Graco 2006 Annual Report Download - page 14

a continuous cycle of improvement.
Innovation doesn’t end with product design at Newell Rubbermaid. In fact, it travels 360
degrees, enhancing everything from R&D to manufacturing to our global supply chain.
360-degree innovation is our driving force, helping us find better ways of providing consumer
value and doing business. It’s how we create a best-in-class consumer branding organization.
putting efficiency on the fast track.
The old saying “ two heads are better than one” is multiplied manyfold at Newell Rubbermaid.
We collaborate across business units in areas such as new product design and sharing best
practices. While we implement new ways to add efficiency to our sourcing and manufacturing
functions, we’re also speeding up the delivery of new products to our markets – products that
also save consumers time and energy. As a result, new product vitality is projected to double
from 2004 to 2008.
a portfolio of Brands That Matter.TM
Newell Rubbermaid brands are Brands That Matter,TM for the home, business or commercial
marketplaces. They meet consumer needs. For the professional consumer, we offer numerous
quality products that help get the job done faster and safer, including IRWIN®GrooveLock pliers,
the fastest pliers on Earth, the new Lenox®Diamond saw blade, which combines world-class
speed and durability, and the WaveBrake®mop bucket, a revolution in cleaning effectiveness.
you see a mop bucket...
WaveBrake.®Or how we improved the humble mop and pail.
Most commercial mop buckets are prone to splashing due to wave action when moved, creating
a slip-and-fall hazard. What’s worse, conventional wringers and mop buckets do not separate
clean and dirty water, so, essentially, you are mopping the floor with a bucket full of increasingly
dirty water. The WaveBrake®mop bucket and wringer system developed by Rubbermaid
Commercial solves those problems. Special baffles reduce splashing by up to 40 percent.
There’s a second bucket below the wringer to collect dirty water, which means a safer environment,
cleaner floors and improved productivity. What’s more, the wringer lasts up to fifty-eight times
longer than comparable wringers, which helps keep money from going down the drain.
The fastest pliers on earth. Adjusting traditional groove joint pliers can be frustrating. But not the new IRWIN®
GrooveLock pliers with patented, precision IRWIN®GrooveLock technology. One touch of the Press-N-Slide
button adjusts the lower jaw up to 50 percent faster than traditional pliers. And the added benefit of less
hand fatigue, due to the patented comfort handle, makes the professional user’s work easier.
2004
2005
2006
Newell Rubbermaid
New Product Vitality
(sales from new products
introduced in the past
36 months as a percentage
of total net sales)
15%
19%
22%
25%
30%
*projected numbers
12
2007*
2008*