ABSTRACT
How do we integrate product offerings to provide complete solutions? How must the process change to interface with a proprietary system?
The classic proprietary product combination is the safety razor system. King Camp Gillette conceived of the idea while shaving when he was a traveling salesman in the 1890s. From the beginning, he dreamed of selling cheap, disposable blades, which would fit into a reusable holder. The realization of his vision required 6 years of experimentation before a production process could be constructed. The process to stamp, harden, temper, and sharpen the thin metal sheets into uniform blades was more challenging than he anticipated.
