Always (brand)

Always is an American brand of menstrual hygiene products, including maxi pads, ultra thin pads, pantyliners, disposable underwear for night-time wear, and vaginal wipes. A sister company of Procter & Gamble, it was first invented and introduced in the United States in 1983 by Tom Osborn, a mid-level employee at Procter & Gamble, then nationally in May 1984. By the end of 1984, Always had also been introduced internationally in the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, Arab world, Pakistan and Africa. Despite the Always' pads runaway international success, Procter & Gamble almost fired Tom Osborn twice in the early 1980s as he was developing this product. Always sanitary pads and other products are sold under the brand name Whisper in Japan, Singapore, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, China, South Korea, Philippines, Thailand, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Australia, Cambodia and Indonesia, Lines in Italy, Orkid in Turkey, and both Evax and Ausonia in Spain and Portugal. The 'Always' name is applicable to products sold in the US, Africa (Kenya and Nigeria primarily), Pakistan, and some European countries. Always products are manufactured in Belleville, Ontario, Canada at a 700,000-sq.-ft. plant with 175,000-sq.-ft. of warehouse. The plant is one of Procter & Gamble's largest in North America. Although Always has local factories in the countries that it sells in, in some cases, its products are manufactured and exported. According to Rising Tide: Lessons from 165 Years of Brand Building at Procter & Gamble, Always was Procter & Gamble's "first truly global brand."