Acme United Europe Team Introduces Plenty of New Products at Insights-X Fair

Ever since its launch, four years ago, Insights-X has been synonymous with a high-quality stationery fair. Perfectly timed to introduce new products for the coming year, the expo ran from 4 to 6 October at the Exhibition Centre in Nuremberg, Germany.

A total of 311 exhibitors from 39 countries attended this year’s event. Both established brand manufacturers and innovative start-ups seized the opportunity to unveil a wide selection of innovative office supplies, back-to-school and hobby products.

Filling an area of 26,500m², the exhibitors at Insights-X presented their latest innovations in six product groups: Writing Utensils and Equipment, Paper and Filing, Artistic and Creative, Desktop, Bags and Accessories as well as Stationery and Gift Articles.

One of those exhibitors was Acme United Corp. (NYSE: ACU – $21.36). Its European team presented plenty of new products to specialist retailers and buyers. Georg Bettin, the Managing Director of Acme United Europe, was quoted saying, ”We were able to welcome many important customers and key accounts and had many successful business talks.”

Mr. Bettin and his crew introduced, for example, a new Westcott Glue Gun. Although several Westcott glue guns have been available in the United States since 2017, the first one has now been adapted to European standards.

These guns have non-stick internal mechanisms so that the glue sticks don’t clog up the machines. Also, the tips of the guns have non-stick color changing coatings. That way, when the tip of the gun is hot, it turns red and users know not to touch it. When it’s red, it’s also ready to dispense the glue. And when the tip is cool, it’s gray. The quality of the glue sticks are at, or above, competitive levels. And also the ergonomics of the guns are excellent.

Several other glue guns will soon expand the European range. Similar to the United States, where the glue guns are selling very well, buyers showed lots of interest.

Also new for the European market, were the Clauss putty knives. The blades are both adhesive and corrosion resistant, making them quite unique in their category. So if you forget to clean your Clauss putty knife, you’ll be able to wipe off the dried putty in a matter of seconds and it won’t rust with age.

There was also plenty of interest from potential customers for this new category, as initial sales on Amazon.de – the German sister website of Amazon – are exceeding expectations.

In addition, the European team introduced manicure tools specifically aimed at the elderly. The line includes nail scissors with an extra-long handle and angled blades, tweezer with a magnifier, and a nail clipper with scissors handles. These are all sold under the First Aid Only brand.

The items are currently exclusively available at one chain in Europe. In 2019, the products will become available for other stores and distributors as well.

Conclusion

Insights-X confirmed its place as a brand fair for the international stationery sector. More than 5,500 trade buyers from 92 countries travelled to Nuremberg. The show made it clear that global interest among industry representatives remains high in the sector.

Acme United’s European segment continues to expand its product offering. The Insights-X fair again demonstrated that it is able to place new products with an ever growing customer base. Consequently, this segment should continue to perform well the coming quarters.

During the first six months of the year, net sales for the segment increased 19% in U.S. dollars and 7% in local currency compared to the first half of 2017. A solid achievement! Recommendation: BUY.

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