Design Review 2 Water Drop 1 Team Water Drop The Taapu!
Jan 03, 2016
Design Review 2 Water Drop 1
Team Water Drop
The Taapu!
Design Review 2 Water Drop 2
Team Water Drop
Adam French
Saving the world one bike at a time
Chris Bradford
A Virgo
Anshuman Bapna
Hopelessly out of touch with rural India
Eric Tsai
Monomaniacal passion to sing “Hava Nageela”
Design Review 2 Water Drop 3
Team Water Drop
Adam French
Saving the world one bike at a time
Chris Bradford
A Virgo
Anshuman Bapna
Hopelessly out of touch with rural India
Eric Tsai
Monomaniacal passion to sing “Hava Nageela”
RAMU!
Our newest team member
Design Review 2 Water Drop 4
Ramu – the dollar-a-day farmer
• Lower caste farmer • 2-acre plot growing beans and sorghum but nothing in
dry season• Supports a family of 9; save half of crop for
consumption• Get my info from radio or rare city visits
• Dream: grow tomatoes or eggplants in the dry season
• Problem: The well has dried up, and flood irrigation is expensive and inefficient.
• Drip irrigation is great, but requires a gravity tank.
Design Review 2 Water Drop 5
So what’s wrong with the Gravity Tank?
• Too expensive at Rs 600 ($12)
• Unnecessary valve• Need elevated
place• Theft (Rs 600 is ½
month’s income!)
The Need: A better way to get water from storage to drip-irrigation
Design Review 2 Water Drop 6
The Taapu!
Design Review 2 Water Drop 7
The Taapu!
Design Review 2 Water Drop 8
Value Benefits
• 270 L Storage• Low-cost• Easy Set-up• Transportable• Readily available
materials
* Irrigation * Disaster Relief
Design Review 2 Water Drop 9
Installation
Design Review 2 Water Drop 10
Maintenance
Holes may form . . .
But they can be easily patched!
Design Review 2 Water Drop 11
Ramu’s buying decision
• Cuts 60% off gravity tank price
• Cost of the micro-irrigation system reduced from Rs 950 to Rs 550!
• Rs 400 savings = •10 day’s income •My child’s annual school fee •The cost of seed/fertilizer for another season •Drip-irrigation system for another 100 m2
plot
Design Review 2 Water Drop 12
A Scalable Manufacturing Process
• Simple, scalable components– rope, flat sheet, PVC, bar,
tube
• Flat sheet made watertight– Pinched between bar and PVC
• Low capital investment– Local assembly possible at low
labor cost
Design Review 2 Water Drop 13
Watertight Seal
Steel bar Slit PVC Pipe
Bag material
1
2
3
4
5
Design Review 2 Water Drop 14
Viable Economics• Manufacturing cost: $2.75
– Direct Materials: $2.50– 0.5 hours of labor: $.25
• Retail price: $4.50– ~30% markup for both manufacturer and
distributor
Building 16 units per day with one employee would make $13 profit per day!
Design Review 2 Water Drop 15
Marketing and Distribution
• Primary audience: – $1/day farmers in semi-arid, monsoon, no
groundwater availability.
• Reach via:– Drip irrigation system demonstrations (IDE)
• Movievans!– Demonstrations of Taapu by local
manufacturers
• Distribution channels:– Local manufacturers– Local resellers
Design Review 2 Water Drop 16
Refinement Pilot Tests Develop Local Partners Rollout
Timeline for Expansion
• First step: Refinement of Design– Eliminate leaks, reduce costs
• Next: Test with Ramu and Friends– Tips for further refinement
February Feb/March March -- ?
Design Review 2 Water Drop 17
Problems and Questions
• Is it durable?• It’s not very attractive!• How best to repair it?• Does it take up too much
space?• Are there alternate uses?• Can Ramu assemble for
himself?
Design Review 2 Water Drop 18
Potential Refinements
Design Review 2 Water Drop 19
Expert Testimony
Martin Fisher
Technical Director, ApproTEC
•Cost Reduction is Key
•Must determine appropriate bag size for market
- How often replenished?
•User perspectives of “quality” may vary
Design Review 2 Water Drop 20
Summary and Conclusions
• Current IDE Gravity Tank needs improvement
• A much cheaper, higher volume tank can be profitably manufactured
• All components are scalable, and bags could be manufactured or assembled locally
• A number of design problems remain to be solved
Design Review 2 Water Drop 21
Future Steps
• Prioritized Group Research• Reinvigorating Ideation• Refining Mission Statement
IdeationDesign Review Refined Mission
Research