May 19th, 2012
The Thermador MD24JS Built-in MicroDrawer Microwave installs directly into standard-depth cabinetry and slides open at the touch of a button.
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May 19th, 2012
Posted: Friday, May 18, 2012 10:46 pm
Arrowsmith retires, Booth named president of Case
After 16 years of service at W.R. Case & Sons Cutlery Co., President and CEO Tom Arrowsmith retired Friday and Zippo President and CEO Greg Booth assumed the duties of president for both companies.
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Friday, May 18, 2012 10:46 pm.
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May 17th, 2012
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN–(Marketwire -05/16/12)-
On April 18, Purdue University‘s Department of Agricultural Economics awarded Nadine McGowan, Hoosier Division Manager for Vector Marketing Corporation, the department’s 2012 APEX Award. The APEX Award is presented in recognition of those individuals with a strong connection to the Department of Agricultural Economics who have made outstanding contributions in their fields. The department began presenting the award in 2004 and has to date inducted 36 members.
Vector Marketing Corporation is the single-level direct selling arm of Cutco Cutlery Corporation, the largest manufacturer of high-end kitchen cutlery in North America. Students in a senior level sales and marketing course in the Department of Agricultural Economics gain real-world experience by selling Cutco as part of the class. McGowan gives her time to train and guide the professional development of those students.
Students who participate in college sales courses offering real-world experience can expect to learn important skills that can be transferred to any job environment, including:
- Generating leads and referrals
- Building customer rapport
- Setting/achieving goals
- Understanding consumer behavior
- Demonstrating product advantages
- Overcoming objections
- Communications skills
“Nadine’s background as an educator really comes through in the patience and enthusiasm she expresses when working with our students,” said Dr. Scott Downey, Assistant Professor in Purdue’s Department of Agricultural Economics. “Each fall for several years she has helped our senior sales and marketing students apply the skills they have learned in classes to real world settings. Nadine shares her energy and wisdom to help guide these experiences. We frequently receive comments from employers who hire these students that Purdue graduates are the best prepared of any college students they hire. That’s in large part due to Nadine’s work.”
“I am so grateful to work for Vector and be able to provide students with valuable life skills while representing Cutco — a product I can put my name behind,” said McGowan. “As a manager, I am given an opportunity to work very closely with Purdue University and help teach the Cutco class. I love working with Scott Downey, his staff and the Purdue class. It is so rewarding to watch the students develop hands-on life skills.”
McGowan began working with Vector Marketing and Cutco Cutlery in October 1998. She was promoted to Branch Manager in the summer of 2001, where she finished number one in sales across the company. In 2002, she was promoted to District Manager, where she was named Rookie of the Year while also student teaching. In 2007, McGowan was promoted to Division Coordinator for the Hoosier Division and officially became the Hoosier Division Manager in 2008. Her offices have finished among the top 10 offices in the Midwest Region every year she has been in charge.
McGowan has trained, developed and promoted over 50 managers within the company. She was inducted into the company Hall of Fame in 2011 and now is responsible for over $24 million in career sales. McGowan married her husband, Jim, in August 2008 and they currently reside in Fishers, Indiana. They opened Cutco’s third retail store in the Castleton area in March 2011.
Other recipients of the 2012 APEX Awards were Jim Hicks, Felix Spinelli and Kip Tom.
About Cutco Cutlery and Vector Marketing
Cutco Cutlery is a 63-year-old company with headquarters and manufacturing facilities in Olean, New York. Vector Marketing is the company’s sales division, coordinating all sales for Cutco Cutlery through a national network of college students who sell products through in-home personal demonstrations. More than 13 million US households have a Cutco product.
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May 17th, 2012
16 May 2012
Last updated at 19:26 ET
 By James Melik
Reporter, Business Daily, BBC World Service
Few products are as inexorably linked to its country of origin as the Swiss Army knife.
The multifunctional pocket knife from Switzerland has been recognised worldwide for almost 130 years after Karl Elsener, and his mother Victoria, began a cutlery company to handle an order for the Swiss army.
Mr Elsener worked on a revolutionary idea – a knife that offered as many practical functions as possible in a compact form.
In 1897 he patented the Swiss Officer’s and Sport Knife – later marketed as the Swiss Army knife.
He also formed the company Victorinox, amalgamating his mother’s name with inox – short for acier inoxydable, the French term for stainless steel.
The company has supplied the Swiss army for more than 125 years and also supplies knives to the German and 10 other armies.
Broader brand
Victorinox makes 35,000 knives each day and has also branched out into producing luggage and clothing.
“We started diversification in 1989 with timepieces, followed by travel gear and fashion, and today almost 50% of our total sales is with the new product categories,” says Carl Elsener, the great-grandson of the man who formed the company.
Continue reading the main story
“Start Quote
“It depends what you are doing, but the Swiss Army knife is still very handy and very helpful”
End Quote
Carl Elsener
Chief executive, Victorinox
“The core of our brand is the Swiss Army knife and we will do everything to keep that because everybody knows it,” he says.
“But it is very important that the values of the Swiss Army knife can be transformed to other product categories,” he asserts.
“These values are high quality, functionality, innovation and the iconic design.”
He is aware that such an iconic product is readily copied and counterfeited.
“This is a challenge when you have a very popular brand,” he says.
It is a flattery, but it has a disadvantage. If the copies are not at the same quality, people may get disappointed. This is one of the reasons why we invest a lot into protecting our brand and patent value,” he explains.
Counterfeits are not a big problem in China, says Mr Elsener, because the Chinese who can afford to buy Western products are really interested in strong brands, and in the original products.
Tough times
However, things have not always gone smoothly for the company.
“The period after the 9/11 attacks in the US was the toughest time for Victorinox because sales of the Swiss Army knife dropped by almost 30%,” Mr Elsener recalls.
In the wake of the aircraft ban on carrying Swiss Army knives and pocket tools, Victorinox leased workers to other companies, while continuing to pay their wages.
“We have never made a worker redundant for financial reasons,” he notes.
“We have tried to adopt some of our products to the situation. We have now some products which offer USB memory sticks and we have come up with so-called flight versions. That means we have taken the blade out but we have left all the other features,” he says.
Mr Elsener recognises that people today think the one thing they really need in their pocket is a smartphone. They no longer feel that they need a knife in their pocket.
“It depends what you are doing, but the Swiss Army knife is still very handy and very helpful.”
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May 15th, 2012
Cooking.com has launched a new guide to help choose the best Chef Knives for your kitchen with top brands such as Wusthof, Shun and Global featured in buying guides and knife focused content.
Marina Del Rey, CA (PRWEB) May 09, 2012
Cooking.com has launched Chef Knife Guru, a new online store focused exclusively on cutlery with a comprehensive knife buying guide. The store is Cooking.com’s first specialized category store with companion content destination to help educate and advise shoppers both new to and familiar with cutlery. http://knives.cooking.com/guide/ Visitors to the store can easily find more information on top brands and recommended items in the guide, and likewise, visitors to the guide can easily purchase featured items directly in the store. Chef Knife Guru is branded as an authority within Cooking.com, offering top-rated kitchen knives for a range of budgets and lifestyles, from industry-leading brands like Wüsthof, Shun and Global.
Tracy Randall, CEO of Cooking.com, had this to say: “We chose to create this cutlery-focused store because we found cutlery to be an area where shoppers often desire education and advice before purchasing. This new store integrated with buying guide offers an added layer of customer service built right into the shopping experience.”
“We’re happy to see Cooking.com launch a dedicated resource that helps guide consumers through the process of selecting cutlery,” says Annette Garaghty, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Wüsthof-Trident of America, Inc. “In much the same way that our new and informative microsite, http://www.wusthofedge.com is designed to attract a wider and younger audience of avid food lovers, Cooking.com’s new Chef Knife Guru will be a magnet for an expanded audience of consumers seeking authoritative direction on what to buy, and how to use kitchen knives.”
Chef Knife Guru is celebrating its launch with a $500 sweepstakes giveaway and free shipping offered to all new customers.
About Cooking.com
Cooking.com is transforming online shopping in the food and cooking space by building innovative, entertaining shopping experiences with trusted brands. Cooking.com operates 14 uniquely branded stores including: Food Network Store, Calphalon Store, and Epicurious Store. Powered By Cooking.com delivers high touch, branded e-commerce solutions and category expertise, enabling partners to attract consumers, drive membership and build new revenue opportunities. Cooking.com offers customers access to over 60,000 products for the kitchen as well as recipes, menus, collections and a growing library of member-submitted cooking content. The company is committed to providing its customers with exceptional service and is the recipient of numerous awards for customer satisfaction. Cooking.com was founded in 1998 and is based in Marina Del Rey, CA. http://knives.cooking.com/
Jason Alexander
Cooking.com
(310) 773-0849
Email Information
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May 15th, 2012
The Irish Times – Monday, May 14, 2012
MICHAEL PARSONS
WHAT TO do with an unwanted gift from North Korea? At the risk of upsetting the supreme leader, a retired Irish diplomat has sensibly decided to flog it.
The man – a former official with the United Nations who, understandably, does not wish to be named – has decided to sell unwanted gifts he received during his international career.
After decades living overseas, he is now “decluttering”, according to fine art auctioneer Mealy’s, which will sell the curios later this month.
His diplomatic bag of swag includes a distinctly unglamorous canteen of “stainless steel and gilt cutlery” he was given during a visit to Pyongyang, the capital of the communist state. He was there on a mission-impossible to promote tourism.
The cutlery – designed for 12 place settings – is cased in a drab, faux-leather plastic and cardboard box.
In return, the diplomat allegedly “delighted” his hosts by giving them “two cassette tapes of tenor Frank Patterson”, which resulted in the North Korean officials learning to sing Danny Boy in English.
Gift-giving is culturally important in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. The country boasts a museum containing presents given by international leaders to the state’s founding father and “eternal president”, Kim Il-sung, and his successor and son, the late Kim Jong-il.
The diplomat reported visiting the museum, known as the International Friendship Exhibition, housed in “an underground building about as big as the Vatican”.
In addition to the display of “a whole train – a gift from Stalin”, he spotted, in a corner of the museum, a cabinet full of Waterford Crystal sent by Irish socialists.
The North Korean cutlery is to be subjected to the indignity of the capitalist free market when it is publicly auctioned, on May 29th, with an estimate of €200 to €300.
Other unloved gifts going under the hammer include a tapestry rug presented to the diplomat by Chinese Communist Party authorities in Hunan province.
Among gifts from the government of the Bahamas are four silver coins, salvaged from a 17th-century Spanish galleon shipwrecked in the Caribbean, and an “Asprey of London” brass world clock showing the time in places where the sun has most definitely set, including Aden and Ceylon.
But the grimmest lot – and decidedly not in the “Ambassador, you’re really spoiling us” category of Ferrero Rocher fantasy – is a bleak “hand-woven wall-hanging” from Norway.
The visibly underwhelmed auctioneer George Gerard Mealy admitted: “It’s not something I’d hang on my wall.”
He said the vendor was still “sorting through his storage” and was likely to consign further unwanted gifts to future auctions.
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May 13th, 2012
DUBLIN–(BUSINESS WIRE)–
Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/j37nrl/handtool_cutlery)
has announced the addition of the “Handtool,
Cutlery & Flatware Manufacturing” report to their offering.
The US handtool and cutlery manufacturing industry includes about 1,000
companies with combined annual revenue of about $11 billion. Major
companies include Snap-on, Klein Tools, Blount International, and the
tools units of Stanley Black & Decker and Newell Rubbermaid. The
industry is concentrated: the 50 largest companies hold more than 65
percent of the market.
COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE
Demand depends heavily on the construction and building repair
industries. The profitability of individual companies depends on
marketing and efficient production. Large companies have economies of
scale in purchasing and production. Small firms can compete by making
specialty products.
PRODUCTS, OPERATIONS & TECHNOLOGY
Major products include handtools, cutlery, saw blades, and kitchen
utensils. Handtools such as wrenches, hammers, scissors, vises, clamps,
screwdrivers, pliers, chisels, and measuring devices, account for about
55 percent of industry revenue. Cutlery, including kitchen knives,
sporting knives, razor blades, and “flatware” (table knives, forks and
spoons), accounts for around 15 percent of industry revenue, while saw
blades and kitchen utensils account for about 13 percent each, and
various miscellaneous items for the rest.
Manufacturers use a variety of fabrication processes including forging,
stamping, bending, forming, and machining to turn purchased metal into
final products. Steel is the major raw material, often in the form of
alloys with special properties such as hardness or resistance to
corrosion. Plastic is frequently used for handles.
Small manufacturers may buy semi-finished forgings or castings from
outside suppliers; large manufacturers usually make their own.
Key Topics Covered:
Industry Overview
Quarterly Industry Update
Business Challenges
Business Trends
Industry Opportunities
Call Preparation Questions
Financial Information
Industry Forecast
Web Links and Acronyms
For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/j37nrl/handtool_cutlery
Posted in Information | No Comments »
May 13th, 2012
Cooking.com has launched a new guide to help choose the best Chef Knives for your kitchen with top brands such as Wusthof, Shun and Global featured in buying guides and knife focused content.
Marina Del Rey, CA (PRWEB) May 09, 2012
Cooking.com has launched Chef Knife Guru, a new online store focused exclusively on cutlery with a comprehensive knife buying guide. The store is Cooking.com’s first specialized category store with companion content destination to help educate and advise shoppers both new to and familiar with cutlery. http://knives.cooking.com/guide/ Visitors to the store can easily find more information on top brands and recommended items in the guide, and likewise, visitors to the guide can easily purchase featured items directly in the store. Chef Knife Guru is branded as an authority within Cooking.com, offering top-rated kitchen knives for a range of budgets and lifestyles, from industry-leading brands like Wüsthof, Shun and Global.
Tracy Randall, CEO of Cooking.com, had this to say: “We chose to create this cutlery-focused store because we found cutlery to be an area where shoppers often desire education and advice before purchasing. This new store integrated with buying guide offers an added layer of customer service built right into the shopping experience.”
“We’re happy to see Cooking.com launch a dedicated resource that helps guide consumers through the process of selecting cutlery,” says Annette Garaghty, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Wüsthof-Trident of America, Inc. “In much the same way that our new and informative microsite, http://www.wusthofedge.com is designed to attract a wider and younger audience of avid food lovers, Cooking.com’s new Chef Knife Guru will be a magnet for an expanded audience of consumers seeking authoritative direction on what to buy, and how to use kitchen knives.”
Chef Knife Guru is celebrating its launch with a $500 sweepstakes giveaway and free shipping offered to all new customers.
About Cooking.com
Cooking.com is transforming online shopping in the food and cooking space by building innovative, entertaining shopping experiences with trusted brands. Cooking.com operates 14 uniquely branded stores including: Food Network Store, Calphalon Store, and Epicurious Store. Powered By Cooking.com delivers high touch, branded e-commerce solutions and category expertise, enabling partners to attract consumers, drive membership and build new revenue opportunities. Cooking.com offers customers access to over 60,000 products for the kitchen as well as recipes, menus, collections and a growing library of member-submitted cooking content. The company is committed to providing its customers with exceptional service and is the recipient of numerous awards for customer satisfaction. Cooking.com was founded in 1998 and is based in Marina Del Rey, CA. http://knives.cooking.com/
Jason Alexander
Cooking.com
(310) 773-0849
Email Information
Posted in Information | No Comments »
May 10th, 2012
DUBLIN–(BUSINESS WIRE)–
Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/j37nrl/handtool_cutlery)
has announced the addition of the “Handtool,
Cutlery & Flatware Manufacturing” report to their offering.
The US handtool and cutlery manufacturing industry includes about 1,000
companies with combined annual revenue of about $11 billion. Major
companies include Snap-on, Klein Tools, Blount International, and the
tools units of Stanley Black & Decker and Newell Rubbermaid. The
industry is concentrated: the 50 largest companies hold more than 65
percent of the market.
COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE
Demand depends heavily on the construction and building repair
industries. The profitability of individual companies depends on
marketing and efficient production. Large companies have economies of
scale in purchasing and production. Small firms can compete by making
specialty products.
PRODUCTS, OPERATIONS & TECHNOLOGY
Major products include handtools, cutlery, saw blades, and kitchen
utensils. Handtools such as wrenches, hammers, scissors, vises, clamps,
screwdrivers, pliers, chisels, and measuring devices, account for about
55 percent of industry revenue. Cutlery, including kitchen knives,
sporting knives, razor blades, and “flatware” (table knives, forks and
spoons), accounts for around 15 percent of industry revenue, while saw
blades and kitchen utensils account for about 13 percent each, and
various miscellaneous items for the rest.
Manufacturers use a variety of fabrication processes including forging,
stamping, bending, forming, and machining to turn purchased metal into
final products. Steel is the major raw material, often in the form of
alloys with special properties such as hardness or resistance to
corrosion. Plastic is frequently used for handles.
Small manufacturers may buy semi-finished forgings or castings from
outside suppliers; large manufacturers usually make their own.
Key Topics Covered:
Industry Overview
Quarterly Industry Update
Business Challenges
Business Trends
Industry Opportunities
Call Preparation Questions
Financial Information
Industry Forecast
Web Links and Acronyms
For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/j37nrl/handtool_cutlery
Posted in Information | No Comments »
May 10th, 2012
Cooking.com has launched a new guide to help choose the best Chef Knives for your kitchen with top brands such as Wusthof, Shun and Global featured in buying guides and knife focused content.
Marina Del Rey, CA (PRWEB) May 09, 2012
Cooking.com has launched Chef Knife Guru, a new online store focused exclusively on cutlery with a comprehensive knife buying guide. The store is Cooking.com’s first specialized category store with companion content destination to help educate and advise shoppers both new to and familiar with cutlery. http://knives.cooking.com/guide/ Visitors to the store can easily find more information on top brands and recommended items in the guide, and likewise, visitors to the guide can easily purchase featured items directly in the store. Chef Knife Guru is branded as an authority within Cooking.com, offering top-rated kitchen knives for a range of budgets and lifestyles, from industry-leading brands like Wüsthof, Shun and Global.
Tracy Randall, CEO of Cooking.com, had this to say: “We chose to create this cutlery-focused store because we found cutlery to be an area where shoppers often desire education and advice before purchasing. This new store integrated with buying guide offers an added layer of customer service built right into the shopping experience.”
“We’re happy to see Cooking.com launch a dedicated resource that helps guide consumers through the process of selecting cutlery,” says Annette Garaghty, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Wüsthof-Trident of America, Inc. “In much the same way that our new and informative microsite, http://www.wusthofedge.com is designed to attract a wider and younger audience of avid food lovers, Cooking.com’s new Chef Knife Guru will be a magnet for an expanded audience of consumers seeking authoritative direction on what to buy, and how to use kitchen knives.”
Chef Knife Guru is celebrating its launch with a $500 sweepstakes giveaway and free shipping offered to all new customers.
About Cooking.com
Cooking.com is transforming online shopping in the food and cooking space by building innovative, entertaining shopping experiences with trusted brands. Cooking.com operates 14 uniquely branded stores including: Food Network Store, Calphalon Store, and Epicurious Store. Powered By Cooking.com delivers high touch, branded e-commerce solutions and category expertise, enabling partners to attract consumers, drive membership and build new revenue opportunities. Cooking.com offers customers access to over 60,000 products for the kitchen as well as recipes, menus, collections and a growing library of member-submitted cooking content. The company is committed to providing its customers with exceptional service and is the recipient of numerous awards for customer satisfaction. Cooking.com was founded in 1998 and is based in Marina Del Rey, CA. http://knives.cooking.com/
Jason Alexander
Cooking.com
(310) 773-0849
Email Information
Posted in Information | No Comments »
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