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WD-40 Company Gives Users Their Last Straw

Monday, May 19, 2008

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Iconic Can Converts to Smart Straw Delivery System

SAN DIEGO - The most popular-size WD-40 cans, often used for quieting squeaky hinges and protecting tools from corrosion, can now do something even more useful - hold on to the little red straw that was forever getting lost.

All 8-, 11- and 12-ounce cans of America's favorite multi-purpose product will now be available as WD-40 Smart Straw cans, which hold the same formula used and trusted by millions of consumers around the world, and feature a permanently attached straw that puts an end to the many lost red straws hiding in kitchen cabinets, under workbenches and at the bottoms of toolboxes across America. The new straw can be flipped down for a wide spray or flipped up for a pinpoint stream to apply WD-40 into hard-to-reach places.

"For 55 years, the only consistent product complaint with WD-40 has revolved around consumers and trade professionals losing the little red straw," said Garry Ridge, president and chief executive officer of San Diego-based WD-40 Company. "The conversion to the Smart Straw is WD-40 Company's way of telling its end users that we're not just listening, but also utilizing true product innovation to give them exactly what they need to get the job done."

People have been using WD-40 for years for thousands of uses, from stopping squeaks on windshield wipers to lubricating hinges on pruning shears. Many users share their favorite uses and stories of WD-40 online via the WD-40 Fan Club, which currently has more than 115,000 members and offers free downloads, weekly tips and a monthly newsletter to fans around the world. The Official List of 2000-plus Uses for the product can be found on the company's Web site at www.wd40.com/uses .

The new WD-40 brand product line now consists of: the WD-40 Smart Straw (8 ounce, 11 ounce, 12 ounce); WD-40 Big Blast (18 ounce), which offers a wider spray pattern and larger size for jobs that require more WD-40; WD-40 No-Mess Pen, the company's pinpoint application product that allows consumers to use the product on the go with less mess; WD-40 aerosol can (3 ounce); WD-40 Industrial (16 ounce); and WD-40 Bulk (1 gallon, 5 gallon, 55 gallon).

WD-40 Company, with headquarters in San Diego, is a global consumer products company dedicated to building brand equities that are first or second choice in their respective categories. The company will leverage and build the brand fortress of WD-40 Company by developing and acquiring brands that deliver a unique high value to end users and that can be distributed across multiple trade channels in one or more areas of the world. WD-40 Company produces multi-purpose lubricants, WD-40 and 3-IN-ONE, the Lava and Solvol brands of heavy-duty hand cleaners, and household products 2000 Flushes, X-14, Carpet Fresh, Spot Shot and 1001. WD-40 Company markets its products in more than 160 countries worldwide and recorded sales of $307.8 million in 2007. Additional information about WD-40 Company can be obtained online at www.wd40.com.

A service of YellowBrix, Inc. Publication date: 2008-05-19


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Source: BizSanDiego