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Product Ventures Receives
International Design Award

Fairfield, CT (January 7, 2008) – Product Ventures Ltd., a leading packaging and product design agency, announced that it has received the prestigious 2007 GOOD DESIGN™ award for its design of the Clauss® SpeedPak™ Cartridge Utility Knife System, a revolutionary utility knife that allows blades to be changed safely, quickly and effortlessly.

Javier Verdura, VP of Design & Development, led the Product Ventures’ design team, which included Jon Lee and Dan Sterling. “We are extremely honored to receive such prestigious recognition from our global peers,” said Verdura. “It’s meaningful that the judges rewarded the SpeedPak™ for its design and how it addresses the functional needs of the user, as well as safely changing the blades so efficiently.” Michael Peterson, Vice President of Marketing for Acme United, added "SpeedPak™ has revolutionized the way professionals and do-it-yourselfers will use utility knives forever. The Good Design award is further confirmation of Acme United's strong, design-centric philosophy."

Other utility knives may take 30 seconds or more to change a blade and may also require additional tools. The new Clauss® SpeedPak™ Utility Knife requires no tools, and a blade or cartridge can be changed in just seconds. By simply ejecting the old blade, a new blade emerges from within the tool at the simple slide of a button. The color-coded cartridges can be changed by a push of a button and consist of 10 disposable Titanium blades that are particularly helpful when a specific type of blade is required, whether it be dubbed, serrated or hooked.

In addition to being exceptionally easy to use and extremely lightweight, the SpeedPak™ is also very safe due to the non-slip ergonomic comfort grip handle, which becomes an added bonus with prolonged use. When switching the blades, your hand will stay securely on the handle to help prevent injury. When handling the blades themselves, the cartridges eliminate the hazard of users coming into direct contact with the blade. The cartridges can even be kept in a pocket for that quick exchange.
About the Good Design™ Award
The GOOD DESIGN award remains one of the oldest and most coveted design prizes worldwide. Founded in 1950, the award recognizes and bestows international recognition upon designers and manufacturers for advancing new and innovative product concepts and for pushing the envelope beyond what is considered to be standard product and consumer design. GOOD DESIGN is organized by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design—one of the Chicago area's most prestigious cultural institutions and the only museum of architecture and design in the United States in conjunction with Metropolitan Arts Press, Ltd.

About Acme United
Acme United is one of the fastest growing public companies in the world today. They recently ranked 113 on Forbes’s 200 Best Small Companies and ranked 66th on Business Week’s Hot Growth Companies.

Acme’s recent success is possibly due to their steadfast conviction of providing a cohesive brand language through high-design of their product offerings. Through their partnership with Product Ventures, Acme has created cutting-edge designs for their well-known measuring instruments, cutting devices, and safety products for school, home, industrial and office use, creating a compelling point of difference.

The SpeedPak™ utility knives and replacement blade cartridges will soon be available in leading retailers, catalogs and on-line under Acme’s Clauss® Brand.




Product Ventures is a renowned resource for product and packaging innovation, helping clients identify opportunities and develop solutions to grow their business. The agency’s multi-disciplinary experts in strategy, insights, design and development turn business goals into manufacturing reality. Product Ventures’ consistent marketplace success has earned them lasting relationships with the world’s leading companies and their most iconic brands.

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Product Ventures …The Best Kept Secret Behind The Best Known Brands™

www.productventures.com

CONTACT:
Peter Clarke
Product Ventures, Ltd.

Telephone: 203.319.1119
Email: pclarke@productventures.com
Additional imagery available upon request.