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112-570: In November 1974, Gillette wanted to enter the consumer electronics market, so consulted Sinclair, who designed for them the Gillette GPA . Whilst the GPA was released, Gillette put the product on hold after a short time due to economic and pricing uncertainties. Sinclair would use the GPA design for the Oxford range, the development and tooling of which had been paid for by Gillette. The first model

224-678: A 65 to 75 percent share of the German blade market. The Second World War reduced Gillette's blade production both domestically and internationally. As a result of the war, many markets were closed off, German and Japanese forces expropriated the company's plants and property, and Gillette's plants in Boston and London were partially converted for weapons production. In 1942, the War Production Board  ordered Gillette to dedicate its entire razor production and most blade production to

336-505: A European distribution network that sold in many nations, including Russia. Due to its premium pricing strategy, the Gillette Safety Razor Company's razor and blade unit sales grew at a modest pace from 1908 to 1916. Disposable razor blades still were not a true mass-market product, and barbershops and self-shaving with a straight razor were still popular methods of grooming. Among the general U.S. population,

448-420: A YAG based laser with a wavelength of around 1 μm. Photochemical machining, also known as photo etching, is a tightly controlled corrosion process which is used to produce complex metal parts from sheet metal with very fine detail. The photo etching process involves photo sensitive polymer being applied to a raw metal sheet. Using CAD designed photo-tools as stencils, the metal is exposed to UV light to leave

560-606: A billion blades. By 1950, Gillette's share of the U.S. blade market had climbed to 50 percent. During the 1950s, the company updated and in some cases moved some of its older European factories: the Paris factory, for example, was moved to Annecy . In 1947 Gillette introduced the Gillette Super Speed razor and along with it the Speed-pak blade dispenser the company had developed during the war. The dispenser allowed

672-416: A class of structural steel . Sheet metal is available in flat pieces or coiled strips. The coils are formed by running a continuous sheet of metal through a roll slitter . In most of the world, sheet metal thickness is consistently specified in millimeters. In the U.S., the thickness of sheet metal is commonly specified by a traditional, non-linear measure known as its gauge . The larger the gauge number,

784-459: A color-coated metal sheet. Sheet metal is used in automobile and truck (lorry) bodies , major appliances , airplane fuselages and wings , tinplate for tin cans , roofing for buildings (architecture), and many other applications. Sheet metal of iron and other materials with high magnetic permeability , also known as laminated steel cores , has applications in transformers and electric machines . Historically, an important use of sheet metal

896-596: A compass. During the post-war years, Gillette began to quickly ramp up production by modernizing its major manufacturing plants in the United States and England, expanding the capacity of several foreign plants, and re-opening plants closed during the war. The company opened a new plant in Switzerland and began manufacturing blades in Mexico City. Sales rose to $ 50 million in 1946 and in 1947 Gillette sold

1008-469: A degree in chemistry. Gillette and other members of the project founded The American Safety Razor Company on September 28, 1901. The company had issues getting funding until Gillette's old friend John Joyce invested the necessary amount for the company to begin manufacturing. Production began slowly in 1903, but the following year Nickerson succeeded in building a new blade grinding machine to relieve bottlenecked production. During its first year of operation,

1120-431: A design pattern, which is developed and etched from the metal sheet. Perforating is a cutting process that punches multiple small holes close together in a flat workpiece. Perforated sheet metal is used to make a wide variety of surface cutting tools, such as the surform . This is a form of bending used to produce long, thin sheet metal parts. The machine that bends the metal is called a press brake . The lower part of

1232-412: A development drive to finish Rex instead as it did not require learning a new way to shave. The project succeeded, Atra was abandoned, and Gillette announced the first twin-blade razor – now renamed to Trac II – in the fall of 1971. The Trac II captured the premium shaving market and came out in time to counter Wilkinson Sword's Bonded Blade system that utilized single-blade cartridges. In 1974,

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1344-473: A laser for cutting compound shapes, but faster for repetitive shapes (for example, the grille of an air-conditioning unit). A CNC punch can achieve 600 strokes per minute. A typical component (such as the side of a computer case) can be cut to high precision from a blank sheet in under 15 seconds by either a press or a laser CNC machine. A continuous bending operation for producing open profiles or welded tubes with long lengths or in large quantities. Rolling

1456-624: A longer plastic handle, was produced from 1966 to 1975. In Europe, the Knack was sold as "Slim Twist" and "G2000" from 1978 to 1988, a later version known as "G1000" was made in England and available until 1998. A modern version of the Tech, with a plastic thin handle, is still produced and sold in several countries under the names 7 O'clock, Gillette, Nacet, Minora, Rubie, and Economica. The desire to release ever more expensive products, each claiming to be

1568-546: A means of utilizing the hysteresis effect, almost exclusively concentrating on what would later be known as the Atra twin-blade system. The Atra razor featured two blades set in a plastic cartridge with edges that faced each other. Using the razor required the user to move it in an up-and-down scrubbing motion, and whiskers were cut on both the up and down strokes. Another twin-blade system with blades set in tandem, codenamed "Rex", also existed, but it had too many technical problems and

1680-443: A negative response – including from right-wing critics – being called left-wing propaganda, accusatory towards its customers, and misandrist and there were calls for boycotts of Gillette. In June 2019, P&G wrote-down Gillette business by $ 8 billion, a move which company executives attributed to currency exchange, new competitors in the market, and increased popularity of growing beards. Share prices increased following

1792-483: A new marketing campaign, " The Best Men Can Be ", to mark the 30th anniversary of the "Best a Man Can Get" slogan. The campaign was introduced with a long-form commercial entitled "We Believe", and aims to promote positive values among men – condemning acts of bullying , sexism , sexual assault , and toxic masculinity . While the campaign received praise for its acknowledgement of current social movements and for promoting positive values of masculinity , it also faced

1904-567: A proxy vote in April. The companies filed suits against one another, resulting in a settlement in August. Gillette repurchased approximately 16 million shares for $ 720 million and Coniston agreed not to purchase many Gillette shares, participate in proxy contests, or otherwise seek control of the company for three years. In 1989, Warren Buffett 's Berkshire Hathaway purchased $ 600 million worth of Gillette convertible preferred shares. Buffett filled

2016-549: A punch and a die mounted in a press. The punch and die are made of hardened steel and are the same shape. The punch is sized to be a very close fit in the die. The press pushes the punch against and into the die with enough force to cut a hole in the stock. In some cases the punch and die "nest" together to create a depression in the stock. In progressive stamping , a coil of stock is fed into a long die/punch set with many stages. Multiple simple shaped holes may be produced in one stage, but complex holes are created in multiple stages. In

2128-490: A series of processes in which small incremental deformation can be done in each series. Ironing is a sheet metal working or sheet metal forming process. It uniformly thins the workpiece in a specific area. This is a very useful process. It is used to produce a uniform wall thickness part with a high height-to-diameter ratio. It is used in making aluminium beverage cans. Sheet metal can be cut in various ways, from hand tools called tin snips up to very large powered shears. With

2240-552: A square/circle and welding the seam together. Their wall thickness has a similar (but distinct) gauge to the thickness of steel sheets. During the rolling process the rollers bow slightly, which results in the sheets being thinner on the edges. The tolerances in the table and attachments reflect current manufacturing practices and commercial standards and are not representative of the Manufacturer's Standard Gauge, which has no inherent tolerances. The equation for estimating

2352-455: A thermal facial scrub, a face wash, a lotion, and a moisturizer with sunscreen . The Gillette Fusion ProGlide Styler for facial hair grooming was introduced in 2012, with André 3000 , Gael García Bernal , and Adrien Brody serving as brand ambassadors. In 2015, the company launched a subscription service called Gillette Shave Club and later filed a lawsuit against Dollar Shave Club for patent infringement. The Dollar Shave Club lawsuit

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2464-480: A two-day stubble was not uncommon. This changed once the United States declared war on the Central Powers in 1917; military regulations required every soldier to provide their own shaving kit, and Gillette's compact kit with disposable blades outsold competitors whose razors required stropping. Gillette marketed their razor by designing a military-only case decorated with U.S. Army and Navy insignia and in 1917

2576-609: A vacant seat on the company's board and agreed not to sell his stake "except in a change of control or if insurance regulators force a sale of the stock in the event Gillette's financial condition falters", reducing the chances of a takeover. During late 1989 and early 1990, Gillette launched the new product Sensor with a $ 175 million marketing campaign in 19 countries in North America and Western Europe. In 1990, Gillette attempted to purchase Wilkinson Sword 's U.S. and non-European operations. The Department of Justice prevented

2688-494: A variety of prices in different cases and finishes, including the long-running "aristocrat". Gillette continued to sell the original razor but instead of pricing it at $ 5, it was priced at $ 1, making a Gillette razor truly affordable to every man regardless of economic class. In 1932 the Gillette Blue Blade, so-named because it was dipped in blue lacquer, was introduced. It became one of the most recognizable blades in

2800-400: Is a heat treatable stainless steel, but it has a lower corrosion resistance than the other grades. It is commonly used in cutlery . The only available finish is dull. Grade 430 is a popular grade, low-cost alternative to series 300's grades. This is used when high corrosion resistance is not a primary criterion. Common grade for appliance products, often with a brushed finish. Aluminium

2912-477: Is a common heat-treated structural aluminium alloy. It is weldable, corrosion resistant, and stronger than 5052, but not as formable. It loses some of its strength when welded. It is used in modern aircraft structures. Brass is an alloy of copper, which is widely used as a sheet metal. It has more strength, corrosion resistance and formability when compared to copper while retaining its conductivity. In sheet hydroforming, variation in incoming sheet coil properties

3024-567: Is a common problem for forming process, especially with materials for automotive applications. Even though incoming sheet coil may meet tensile test specifications, high rejection rate is often observed in production due to inconsistent material behavior. Thus there is a strong need for a discriminating method for testing incoming sheet material formability. The hydraulic sheet bulge test emulates biaxial deformation conditions commonly seen in production operations. For forming limit curves of materials aluminium, mild steel and brass. Theoretical analysis

3136-468: Is a process of cutting or stamping slits in alternating pattern much like the stretcher bond in brickwork and then stretching the sheet open in accordion-like fashion. It is used in applications where air and water flow are desired as well as when light weight is desired at cost of a solid flat surface. A similar process is used in other materials such as paper to create a low cost packing paper with better supportive properties than flat paper alone. Hemming

3248-404: Is a process of folding the edge of sheet metal onto itself to reinforce that edge. Seaming is a process of folding two sheets of metal together to form a joint. Hydroforming is a process that is analogous to deep drawing, in that the part is formed by stretching the blank over a stationary die . The force required is generated by the direct application of extremely high hydrostatic pressure to

3360-445: Is also utilized as a catalyst ). These metal sheets are processed through different processing technologies, mainly including cold rolling and hot rolling . Sometimes hot-dip galvanizing process is adopted as needed to prevent it from rusting due to constant exposure to the outdoors. Sometimes a layer of color coating is applied to the surface of the cold-rolled sheet to obtain a decorative and protective metal sheet, generally called

3472-490: Is carried out by deriving governing equations for determining of equivalent stress and equivalent strain based on the bulging to be spherical and Tresca's yield criterion with the associated flow rule. For experimentation circular grid analysis is one of the most effective methods. Use of gauge numbers to designate sheet metal thickness is discouraged by numerous international standards organizations. For example, ASTM states in specification ASTM A480-10a: "The use of gauge number

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3584-402: Is clear in column 3 (U.S. standard for sheet and plate iron and steel 64ths inch (delta)). The thicknesses vary first by 1 ⁄ 32 inch in higher thicknesses and then step down to increments of 1 ⁄ 64 inch, then 1 ⁄ 128 inch, with the final increments at decimal fractions of 1 ⁄ 64 inch. Some steel tubes are manufactured by folding a single steel sheet into

3696-569: Is commonly used in chemical processing equipment, light reflectors, and jewelry . Grade 3003-H14 is stronger than 1100, while maintaining the same formability and low cost. It is corrosion resistant and weldable. It is often used in stampings , spun and drawn parts, mail boxes , cabinets , tanks , and fan blades. Grade 5052-H32 is much stronger than 3003 while still maintaining good formability. It maintains high corrosion resistance and weldability. Common applications include electronic chassis, tanks, and pressure vessels . Grade 6061-T6

3808-566: Is discouraged as being an archaic term of limited usefulness not having general agreement on meaning." Manufacturers' Standard Gauge for Sheet Steel is based on an average density of 41.82 lb per square foot per inch thick, equivalent to 501.84 pounds per cubic foot (8,038.7 kg/m ). Gauge is defined differently for ferrous (iron-based) and non-ferrous metals (e.g. aluminium and brass). The gauge thicknesses shown in column 2 (U.S. standard sheet and plate iron and steel decimal inch (mm)) seem somewhat arbitrary. The progression of thicknesses

3920-452: Is generally done in multiple steps called draw reductions. The greater the depth, the more reductions are required. Deep drawing may also be accomplished with fewer reductions by heating the workpiece, for example in sink manufacture. In many cases, material is rolled at the mill in both directions to aid in deep drawing. This leads to a more uniform grain structure which limits tearing and is referred to as "draw quality" material. Expanding

4032-422: Is heated and burnt by the laser beam, cutting the metal sheet. The quality of the edge can be mirror smooth and a precision of around 0.1 mm (0.0039 in) can be obtained. Cutting speeds on thin 1.2 mm (0.047 in) sheet can be as high as 25 m (82 ft) per minute. Most laser cutting systems use a CO 2 based laser source with a wavelength of around 10  μm ; some more recent systems use

4144-423: Is metal working or metal forming process. In this method, stock passes through one or more pair of rolls to reduce thickness. It is used to make thickness uniform. It is classified according to its temperature of rolling: Spinning is used to make tubular (axis-symmetric) parts by fixing a piece of sheet stock to a rotating form ( mandrel ). Rollers or rigid tools press the stock against the form, stretching it until

4256-435: Is the open width of a V-die or wiping die. The curling process is used to form an edge on a ring. This process is used to remove sharp edges. It also increases the moment of inertia near the curled end. The flare/burr should be turned away from the die. It is used to curl a material of specific thickness. Tool steel is generally used due to the amount of wear done by operation. It is a metal working process of removing camber,

4368-403: Is widely used in sheet metal form due to its flexibility, wide range of options, cost effectiveness, and other properties. The four most common aluminium grades available as sheet metal are 1100-H14, 3003-H14, 5052-H32, and 6061-T6. Grade 1100-H14 is commercially pure aluminium, highly chemical and weather resistant. It is ductile enough for deep drawing and weldable, but has low strength. It

4480-647: The Crown cork . Painter encouraged Gillette to come up with something that, like the Crown cork, could be thrown away once used. While Gillette came up with the idea in 1895, developing the concept into a working model and drawings that could be submitted to the Patent Office took six years. Gillette had trouble finding anyone capable of developing a method to manufacture blades from thin sheet steel , but finally found William Emery Nickerson , an MIT graduate with

4592-546: The "best ever", has led Gillette to make disputed claims for its products. In 2005, an injunction was brought by rival Wilkinson Sword which was granted by the Connecticut District Court which determined that Gillette's claims were both "unsubstantiated and inaccurate" and that the product demonstrations in Gillette's advertising were "greatly exaggerated" and "literally false". While advertising in

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4704-477: The 150 was introduced in 1975 introducing the ability to calculate percentages and square roots. The Oxford 200 included memory and sold for £19.95. The Oxford 300 was a scientific model with a limited number of functions (such as sin, cos, tan), which sold for £29.95, much lower than the competition. The last two models, the Oxford Scientific (1976) and Oxford Universal were the most advanced of

4816-451: The 1870s, being used for shingle roofing, stamped ornamental ceilings, and exterior façades. Sheet metal ceilings were only popularly known as " tin ceilings " later as manufacturers of the period did not use the term. The popularity of both shingles and ceilings encouraged widespread production. With further advances of steel sheet metal production in the 1890s, the promise of being cheap, durable, easy to install, lightweight and fireproof gave

4928-738: The Blue Blade for several years during the Second World War due to high demand of low-cost products and the shortage of carbon steel. Beginning in 1939, Gillette began investing significant amounts on advertising in sports events after its advertising in the World Series  increased sales more than double the company had expected. It eventually sponsored a radio program, the Gillette Cavalcade of Sports , which would move to television as well as that medium expanded in

5040-717: The Blue Super Blade) as its replacement. Other Gillette introductions during the Depression years were the Brushless Shaving Cream and an electric shaver that was soon discontinued due to modest sales. In 1938 Gillette introduced the Thin Blade, which was cheaper and about half the weight of the Blue Blade, even though it cost almost as much to manufacture. The Thin Blade became more popular than

5152-625: The Depression years for Gillette, with a mere 18 percent market share – nearly all of the company's $ 2.9 million earnings came from outside the United States. AutoStrop's Brazilian factory allowed Gillette to start expanding into the Latin America. In England the Gillette and AutoStrop operations were combined under the Gillette name, where the company built a new blade manufacturing plant in London. In 1937, Gillette's Berlin factory produced 40 percent of Germany's 900 million blades and retained

5264-680: The European market were $ 96 million, while two years previously they were $ 77 million. In 1980, Gillette introduced Atra – known in Europe as Contour – a twin-blade razor with a pivoting head. The razor became a best-seller in the United States during its first year and eventually became a market leader in Europe. In 1984, Gillette agreed to acquire Oral-B Laboratories from dental care company Cooper Laboratories for $ 188.5 million in cash. Revlon Group 's Ronald Perelman offered to purchase 86.1 percent of Gillette for $ 3.8 billion in 1986, valuing

5376-523: The French Société Bic introduced the world's first disposable razor . The razor was first brought to the market in Greece, where it sold well, after which it was introduced to Italy and many other European countries. Gillette hurried to develop their own disposable before Bic could bring their razor to the United States. Gillette designed a single-blade razor similar to Bic's but soon abandoned

5488-530: The Quattro, a four-blade shaving system, increasing the company's market share to 17 percent. Gillette claimed the Quattro infringed on the Mach3 patents. Gillette's efforts were unsuccessful, but the company maintained approximately two-thirds of the global wet-razor market as of mid-2005. In 2005, Procter & Gamble announced plans to acquire Gillette for more than $ 50 billion, which would position P&G as

5600-538: The Super Blue while developing a better stainless steel alloy. Gillette eventually brought the Gillette Stainless blade to market in August 1963, about a year after Wilkinson's stainless blades. As a result of the affair, Gillette's share of the double-edge blade market dropped from 90 percent to about 70 percent. Two years after the introduction of the Gillette Stainless blades, the company brought out

5712-560: The Super Stainless blades – known in Europe as Super Silver – that were made from an improved steel alloy. Gillette also introduced the Techmatic, a new type of razor that used a continuous spool of stainless blade housed in a plastic cartridge. The success of the coated Super Blue blades marked the start of a period when chemistry became as important as metallurgy in Gillette's blade manufacturing. The Super Blue's coating

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5824-660: The Toni product line by sponsoring the TV show Arthur Godfrey and His Friends and the 1958 Miss America contest and its winner. Although Gillette's immediate priority after the war was satisfying U.S. demand and later diversifying its domestic business, the company pursued expansion in foreign markets that showed potential for growth, such as Latin America and Asia. However, the Cold War restricted Gillette's operations in many parts of

5936-503: The U.S. military. By the end of the war, servicemen had been issued 12.5 million razors and 1.5 billion blades. Gillette also assisted the U.S. Army in military intelligence by producing copies of German razor blades for secret agents venturing behind German lines so that their identities wouldn't be compromised by their shaving equipment. The company also manufactured razors that concealed money and escape maps in their handles, and magnetic double-edge blades that prisoners of war could use as

6048-563: The United Kingdom and United States in 1994. In 1996, Gillette launched several new products for women and teenage boys, including the SensorExcel for Women, a moisturizer, a shaving gel, and a body spray. The company launched the new shaving system Gillette Mach3 in 1998, challenging the twin-blade system which dominated the market by introducing a third blade. Gillette promoted the product, which took five years to develop and

6160-575: The United States had to be rewritten, the court's ruling does not apply in other countries. Procter & Gamble (P&G) shaving products have been under investigation by the UK Office of Fair Trading as part of an inquiry into alleged collusion between manufacturers and retailers in setting prices. Gillette was fined by Autorité de la concurrence in France in 2016 for price fixing on personal hygiene products. In January 2019, Gillette began

6272-428: The advances in technology, sheet metal cutting has turned to computers for precise cutting. Many sheet metal cutting operations are based on computer numerically controlled (CNC) laser cutting or multi-tool CNC punch press. CNC laser involves moving a lens assembly carrying a beam of laser light over the surface of the metal. Oxygen, nitrogen or air is fed through the same nozzle from which the laser beam exits. The metal

6384-429: The backstop, more advanced machines control the position and angle of the stop, its height and the position of the two reference pegs used to locate the material. The machine can also record the exact position and pressure required for each bending operation to allow the operator to achieve a perfect 90 degree bend across a variety of operations on the part. Punching is performed by placing the sheet of metal stock between

6496-511: The blade stayed sharp about three times longer than the best carbon steel blades – including Gillette's. Wilkinson's introduction took Gillette by surprise and the company struggled to respond as its smaller rivals, Schick and the American Safety Razor Company , came out with their own stainless steel blade. However, during the development of the silicon coating for the Super Blue blade, Gillette had also discovered

6608-464: The blade to be slid out of the dispenser into the razor without danger of touching the sharp edge. It also had a compartment for holding used blades. In 1948 Gillette bought the home permanent kit manufacturer The Toni Company and later expanded into other feminine products such as shampoos and hair sprays. In 1955 the company bought the ballpoint pen manufacturer Paper Mate and in 1960 they introduced Right Guard aerosol deodorant. Gillette bought

6720-449: The blade's adhesion to whiskers. Super Blue was a success and sold more than the Blue Blade and Thin Blade combined. By the end of 1961, Gillette's double edge blade market share had risen to 90 percent and the company held a total razor blade market share of 70 percent. In 1962, roughly two years after the introduction of the Super Blue blade, Wilkinson Sword introduced a coated razor blade made from stainless steel . According to users,

6832-572: The blue Prestobarba by manufacturing them from yellow plastic with handle less ergonomically comfortable, and in addition, they were not advertised or eventually has negative marketing aimed at promoting the sale of the most profitable products in Gillette's razors line. The strategy was successful and later market arrivals were unable to gain a major foothold. Once the approach proved to be a successful one, Gillette's subsidiaries in Russia, Poland, and multiple Asian and Near Eastern markets began utilizing

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6944-526: The company at $ 4.1 billion. Gillette also bought back Revlon's stake in the company for $ 558 million. Revlon made two additional unsolicited requests to purchase Gillette for $ 4.66 billion and $ 5.4 billion in June and August 1987, respectively, both of which were rejected by Gillette's board of directors. In 1988, Coniston Partners acquired approximately 6 percent of Gillette. Hoping to acquire four directors' seats and pressure Gillette to sell, Coniston forced

7056-528: The company had sold 51 razors and 168 blades, but the second year saw sales rise to 90,884 razors and 123,648 blades. The company was renamed to the Gillette Safety Razor Company in 1904 and it quickly began to expand outside the United States. In 1905 the company opened a sales office in London and a blade manufacturing plant in Paris, and by 1906 Gillette had a blade plant in Canada, a sales operation in Mexico, and

7168-418: The company sold 1.1 million razors. In 1918, the U.S. military began issuing Gillette shaving kits to every U.S. serviceman. Gillette's sales rose to 3.5 million razors and 32 million blades. As a consequence, millions of servicemen got accustomed to daily shaving using Gillette's razor. After the war, Gillette utilized this in their domestic marketing and used advertising to reinforce the habit acquired during

7280-611: The company was the target of multiple takeover attempts, from Ronald Perelman and Coniston Partners. In January 2005, Procter & Gamble announced plans to merge with the Gillette Company. The Gillette Company's assets were incorporated into a P&G unit known internally as "Global Gillette". In July 2007, Global Gillette was dissolved and incorporated into Procter & Gamble's other two main divisions, Procter & Gamble Beauty and Procter & Gamble Household Care. Gillette's brands and products were divided between

7392-407: The company's Reading laboratories in England when a new employee, Norman C. Welsh, experimented with tandem blades and discovered what he called the "hysteresis effect"; a blade pulling the whisker out of the hair follicle before cutting it, and enabling a second blade to cut the whisker even shorter before it retracted back into the follicle. For six years afterwards, Welsh and his colleagues worked on

7504-457: The company, as well as video gaming personality Dr Disrespect . In November 2009, Gillette became the subject of a proposed boycott in Ireland due to its endorsement by French soccer player Thierry Henry; his undetected handball foul during a FIFA World Cup qualifying match contributed to a game-winning goal by France, eliminating Ireland from contention. The following month, expanding upon

7616-595: The concept in favor of a razor that was essentially a Trac II cartridge molded into a blue plastic handle. Gillette introduced this disposable as the Good News in 1976, about a year before Bic's razor reached the United States, and managed to establish market leadership once Bic and other competitors came to market. Good News was released under various names in Europe and was equally and sometimes even more successful than Bic's razor. Gillette quickly brought its razor to markets Bic hadn't yet reached, such as Latin America where

7728-592: The controversy, media outlets observed a " curse " associated with top athletes who endorse Gillette, also citing Tiger Woods (who became the subject of an infidelity scandal in late-2009), and Roger Federer losing in an upset to Nikolay Davydenko during the 2009 ATP World Tour Finals . Sheet metal Sheet metal is metal formed into thin, flat pieces, usually by an industrial process. Thicknesses can vary significantly; extremely thin sheets are considered foil or leaf , and pieces thicker than 6 mm (0.25 in) are considered plate, such as plate steel,

7840-507: The deal went through, it was revealed in an audit that Gillette had been overstating its sales and profits by $ 12 million over a five-year period and giving bonuses to its executives based on these numbers. AutoStrop still agreed to the buyout but instead demanded a large amount of preferred stock with voting rights. The merger was announced on October 16, 1930, and gave AutoStrop's owner Henry Gaisman controlling interest in Gillette. The Great Depression  weakened Gillette's position in

7952-449: The degree of closeness being marked by the color of the handle tip. In 1955, the first adjustable razor was produced. This allowed for an adjustment of the blade to increase the closeness of the shave. The model, in various versions, remained in production until 1988. The Super Speed razor was again redesigned in 1966 and given a black resin coated metal handle. It remained in production until 1988. A companion model the, "Knack" , with

8064-507: The disposable hospital supplies manufacturer Sterilon Corporation in 1962. Television advertising played a big part in Gillette's post-war growth in the United States. The company began TV advertising in 1944 and in 1950 it spent $ 6 million to acquire exclusive sponsorship rights to the World Series for six years. By the mid-1950s, 85 percent of Gillette's advertising budget was used for television advertising. The company also advertised

8176-401: The final stage, the part is punched free from the "web". A typical CNC turret punch has a choice of up to 60 tools in a "turret" that can be rotated to bring any tool to the punching position. A simple shape (e.g. a square, circle, or hexagon) is cut directly from the sheet. A complex shape can be cut out by making many square or rounded cuts around the perimeter. A punch is less flexible than

8288-453: The horizontal bend, from a strip shaped material. It may be done to a finite length section or coils. It resembles flattening of leveling process, but on a deformed edge. Drawing is a forming process in which the metal is stretched over a form or die . In deep drawing the depth of the part being made is more than half its diameter. Deep drawing is used for making automotive fuel tanks, kitchen sinks, two-piece aluminum cans , etc. Deep drawing

8400-531: The issue was Gillette's attempt to compete with Bic in the disposables market, which was eating into the sales of its more profitable cartridge razors. Symons reduced the marketing budget of disposables in Europe and hired the advertising agency BBDO 's London branch to create an ad campaign to make Gillette's blade and razor systems – such as Contour – more desirable in the eyes of men. The new marketing strategy, combined with cutting costs and centralizing production increased profits. In 1985, Gillette's profits in

8512-674: The late 1940s. While the Cavalcade aired many of the notable sporting events of the time (the Kentucky Derby , college football bowl games, and baseball, amongst others) it became most famous for its professional boxing broadcasts. Though competition hit Gillette hard in the domestic market during the Great Depression, overseas operations helped keep the company afloat. In 1935 more than half of Gillette's earnings came from foreign operations and in 1938 – the worst of

8624-460: The late 19th century when salesman and inventor King Camp Gillette came up with the idea of a safety razor that used disposable blades. Safety razors at the time were essentially short pieces of a straight razor clamped to a holder. The blade had to be stropped before each shave and after a time needed to be honed by a cutler. Gillette's invention was inspired by his mentor at Crown Cork & Seal Company , William Painter , who had invented

8736-413: The manual process in the late 17th century. The process of flattening metal sheets required large rotating iron cylinders which pressed metal pieces into sheets. The metals suited for this were lead, copper, zinc, iron and later steel. Tin was often used to coat iron and steel sheets to prevent it from rusting. This tin-coated sheet metal was called " tinplate ." Sheet metals appeared in the United States in

8848-476: The market significantly. The company had fallen behind its competitors in blade manufacturing technology in the 1920s and had let quality control slip while over-stretching its production equipment in order to hurry a new Kroman razor and stainless steel blade to market in 1930. In 1932, Gillette apologized for the reduction in blade quality, withdrew the Kroman blade, and introduced the Blue Blade (initially called

8960-563: The markets would eventually be opened up and nationalistic restrictions lifted. Some of Gillette's joint ventures included a 40 percent Gillette 60 percent Malaysian mini-plant operation that began production in 1970, and an Iranian manufacturing plant with 51 percent government ownership. The Iran plant was one of Gillette's largest and most modern factories until the Iranian Revolution of 1979 when Ayatollah Khomeini rose into power and American businesses were targeted as enemies of

9072-410: The maximum bending force is, F max = k T L t 2 W {\displaystyle F_{\text{max}}=k{\frac {TLt^{2}}{W}}} , where k is a factor taking into account several parameters including friction. T is the ultimate tensile strength of the metal. L and t are the length and thickness of the sheet metal, respectively. The variable W

9184-411: The metal down the required amount to bend it through 90 degrees. Typically, a general purpose machine has an available bending force of around 25 tons per meter of length. The opening width of the lower die is typically 8 to 10 times the thickness of the metal to be bent (for example, 5 mm material could be bent in a 40 mm die). The inner radius of the bend formed in the metal is determined not by

9296-497: The method of producing coated stainless steel blades that Wilkinson Sword was using and managed to patent it before Wilkinson did. The English company ended up having to pay royalties to Gillette for the stainless steel blades it brought to market. Gillette hesitated in bringing its own stainless steel blades to market as Super Blue had been a huge success and replacing it with a longer-lasting blade would have reduced profits. The company had originally planned to enjoy high profits from

9408-401: The middle-class a significant appetite for sheet metal products. It was not until the 1930s and WWII that metals became scarce and the sheet metal industry began to collapse. However, some American companies, such as the W.F. Norman Corporation, were able to stay in business by making other products until Historic preservation projects aided the revival of ornamental sheet metal. Grade 304 is

9520-445: The most common of the three grades. It offers good corrosion resistance while maintaining formability and weldability . Available finishes are #2B, #3, and #4. Grade 303 is not available in sheet form. Grade 316 possesses more corrosion resistance and strength at elevated temperatures than 304. It is commonly used for pumps , valves , chemical equipment, and marine applications. Available finishes are #2B, #3, and #4. Grade 410

9632-473: The multi-national corporation Procter & Gamble (P&G). Based in Boston , Massachusetts , United States, it was owned by The Gillette Company , a supplier of products under various brands until that company merged into P&G in 2005. The Gillette Company was founded by King C. Gillette in 1901 as a safety razor manufacturer . Under the leadership of Colman M. Mockler Jr. as CEO from 1975 to 1991,

9744-400: The new government, forcing Gillette to abandon the operation and withdraw from the country. In 1960, Gillette introduced the Super Blue blade, the company's first coated blade, and the first significantly improved razor blade since the Blue Blade of the 1930s. The new blade was coated with silicone and in Gillette's laboratory testing produced much more comfortable and close shaves by reducing

9856-428: The press contains a V-shaped groove called the die. The upper part of the press contains a punch that presses the sheet metal down into the v-shaped die, causing it to bend. There are several techniques used, but the most common modern method is "air bending". Here, the die has a sharper angle than the required bend (typically 85 degrees for a 90 degree bend) and the upper tool is precisely controlled in its stroke to push

9968-626: The previous razor – the original razor was renamed to the Old Type and sold in inexpensive packaging as "Brownies" for $ 1 (equivalent to $ 17 in 2023). While some Old Type models were still sold in various kinds of packaging for an average price of $ 3.50, the Brownie razors made a Gillette much more affordable for the average person and expanded the company's blade market significantly. From 1917 to 1925, Gillette's unit sales increased tenfold. The company also expanded its overseas operations right after

10080-464: The radius of the upper tool, but by the lower die width. Typically, the inner radius is equal to 1/6 of the V-width used in the forming process. The press usually has some sort of back gauge to position depth of the bend along the workpiece. The backgauge can be computer controlled to allow the operator to make a series of bends in a component to a high degree of accuracy. Simple machines control only

10192-454: The range. The high power consumption of the calculators, which drew 40 mA while in operation, four times the recommended limit of the batteries, meant a short battery life. Computer Digest recommended using a much larger PP9 battery, but that meant losing the portability of the calculator. Gillette (brand) Gillette is an American brand of safety razors and other personal care products including shaving supplies, owned by

10304-479: The razor was known as Prestobarba. In Latin America, Gillette used a so-called cannibalization strategy  by selling the razor in several market segments : along with the heavily advertised Prestobarba, the razor was also sold under different names – such as Permasharp II in Mexico and Probak II in Brazil – and sold for at least 10 to 15 percent less. The less expensive variants were differentiated from

10416-489: The sale of Wilkinson's U.S. assets to prevent a significant reduction in competition by eliminating one of the top four blade suppliers when Gillette already controlled approximately half of the nation's razor market. Gillette launched the Series line of men's grooming products, including scented shaving gels, deodorants, and skin-care items, in 1992. The company's SensorExcel launched in Europe and Canada in 1993, followed by

10528-430: The same strategy. While Gillette managed to retain market leadership against Bic and other competitors, the popularity of disposable razors, their higher production cost compared to cartridges, and price competition eroded the company's profits. Gillette had at first hoped that disposables would take no more than 10 percent of the total razor and blades market, but by 1980, disposables accounted for more than 27 percent of

10640-412: The stock takes the shape of the form. Spinning is used to make rocket motor casings, missile nose cones, satellite dishes and metal kitchen funnels. Stamping includes a variety of operations such as punching, blanking, embossing, bending, flanging, and coining; simple or complex shapes can be formed at high production rates; tooling and equipment costs can be high, but labor costs are low. Alternatively,

10752-676: The thinner the metal. Commonly used steel sheet metal ranges from 30 gauge to about 7 gauge. Gauge differs between ferrous ( iron-based ) metals and nonferrous metals such as aluminum or copper. Copper thickness, for example, is measured in ounces, representing the weight of copper contained in an area of one square foot. Parts manufactured from sheet metal must maintain a uniform thickness for ideal results. There are many different metals that can be made into sheet metal, such as aluminium , brass , copper , steel , tin , nickel and titanium . For decorative uses, some important sheet metals include silver , gold , and platinum (platinum sheet metal

10864-579: The two accordingly. The Gillette R&D center in Boston, Massachusetts, and the Gillette South Boston Manufacturing Center (known as "Gillette World Shaving Headquarters"), still exist as functional working locations under the Procter & Gamble-owned Gillette brand name. Gillette's subsidiaries Braun and Oral-B , among others, have also been retained by P&G. The Gillette company and brand originate from

10976-418: The use of virgin (unrecycled) plastics by 50 percent by 2030 and maintain zero waste to landfill status across all plants. The first safety razor using the new disposable blade went on sale in 1903. Gillette maintained a limited range of models of this new type razor until 1921 when the original Gillette patent expired. In anticipation of the event, Gillette introduced a redesigned razor and offered it at

11088-481: The war by opening a manufacturing plant in Slough , near London, to build New Improved razors, and setting up dozens of offices and subsidiaries in Europe and other parts of the world. Gillette experienced a setback at the end of the 1920s as its competitor AutoStrop sued for patent infringement. The case was settled out of court with Gillette agreeing to buy out AutoStrop for 310,000 non-voting shares . However, before

11200-609: The war. Gillette's original razor patent was due to expire in November 1921 and to stay ahead of an upcoming competition, the company introduced the New Improved Gillette Safety Razor in spring 1921 and switched to the razor and blades pricing structure  the company is known for today. While the New Improved razor was sold for $ 5 (equivalent to $ 85 in 2023) – the selling price of

11312-424: The workpiece or to a bladder that is in contact with the workpiece, rather than by the movable part of a die in a mechanical or hydraulic press. Unlike deep drawing, hydroforming usually does not involve draw reductions—the piece is formed in a single step. Incremental sheet forming or ISF forming process is basically sheet metal working or sheet metal forming process. In this case, sheet is formed into final shape by

11424-433: The world and closed entire markets the company would have otherwise entered in Russia, China, Eastern Europe, Near East, Cuba, and parts of Asia. More and more countries demanded local ownership for foreign enterprise in exchange for continued operation or entry into their markets. Outside the U.S. and European markets, Gillette spent time and money building manufacturing facilities and distribution networks in anticipation that

11536-423: The world shaving market in terms of unit sales, and 22 percent of total revenue. John W. Symons began steering Gillette into a different direction after becoming the director of Gillette's European Sales Group in 1979. Despite Gillette's strong sales and a large share of the European razor and blades market – 70 percent, which was higher than in the United States – cash flow was declining. In Symons's view,

11648-665: The world's largest consumer products company. The deal was approved by the Federal Trade Commission . Gillette introduced the world's first 5-blade razor, called the Fusion, during 2005–2006, marking the company's first launch after the P&;G acquisition. By 2010, the Fusion was the world's highest selling blade and razor brand, reaching $ 1 billion in annual sales faster than any prior P&G product. Gillette's Fusion ProSeries skincare line, launched in 2010, included

11760-456: The world. In 1934 the "twist to open" (TTO) design was instituted, which featured butterfly-like doors that made blade changing much easier than it had been, wherein the razor head had to be detached from the handle. Razor handles continued to advance to allow consumers to achieve a closer shave. In 1947, the new (TTO) model, the "Super Speed" , was introduced. This was updated in 1955, with different versions being produced to shave more closely –

11872-878: The write-down. Gillette first introduced its long-time slogan, "The Best a Man Can Get", during a commercial first aired during Super Bowl XXIII in 1989. The company has sponsored Major League Baseball (MLB), the 2010 Gillette Fusion ProGlide 500 , and the Olympic Games , and has naming rights to Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts , home venue for the National Football League 's New England Patriots . Athletes such as Roger Federer , Tiger Woods , Shoaib Malik , Derek Jeter , Thierry Henry , Kenan Sofuoğlu , Park Ji-sung , Rahul Dravid , Raheem Sterling , Karl-Anthony Towns , and Michael Clarke have been sponsored by

11984-573: Was a result of teamwork between the Gillette's British and American scientists. As a result of the Wilkinson ordeal, Gillette's then-chairman Carl Gilbert increased the company's spending on research and development facilities in the U.S., championed the building of a research facility in Rockville, Maryland , and encouraged further expansion of R&D activities in England. The development of Gillette's first twin-blade razor began in early 1964 in

12096-430: Was behind Atra in development. In consumer tests, the Atra razor had outperformed existing razor systems, but Gillette's marketing executives feared the razor would meet resistance among shavers due to the unfamiliar scrubbing motion required to use it. Even though the Atra project was so far along in mid-1970 that packaging and production machinery was nearly ready for a full market introduction, Gillette decided to start

12208-399: Was criticized for revealing flaws in Gillette's own patents and as a perceived attempt to drive away an upstart competitor; the lawsuit was dropped two months later after Dollar Shave Club filed a countersuit. In 2019, the company partnered with TerraCycle to create a U.S. recycling program for blades, razors, and packaging for any brand. In 2020, Gillette announced a commitment to reduce

12320-401: Was in plate armor worn by cavalry , and sheet metal continues to have many decorative uses, including in horse tack . Sheet metal workers are also known as "tin bashers" (or "tin knockers"), a name derived from the hammering of panel seams when installing tin roofs. Hand-hammered metal sheets have been used since ancient times for architectural purposes. Water-powered rolling mills replaced

12432-499: Was protected by 35 patents, with a $ 300 million marketing campaign. The Mach3 and replacement cartridges cost 35 percent more than the SensorExcel razor. By 1999, Gillette was worth US$ 43 billion, and the brand value of Gillette was estimated to be worth US$ 16 billion. This equated to 37% of the company's value. In 2000, Gillette's board fired CEO Michael Hawley; he was replaced by former Nabisco CEO James M. Kilts in early 2001. In 2003, Schick-Wilkinson Sword introduced

12544-577: Was the Oxford 100 , launched in Spring 1975 for £12.95 (all prices exclude VAT ); and essentially the same as the GPA. Both the Gillette GPA and Oxford 100 models used 8 digit displays with red light-emitting diodes (LEDs), 4 functions, 9 volt PP3 batteries, and measured 73 by 155 by 34 millimetres (2.9 in × 6.1 in × 1.3 in). All the Oxford models were similar in appearance;

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