Package company hones sharp image.

• Position: Engraph Inc. Package Products wins Gillette Co. contract

Package company hones sharp image

If you want to be at the cutting edge of razor technology, you've got to look sharp and be on the ball - especially if $200 million in development is riding on your new product.

So back in 1988, when Charlotte-based Package Products Specialty agreed to dress up Gillette Co.'s new Sensor razor in a plastic-and-cardboard shopper stopper, officials were prepared for their new client to be demanding.

"The packaging of the product is a crucial part of Gillette's marketing," says Ralph H. Alexander, vice president of marketing for Package Products, a 57-year-old company founded in Charlotte but now a division of Atlanta-based Engraph Inc. "They were looking for something with greater shelf appeal than anything else."

That's not easy to come up with on the first try. During the 18 months it took to produce a design that Gillette would approve, couriers carried more than 40 prototypes of the package from Charlotte to Gillette's Boston headquarters by air - under lock and key.

"We had to hand-carry artwork rather than simply shipping the materials," recalls Alexander. "It was so secretive."

But a...