomly sampled 30 adult diapers from the production line for permeability performance testing. According to the national standard GB/T 28004.2-2021, the rewet value standard for adult diapers is ≤30g for moderate incontinence products and ≤40g for severe incontinence products. The result from Nova’s sampling today – an average rewet value of only 0.3% – is far lower than the industry standard and represents a leading level within the sector.

In terms of absorbency, Nova uses high absorbency polymer imported from Japan. Each diaper can absorb 800 times its own weight in water, while the industry average is about 500 times. This means users do not need to change frequently at night, greatly reducing the burden on caregivers.

4. Why Is “A Day at the Factory” Worth Seeing?

Many people think that a factory’s daily routine is nothing more than “machines running, workers busy, goods being shipped out” – nothing special.

But as a B2B manufacturer, we believe: A customer’s trust is not built on a slogan like “we have good quality”, but on “we are willing to show you how we do things.”

When our QC rejects an entire batch of raw material because of 0.7% excess moisture – that is our responsibility to customers.

When our in line AI inspection system unhesitatingly rejects 11 “barely problematic” pieces – that is our respect for quality.

When our products travel from Changzhou to Vietnam, the UAE, and Poland, and customers reorder again and again – that is the market’s vote for us.

5. If You Are Also Looking for a Reliable Adult Care Product Manufacturer…

Jiangsu Noda Hygiene Products Co., Ltd., established in 2018, is located in Changzhou City, Jiangsu Province, China. We have a 20,000 m² modern production base, a 10,000 m² logistics and warehousing center, and three fully automated production lines, with an annual production capacity of over 180 million pieces of incontinence care products.

We provide one stop OEM/ODM customized services for a full range of products, including adult diapers, adult underpads, adult pull up pants, pet pads, etc. – from product design, formula development, packaging customization, to brand empowerment, we can do it all for you.

Our products are exported to more than 20 countries and regions around the world. Whether you are a domestic brand owner, a cross border e commerce seller, or a nursing home procurement, you are very welcome to talk with us.