NineSigma Engages Elmer's® Products, Inc. in the Ohio Third Frontier Open Innovation Incentive Program

CLEVELAND, Jan. 9, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- NineSigma, Inc., of Cleveland, the leading innovation partner to organizations worldwide, announced today they will work with Columbus, OH-based Elmer's  Products, Inc., an industry leader in adhesives, arts and crafts, office, educational and DIY products under the new Ohio Third Frontier Open Innovation Incentive (OII) Program. In August of 2012, NineSigma was selected by the State of Ohio to help middle market companies, with revenues between $10 million and $1 billion, accelerate their adoption of open innovation to drive growth. The Ohio Third Frontier OII was established to foster collaborative innovation that will lead to job creation and build competitive advantage for Ohio on a national and global level.

Elmer's Products has been a trusted brand and industry leader for more than 65 years. The company produces a range of products that are designed to provide project solutions and encourage people to create, build and learn throughout their lives. Elmer's Glue-All^®, Instant Krazy Glue^®, and X-ACTO^® are just some of its well-known consumer products.

"Elmer's products have long been the go-to products whether at work, play or in school. As a company rich with history and tradition, we are excited to collaborate with their innovation team as they look to the future and find new ways to deliver value through enhanced product features and solutions," said Andy Zynga, CEO of NineSigma.  

Open innovation involves "looking to the outside" for technologies, solutions, and ideas to accelerate the development of new products and increase speed to market. Through the Open Innovation Incentive, NineSigma is working closely with middle market solution seekers to complement their internal R&D capabilities and create custom external networks of innovation providers with viable solutions, filtering responses for their quality and fit. The State is assisting these solution seekers by funding a portion of the transactional costs of engaging an open innovation company.

About NineSigma

NineSigma connects organizations with external innovation resources to accelerate innovation in private, public and social sectors. The company provides open innovation services to organizations worldwide, including Kraft Foods, Philips, Siemens, and Unilever, to solve immediate challenges, integrate new knowledge, fill product pipelines, and stay ahead of the competition. Named to the 2012 Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private U.S. companies, NineSigma's proprietary process has produced billions of dollars in value for its clients. NineSigma has the largest open global network of solution providers and an extensive database of existing solutions spanning numerous industries and technical disciplines. NineSigma's online innovation community, NineSights™, is the world's first open innovation social media destination, connecting innovators of all sizes with resources and relationships to drive growth. Learn more at www.ninesigma.com and www.ninesights.com. 

About Elmer's
Elmer's® Products, Inc., headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, has been a trusted brand and industry leader for more than 65 years. Elmer's produces a variety of well-known adhesives, arts and crafts, DIY, educational and office products developed to provide project solutions and inspire people to create, build and learn for life.  Elmer's also markets the number one instant adhesive in the U.S., Instant Krazy Glue®, and X-ACTO®, a leader in innovative cutting blades, knives, and office supplies. For more information, visit www.elmers.com.

Media Contact: 
Jackie Lucas, Warner Communications — [email protected], (978) 255-1159 

SOURCE NineSigma, Inc.