PROJECT PROPOSAL

I. Project Title

The project will be entitled Ergonomically Designed and Eco-friendly Bamboo Ballpen

Casing. It will be called Bamboo Ballpen Casing since the main material for the construction

of the ballpens cap and body will be bamboo culms and it will be considered as

ergonomically designed and eco-friendly since the proponent will be proposing the

innovation of a ballpen casing that will cause less strain to the fingers of the person gripping

it and at the same time will replace the traditional plastic ballpen casings.

II. Proponent

The proponent, Alyssa Micah F. Paras, is a fifth year student taking up Bachelor of

Science in Industrial Engineering at Holy Angel University and is currently enrolled in the

course IEProject or Project Feasibility for Industrial Engineering students.

III. Background of the Project / Rationale

The origin of the word Bamboo comes from the Malay word "Mambu". Malay is the

national language of Malaysia and Indonesia. In the late 16th century (1590-1600) the

Dutch named it "Bamboes" after which it got its Neo-Latin name "Bambusa". Bamboo

belongs to the Bambusoideae subfamily of the perennial evergreen grass family Poaceae

(Gramineae). It was German Botanist, Charles Kunth, who first published his taxonomic

findings in 1815. Of all grasses, bamboo is the largest and the only one that can diversify

into forest. Although bamboo is a grass, many of the larger woody bamboo species are very

tree-like in appearance and are often called "bamboo trees". The subfamily Bambusoidaea

consists of both woody and herbaceous bamboos with altogether 1575 identified species in

111 different genera. About 100 species are used commercially, of which 20 are identified

as priority species for those wishing to start bamboo plantation. Apart from those
commercially important species, many attractive ornamental bamboos are grown in

nurseries for landscaping purposes (Schroder, 2003).

Bamboo is characterized by its excellent elasticity, split property and water absorption

property. Bamboo is distributed widely in warm and wet area, especially in Asia. It grows

much faster than a tree; therefore it tends to encroach upon forest area. In recent years

attention is paid to bamboo in several fields. For example, it is studied to use bamboo as a

substitute of wood in building materials, to use bamboo's extract as an antibacterial

material and to use bamboo's charcoal as a deodorant or a desiccant (Shiji & Shimizu,

2017).

Other than the above mentioned uses of bamboo, at present, the tree is also used in the

manufacturing of organic straws. According to an article entitled Life without Plastic, these

bamboo drinking straws are fun and eco-friendly alternative to plastic that can be used with

any beverage. The straws are made from real whole bamboo stalks nothing re-

compressed or processed. They are washable and reusable.

Drinking straws are basically shaped like cylinders which are hollow in the middle to

allow the liquid to pass through. The same concept applies to ballpen casings. Ballpen

casing which is composed of the cap and the body are cylinder in shape and are hollow in

the inside to provide space for the ink cartridge. This idea served as the inspiration of the

proponent to push through with the study of the feasibility of the bamboo culms as a main

material in producing an ergonomically designed ballpen casing.

According to a study, plastics have become an important raw material in ballpoint pen

manufacture. They have the advantage of being easily formed, lightweight, corrosion

resistant, and inexpensive. They are primarily used to form the body of the pen, but are

also used to make the ink cartridge, the push button, the cap, and part of the tip. Different
kinds of plastics are used, based on their physical characteristics. Thermosetting plastics,

like phenolic resins, which remain permanently hard after being formed and cooled, are

typically used in constructing the body, cap, and other pieces. Thermoplastic materials

remain flexible. These include materials like high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and vinyl

resins, which can be used to make most of the pen components (Turing et al., 2009)

According to an article entitled 10 Facts about the Ballpoint Pen, there are 125 ballpoint

pens sold every second in the world. Also, it was noted that on the average, a person uses

up 4.3 pens per year considering each pen is a good pen which can write 50 thousand

words. Imagine the environmental impact of these pens after serving their purpose. They

will end up in landfills and add up to the tons of plastic wastes that take years to

decompose.

For ages, bamboos have been used for a lot of purposes. In the Philippines, they are

used for construction, furniture and handicraft manufacture, food, musical instruments,

farm and fishing implements, pulp and paper, fuel for cooking and heating, etc. In May

2010, Executive Order 879 was issued by the Office of the President of the Republic

creating the Philippine Bamboo Industry Development Council (PBIDC) which mandates the

use of 20% of bamboo for reforestation, 25% for the desk requirements of all public

elementary and high schools in the country, strengthening of the bamboo industry and

intensification of research on bamboo production and utilization. The issuance of this EO,

demonstrates how much importance the government places on bamboo for socio-

economic development, environmental enhancement and power generation (Roxas, 2015).

According to a recent report entitled Trees and Their Management, there are 12 genera,

consisting of 49 species of bamboos that are growing in the Philippines -- 30 erect species

and 19 climbing species. Nine erect bamboo species are presently utilized by industries for
various purposes. These 9 bamboo species have their respective characteristics which make

them unique and useful in different applications. With that, the most suitable bamboo

specie that should be used for the production of Bamboo Ballpen Casing will be the Anos

which has a diameter of 2-4 centimetres and is mostly occurring in Rizal, Agusan, Mindoro,

Central and Northern Luzon. It was also stated that there is a Bamboo Plantation in

Magalang, Pampanga. Since the main source is locally available, the product becomes more

feasible to be manufactured at a lesser cost.

The wooden pens which are commercially available in the market nowadays are

actually produced to feed the interest of its buyers due to its aesthetic appeal. If youll look

at the prices of the ones currently available in the market, their prices range from a

hundred to a thousand pesos. To add up to this, wooden pens available in the market are

not designed to be reused. Manufacture of wooden pens would result to the degradation of

trees that takes so long to grow. Bamboo is a fast growing tree. Bamboo is a viable

replacement for wood. It can be harvested in 3-5 years versus 10-20 for most softwood. It

can out yield pine 6 to 1 in biomass production. It is also one of the strongest building

materials with a tensile strength of 28,000 psi (Lewis, 2002).

According to a study, pen design has an effect on the writing and drawing

performance of a person as well as on the comfort experienced by the user while using the

pen. Different things are to be considered in choosing the best pen that the user should use

such as the accuracy and time needed in writing and drawing (Gross et al., 1996).

Ergonomic pens are already available in the market. In fact, the Dr. Grip line of high-

quality writing instruments from Pilot Pen feature a standard stick-style body with a wide

barrel and a large rubber sleeve to reduce the amount of force needed for a comfortable

grip. Actually, in a three-month study at the Georgia Tech Research Institute, the
 ergonomically-designed Dr. Grip pen was found to have a lower center of gravity and were

preferred 2-to-1 for comfort over all the ink pens tested. Whether you're doodling to pass

the time or writing a note to a long lost friend, Pilot pens help to eliminate the physical

discomfort for those suffering with hand or joint pain. And, you will never have to worry

about running out of ink. Pilot's retractable pens have refillable ball point ink that is smear-

proof and readily available (Pilot Corporation, 2017).

With all the related researches provided, they show that the manufacturing of the

Ergonomically Designed and Eco-friendly Bamboo Ballpen Casing will be feasible and will

make a great impact to our environment.

IV. Objectives

- To analyze the possible ways of utilizing bamboo culms to manufacture ballpen casings

- To design an ergonomically designed ballpen casing that will reduce the strain caused by

prolonged writing

- To design a reusable and eco-friendly ink pen case that will be used as alternative to the

usual plastic ballpen casings

V. Marketing Aspect

a. Indicate the 4Ps

Product

The product will be durable, eco-friendly, reusable and affordable. Also, only a single

variety of the product will be produced. An ergonomic bamboo ballpen casing that will fit

the most commonly used ballpoint ink refill will be the focus of the study. Quality of the

product will be given focus so as not to disappoint the possible consumers and the target

market. Proponent will prioritize the use of product packaging made out of recycled

materials.
 Price

The product will be offered at a reasonable price that will be based on the features

possessed by the product. Target product price will range from 30 Php to 50 Php.

Place

The market study will be conducted in Angeles, Mabalacat and San Fernando City since

they are the established towns of Pampanga where most high school and college students

are studying. Specifically, the target market will be high school and college students from

the said town.

Promotion

To market the product, marketing strategies will be utilized such as the use of marketing

tools. Branding in the form of product logo will be created in order for the market to

become familiarized with the product. Marketing tools will include the advertisement of the

product through Facebook, Instagram, and other social media sites. The proponent will take

advantage of these sites in introducing the product. Posters will be posted along schools for

the target market to know the product. Flyers will be distributed and symposiums will also

be conducted in schools.

VI. Technical Aspect

Carved Bamboo Culm

VII. Financial Aspect
Breakdown of Capital for Ergonomically-Designed Bamboo Ballpen Casing

Fixed Assets
Production machine and equipment 353 000
Delivery equipment 100 000
Auxiliary tools and machines 9 000
Furniture and Fixtures 32 090
Total investment in fixed assets 494 090
Current Assets
Office Supplies 3 140
Total Investment In Current Assets 3 140
Pre-Operating Cost
Feasibility study 10 000
Licenses and permits 5 540
BIR registration 5 000
BIR certification fee 15
BIR documentary stamp 15
Installation cost 10 000
Receipts and forms 450
Miscellaneous expense 5 000
Total Pre-operating Expenses 36 020
Working Capital for First Month 204 477.07
Promotional Budget 10 000
TOTAL 747 727.07

Percentage Return on Investment = 28%

VIII. Environmental/Social Aspect

The project will definitely favor sustainable environmental development and no

potentially permanent immediate and long term hazard on environment as well as in health

and safety because it will be designed to be reused for its durability and it will definitely not

impose any health and safety hazard to the user because it will actually be designed to

promote the use of an ergonomically designed ballpen casing which will be healthier and

safer for the user.

IX. Methodology

START

ACQUISITION OF QUALITY INSPECTION OF

RAW MATERIALS INCOMING MATERIALS

CLEANING OF
RAW MATERIALS

CUTTING OF
CULM

FILING OF
CULM INSPECTION

CARVING OF
CULM INSPECTION

MANUFACTURING
BALLPEN CASING INSPECTION

ASSEMBLY

QUALITY
CHECK

SANDING CLEANING

VARNISHING FINISH
X. Major Activities/Workplan

XI. Expected Output

Shown below is the expected prototype model of the Ergonomic and Eco-friendly Bamboo
Ballpen Casing:
XII. Target Beneficiaries
The clienteles of the study will be the high school and college students of Angeles and

Mabalacat City. The use of the product will provide less strain to the clienteles when

writing. It will help eliminate physical discomforts caused by long duration of writing.

XIII. Project Budget

Estimated
Activities Expenses
1. Creation of Proposal 50php
2. Submit requirements reguarly 500php
3. Go to DOST for inquiries 1500php
4. Regular meetup with adviser 500php
5. Creation of Prototype 5000php
6. Conduct outside the province researches 2000php
7. Miscellaneous Activities 2000php