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What is the problem?

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The Question

OXO International began with a few simple questionsWhy do ordinary kitchen tools hurt your hands?Why can't there be wonderfully comfortable tools that are easy to use? The man who asked these questions was Sam Farber, who put these queries to rest when he launched OXO Good Grips in 1990. Farber, the founder of Copco, a successful cookware company, had a long history of providing consumers with housewares products.

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The Compelling ValueFarber first questioned the effectiveness of kitchen gadgets in response to his wife Betsey's difficulty in gripping ordinary kitchen tools, due to a slight case of arthritis in her hands.

Seeing an opportunity to help not only his wife, but also the other 40 million Americans who suffer from arthritis,

Sam set out to create a line of kitchen prep tools that would be comfortable to hold and easy to use.

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The Research

Sam worked with a New York City design firm, Smart Design, to conduct a research campaign that included talking with consumers, chefs, and retailers, and studying competitive products.

Mollie Katzen

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The Requirements

After reviewing the research, the designers decided upon the necessary criteria:

•a handle large enough to grip firmly and avoid strain

•an oval shaped handle to prevent the tool from turning in the hand

•a round end that fits comfortably in the palm and evenly distributes pressure

•an over-sized hole for easy hanging

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The Challenge

Hundreds of models were produced by carving Styrofoam and wood mock-ups.

Designers looked at all types of handles: tool handles, utensil handles, and equipment handles.

Why couldn't they try to create a handle that had a soft, squishy feel that invites you to grab it?

And so grab it they did — left hands, right hands, hands with arthritis, small hands, hands with crooked fingers, hands of a mailman, next-door neighbor hands — no hand or handle model went untested

                               

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More ChallengesAt the same time designers were working on developing the swivel peeler, they were also working on prototypes for all the introductory group of OXO household gadgets, so the handle needed to work equally well on all the products. Achieving a comfortable handle for everyone — especially for people with limited manual dexterity — was only part of the solution.

The handle also needed to be beautiful and inviting so people would want to touch it. In short, the handle had to be superior in looks, comfort, and utility.

Finally, the soft, flexible handles were required to be dishwasher safe.

                               

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Even More Challenges

The peeler had to remove only the skin of the vegetable.

The blade on the peeler had to be as sharp as a samurai sword.

In fact, the original people who made the blade for OXO earned their reputation producing samurai swords!

Even the thickness of the peel was designed to be between .8-1 millimeter, so only the skin of the vegetable would be removed.

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The ConceptHandleErgonomics: optimum shape for hand grip and comfortAesthetics: oval shape was popular from research; would not show dirt or oils; fits to contemporary kitchen environmentsManufacturing: shape easy to mold

Kitchen HookErgonomics: guide product on to kitchen holderAesthetics: interesting look and explanation of usManufacturing: cost effective

GripErgonomics: comfortable for thumb and forefingerAesthetics: light weight and blends with handleManufacturing: able to molded to appropriate thickness without limiting structural integrity

Shield, Blade, and CoreErgonomics: protective cover over sharp bladeAesthetics: curve echo shape of handleManufacturing: adequate strength to structure and limits metal

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The Design

HandleErgonomics: optimum shape for hand grip and comfortAesthetics: oval shape was popular from research; would not show dirt or oils; fits to contemporary kitchen environmentsManufacturing: shape easy to mold

Kitchen HookErgonomics: guide product on to kitchen holderAesthetics: interesting look and explanation of usManufacturing: cost effective

GripErgonomics: comfortable for thumb and forefingerAesthetics: light weight and blends with handleManufacturing: able to molded to appropriate thickness without limiting structural integrity

Shield, Blade, and CoreErgonomics: protective cover over sharp bladeAesthetics: curve echo shape of handleManufacturing: adequate strength to structure and limits metal

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Eureka!

Santoprene® was used for the handles.

Santoprene®, a processed rubber, is the material used for dishwasher gaskets.

The material worked particularly well for the flexible 'fins' on the Good Grips handles. The fins bend under pressure and conform to individual finger grips. The fins also help give users control over a tool even when the handle is wet or slippery.

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The Solution

The result is Good Grips — ergonomically designed, trans-generational tools that appeal to the broadest possible market.

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Product

OXO GOOD GRIPS Swivel Peeler The OXO GOOD GRIPS Swivel Peeler is simply the best peeler you will ever try! The sharp stainless steel blade glides through even the toughest fruit and vegetable skins with ease. The soft, comfortable handle cushions your hand as you peel, and is non-slip, even when your hands are wet. Sharp stainless steel blade peels easily Handle is comfortable, even during repetitive action of peeling Built-in potato eyer Dishwasher safe   $6.00  

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Why so Good?

Highest quality materials

Measured against the most stringent standards

Available to consumers in all markets

Ergonomic designs & ground-breaking innovations are based on comprehensive research and extensive interviews

Meet the need – answer the question

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OXO International Total Number of Products

More than 500 Number of Employees

41 Annual Growth

Between 1991 and 2002, annual growth rate in sales was more than 35 percent

Distinguishing FeatureUniversal Design - A philosophy of making products that are easy to use for the widest possible spectrum of users

Meaning of OXOOXO's founder, Sam Farber, chose the name "OXO" because whether it's horizontal, vertical, upside down or backwards, it always reads "OXO”

Pronunciation The official pronunciation is “Ox-Oh”

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The AwardsEnterprise Team Awards (England), The Cookshop & Housewares Association and the British Hardware Federation, Housewares International Show, 1998 Gold Award.

Accent on Design, Best Product, New York International Gift Fair, 1998.

American Culinary Award of Excellence, National Board of the American Tasting Institute, Gold Medal, 1998.

The Chicago Athenaeum, Museum of Architecture and Design, Good Design Award, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998. Added to permanent collection of museum.

I.D. Award from The International Design Magazine, Annual Design Review 1991, Consumer Products "Selection". Annual Design Review 1998, Consumer Products "Honorable Mention".

Good Housekeeping, Good Buy Award, 1997.

American Corporate Identity, GOOD GRIPS Brochure chosen to appear in American Corporate Identity book, volume 13, 1997.

Metropolitan Home, Design 100, 1992, 1997.

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The Awards

Design Zentrum (Germany), Red Dot High Design Quality, 1996. Design Innovations '96.

Good Food Award (England), 1st prize for "Best equipment innovation of the year" category, 1996.

Industrial Design Excellence Awards, Industrial Designers Society of America, 1992 Gold Medal Winner, 1996 Bronze Medal winner.

Gourmet Retailer, Best of Aisle Winner, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, & 1997 Gourmet Products Show

Museum of Modern Art, New York. 1995, "Mutant Materials in Contemporary Design", selected for inclusion in traveling museum exhibit. 1994, Design Exhibit, selected for inclusion in the permanent Design Collection.

National Housewares Manufacturers Association Design Exhibit: "Strategic Design: American Innovations for the Mass Market". Chicago and Frankfurt, Germany, 1994

The International Design Yearbook (England), vol. 9. 1994.

Tylenol/Arthritis Foundation Design Award, 1993 Consumer Products Winner.

The Art of Design 2, Exhibit of American Design, Haggerty Museum, Milwaukee et al., Summer 1993.

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The AwardsNeste Forma Finlandia, International Plastics Design Competition 3, (Finland) "The World's Best Plastic Products" Winner, April 1993. Competition and exhibit traveling seven European countries.

Annual Design Leadership Award, Product Design Winner, 1993.

State International Design Prize Exhibit, Design Center Stuttgart, (Germany) 1993.

Cooper-Hewitt National Museum of Design, Smithsonian Institution, New York. 1992, selected for inclusion in permanent collection. Summer 1993, "U is for Universal Design" Exhibit.

Arango International Design Exhibit, U.S. and overseas traveling museum exhibit "Out of the Ordinary", 1992.

Housewares Industry Awards, (England) Kitchenware Winner, 1991.

Design Center Exhibit, London, 1991.

General Electric Company, Design Gallery Exhibit, Louisville, 1991.

The New American Hero: Portfolio of the Industrial Design Renaissance Industrial Design Exhibit, 1990.

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End of the Story

Since the first OXO Good Grips tools were introduced in 1990, the line has grown to more than 300 products and has been recognized by several national organizations for superior design.

In 1992, OXO International was purchased by General Housewares Corp.

in 1999, GHC and OXO were purchased by World Kitchen Inc., a housewares company based in Elmira, New York.

Still based in New York City, OXO International continues to experience tremendous worldwide growth, with continual new product introductions and ground-breaking innovations.