Acme United Wins 6 GOOD Design Awards for Cuda Fishing Tools

Acme United (ACU – $14.31) has won GOOD Design awards for six different Cuda fishing tools. The Marine Shear, Flex Fillet Knife, Grip & Weigh, Snip, Small Dehooker, and Dual Plier all received the exclusive award.

GOOD Design is an award from the Chicago Athenaeum, Museum of Architecture and Design, and is one of the oldest and most important design competitions worldwide.

Founded in Chicago in 1950 by the former MoMA curator Edgar Kaufmann, Jr., together with such pioneers in modern design as Charles and Ray Eames, Russel Wright, George Nelson, and Eero Saarinen, GOOD Design honors the yearly achievements of the best industrial and graphic designers and world manufacturers for their pursuit of extraordinary design excellence.

Each year, the Museum receives hundreds of submissions from the biggest and most famous brands like Apple, Hewlett Packard, BMW, Porsche, Microsoft, etc.

Walter C. Johnsen, Chairman and CEO of Acme United said, “We are delighted to receive these awards for innovation. The Cuda product line of fishing tools and knives has had strong customer acceptance and generated excellent growth. The award-winning Cuda products are now being sold at authorized fishing and outdoor retailers in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and Europe.”

Cuda Design

In order for a product to sell, it used to be sufficient that it worked well. Nowadays, consumers have an almost endless choice of impeccable working products. As a result, companies need to go the extra mile to manufacture outstanding items that have additional features and a fabulous design. Apple would only sell half as many iPhones as it does today, if the mobile phone had an everyday design.

The Cuda tools are created with a breakthrough design. It allows the angler, for example, to actually see that the knives have a full tang construction. Moreover, the tools are manufactured with Acme’s patented Titanium Bonded technology making them stay sharp three times longer than competitive products, and they’re equipped with Aluminum Alloy and Tungsten Carbide, guaranteeing the ultimate in performance.

In addition to its design, which combines strength, durability, and precision, Cuda has attracted several well-known fishermen to test, improve and represent the brand. So far, about thirty Pros have been hand-picked for their fishing accomplishments and dedication to the fishing community.

Bob Izumi, for example, star of the Real Fishing Show; several captains from the National Geographic Channel’s hit series Wicked Tuna, such as TJ Ott and Tyler McLaughlin; but also people like Jimmy Johnson, a football icon, Emmy-winning commentator, and fishing enthusiast are all part of the Cuda Pro Staff.

All of the above has contributed to make Cuda the success that it is today. It has greatly exceeded expectations in both brand acceptance and sales. Distribution is increasing rapidly and the tools are now available at retail stores worldwide.

Conclusion

Will consumers buy the Cuda gear just because it has won a GOOD Design award? Probably not. But the fact that a tool wins, indicates that it stands out from the other ones. And that, in combination with exceptional features, does persuade consumers.

For example, a few years ago Acme’s iPoint electric pencil sharpener also won a GOOD Design award. Since then, the sharpener has generated over $10 million in sales annually. Not necessarily because of the award, but simply because it looks better and functions better than its competitors’ sharpeners. Cuda is another success story in the making at Acme United.

Due to the recent market turmoil, Acme’s share price has dropped close to 20% in the past three weeks. Take advantage of this cheap stock price. Next month, the Company will most likely announce an all-time annual sales and earnings record. The stock is trading at a P/E ratio of 10.3 and its Price to Book is only 1.20. Buy recommendation.

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