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Case Studies
Cycle Technologies commercializes products that help people live healthier, happier lives. We do this by assessing business
opportunities, creating branding and communications programs, developing manufacturing capabilities, building distribution
systems, and overseeing all aspects of business management.
Cycle Technologies is the manufacturer, distributor, and marketer of CycleBeads®, the
fastest growing natural family planning option in the world. Since its launch in late 2002, CycleBeads has been used by more
than 2.5 million women in over 50 countries. Cycle Technologies now manufactures more than 500,000 units per year to
keep pace with worldwide demand.
Background: The Standard Days Method® of family
planning on which CycleBeads is based, was developed by the Institute for Reproductive Health at Georgetown University to address the unmet need for an easy to use, effective,
natural family planning option. Researchers at the Institute conducted extensive efficacy studies which showed CycleBeads
to be more than 95% effective at preventing pregnancy and very easy to use. Cycle Technologies and the Institute for Reproductive
Health agreed to partner to commercialize CycleBeads and other products based on the Standard Days Method. In September 2002,
Georgetown University licensed Cycle Technologies to manufacture, distribute, and market CycleBeads.
Results to date: - CycleBeads is the fastest growing natural
family planning option in the world with more than 2.5 million women in more than 50 countries using this method since it
began to be offered in late 2002.
- CycleBeads is one of the only fertility
awareness-based methods available through mainstream healthcare providers in the U.S. including Planned Parenthoods, state
and local health departments, Title X clinics, and private practitioners.
- CycleBeads
is available in the U.S. through 100+ retailers including many Whole Foods and other natural product stores.
- CycleBeads is available online directly to users in the U.S., Europe, and Australia at www.CycleBeads.com.
- CycleBeads is provided
in more than 40 developing countries through community- and clinic-based approaches as well as through a variety of social
and commercial marketing strategies.
- CycleBeads is included in numerous
national procurement and logistics systems, and in national and institutional norms, protocols, and management information
systems.
- CycleBeads has been featured in professional publications such
as Contraceptive Technology and Advance for Nurses, in mainstream media such as The Wall Street Journal,
The Washington Post, Newsweek, and Self magazine, and in international
technical guidance documents such as the World Health Organization’s Medical Eligibility Criteria for Contraceptive
Use.
Related Activities:
Cycle Technologies has established low-cost, high-quality, and high-volume manufacturing capabilities
in Hong Kong, India, and Peru. Research has shown that CycleBeads is the most cost effective family planning option available
in the U.S., and second only to the IUD internationally. This is in part due to our ability to manufacture a low cost product
and deliver it to customers efficiently. All of our factories have instituted rigorous quality control measures to ensure
a high-quality product. These measures are further supported by third-party quality control review. Our factories have the
combined capacity to produce more than 2 million sets of CycleBeads per year ensuring that as demand grows, availability will
too.
Cycle Technologies fulfills orders around
the world. Our manufacturers provide "just in time" inventory that allows us to fulfill large orders directly from
our factories, ensuring the most cost-effective materials for our customers. We work with numerous freight forwarders to guarantee
that materials are delivered anywhere in the world they need to go. Additionally, we work closely with USAID's fulfillment
contractor to provide low cost materials to USAID programs. Within the U.S., Cycle Technologies works with a full-service
fulfillment house to fulfill all types of orders for healthcare providers, retailers, and individual users.
Cycle Technologies has developed a comprehensive marketing strategy which includes advertising,
PR, social network marketing, direct marketing, etc. to reach opinion leaders, healthcare providers, retailers, and end users.
To the extent possible Cycle Technologies markets through low cost mediums for high impact results. Internationally, we, or
our partner the Institute for Reproductive Health, work closely with local organizations to prepare appropriate materials
and communication strategies. Cycle Technologies oversees all
aspects of customer service and we make great customer service a priority. We actively stay in communications with customers,
manage customer relationships, know our customers' needs, and empower our staff to help customers with any issues they may
have.
Cycle Technologies is proud to give back to our community. We donate a portion of the proceeds
from the sale of CycleBeads to support research to expand family planning options around the world and help people make informed
choices about their reproductive health. Additionally we support programs that encourage empowerment and education of youth
such as The Girls & Boys Project in New York City.
More About the Institute for Reproductive
Health
The
Institute for Reproductive Health is an internationally renowned, university-based research organization that has been working
in reproductive health for more than 20 years. As part of Georgetown University's School of Medicine, the Institute conducts
research to develop natural family planning methods and to test them in service delivery settings. Its research-to-practice
model is instrumental in the increasing inclusion of the Standard Days Method and CycleBeads in policies, norms, and guidelines,
and in their consequent availability and use.
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