Pilot Pen Corporation
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese pen manufacturer based in Tokyo
, Japan
. It produces writing instruments, stationery
, and jewelry but is most well known for its pens
. It is the third largest pen manufacturer in the United States
and the largest in Japan. It has a large number of subsidiaries
located in countries throughout the world, including the Philippines
, United Kingdom
, Malaysia, Brazil
, South Africa
, Germany
, and France
. Most Pilot pens are made in Japan
, France
, and the USA. Ryosuke Namiki founded the company in 1918.
Namiki
, the fountain pens with maki-e
lacquering designs, are made in the Hiratsuka
factory.
, New York
, London
and Shanghai
. In 1938 the name of the company changed to the Pilot Pen Co., Ltd. It was again renamed in 1950 as the Pilot Ink Company, Ltd. In 1954 The company opened a branch in Brazil. Between 1972- 1999 various sub companies were formed to cover the various branches. The collective name for these, decided in 2004, is Pilot Corporation. More recently, Pilot has began the BeGreen line, pens and pencils composed of mostly recycled content. In India, Pilot pens are usually made and sold under licence by Luxor, an Indian pen company.
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. It produces writing instruments, stationery
Stationery
Stationery has historically meant a wide gamut of materials: paper and office supplies, writing implements, greeting cards, glue, pencil case etc.-History of stationery:...
, and jewelry but is most well known for its pens
Pens
Pens may refer to:* plural of pen, Fountain pens - writing instruments* Pens * a nickname for the Pittsburgh PenguinsPENS may refer to:* Percutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation, commonly referred to as electroacupuncture...
. It is the third largest pen manufacturer in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the largest in Japan. It has a large number of subsidiaries
Subsidiary
A subsidiary company, subsidiary, or daughter company is a company that is completely or partly owned and wholly controlled by another company that owns more than half of the subsidiary's stock. The subsidiary can be a company, corporation, or limited liability company. In some cases it is a...
located in countries throughout the world, including the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Malaysia, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Most Pilot pens are made in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, and the USA. Ryosuke Namiki founded the company in 1918.
Namiki
Namiki
Namiki is a Japanese brand of fountain pens and other writing equipment. Namiki is most famous for their maki-e designs on urushi.- Overview :...
, the fountain pens with maki-e
Maki-e
is Japanese lacquer sprinkled with gold or silver powder as a decoration using a makizutsu or a kebo brush. The technique was developed mainly in the Heian Period and blossomed in the Edo Period...
lacquering designs, are made in the Hiratsuka
Hiratsuka, Kanagawa
is a city located in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. As of 2010, the city had an estimated population of 259,991 and the density of 3,830 persons per km²...
factory.
History
The Pilot Pen Corporation was founded in 1918 under the name of the Namiki Manufacturing Company. In 1926 it established overseas offices in Malaysia, SingaporeSingapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
. In 1938 the name of the company changed to the Pilot Pen Co., Ltd. It was again renamed in 1950 as the Pilot Ink Company, Ltd. In 1954 The company opened a branch in Brazil. Between 1972- 1999 various sub companies were formed to cover the various branches. The collective name for these, decided in 2004, is Pilot Corporation. More recently, Pilot has began the BeGreen line, pens and pencils composed of mostly recycled content. In India, Pilot pens are usually made and sold under licence by Luxor, an Indian pen company.
Products
The following chart contains the Pilot product lines.| Category | Range of products |
|---|---|
| Pens | Fountain Fountain pen A fountain pen is a nib pen that, unlike its predecessor the dip pen, contains an internal reservoir of water-based liquid ink. The pen draws ink from the reservoir through a feed to the nib and deposits it on paper via a combination of gravity and capillary action... , ballpoint Ballpoint pen A ballpoint pen is a writing instrument with an internal ink reservoir and a sphere for a point. The internal chamber is filled with a viscous ink that is dispensed at its tip during use by the rolling action of a small sphere... , rollerball Rollerball pen Rollerball pens are pens which use ball point writing mechanisms with water-based liquid or gelled ink, as opposed to the oil-based viscous inks found in ballpoint pens... and gel ink pens |
| Markers | Marker pen Marker pen thumb|MarkerA marker pen, marking pen, felt-tip pen, flow or marker, is a pen which has its own ink-source, and usually a tip made of a porous, pressed fibres; such as felt or nylon.-Permanent marker:... s, highlighter Highlighter A highlighter is a felt-tip pen which is used to draw attention to sections of documents by marking them with a vivid, translucent colour.A typical highlighter is fluorescent yellow, coloured with pyranine.-History:... s |
| Pencils | Mechanical pencil Mechanical pencil A mechanical pencil or a propelling pencil is a pencil with a replaceable and mechanically extendable solid pigment core called a lead . It is designed such that the lead can be extended as its point is worn away... s |
| Accessories | refills |