Case Study: Newell Brands achieves rapid market success with IN2 Innovation

Rubbermaid Commercial Products launches 80-character DIY play experience with IN2 Innovation

Rubbermaid Commercial Products, a subsidiary of Newell Brands, faced an extreme challenge to rapidly expand its Elmer's craft brand into a new product category. They needed to get the Elmer’s Squishies DIY kit on store shelves for the back-to-school shopping season, which required developing 80 production-ready characters from scratch under an incredibly tight deadline. They partnered with vendor IN2 Innovation to overcome this process development and project management challenge.

IN2 Innovation developed a new digital sculpting workflow using Rhinoceros 3D, Blender, and Solidworks to transform 2D sketches into manufacturable 3D models, including a custom tool to minimize mold flash. Their meticulous project management and high-level collaboration ensured the product met its aggressive retail target. The solution was a major success; according to Newell’s Q4 2022 earnings report, Squishies launched with strong results and soon became Elmer’s top-selling activity product.

Rubbermaid Commercial Products