BEHIND THE BRAND: LAMY RIGHT: Lamy writing instruments are instantly recognisable with their distinctive, timeless design.
Timeless design for modern living Lamy is widely recognised around the world for its high-quality designer writing instruments with a timelessly modern aesthetic and perfect functionality. Since February this year, the company has been part of Mitsubishi Pencil, a partnership that brings investment and market development to the brand. Stationery Matters finds out more.
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INSET RIGHT: The Lamy site in Heidelberg is the centre of production.
Established in 1930 in Heidelberg, Germany, the real success story began in 1966 with the launch of the Lamy 2000. This model established the clear, unmistakable design language that still characterises the style of all the brand’s products today. Each year, special editions continue to set trends and inspire handwriting fans around the world with innovative colours and finishes. Lamy has its headquarters and production facilities in Heidelberg, employing more than 340 people. With an annual production of over eight million writing instruments, Lamy is not only the market leader in Germany, it has also developed to become a sought-after lifestyle brand around the world. Lamy generates a good half of its turnover abroad. The brand is now represented in more than 80 countries with over 15,600 sales outlets worldwide, including around 200 mono-brand stores. At the end February this year, Lamy became part of the Mitsubishi Pencil family, a partnership that Steffen Rübke, ceo, says will “strengthen the company and the Lamy brand with Mitsubishi Pencil’s focus on innovation, its large
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distribution network and its strong e-commerce expertise as exemplified by the success of the business with Amazon in the US market.” Mitsubishi Pencil and Lamy are no strangers to each other, and the partnership brings together a number of synergies. Mitsubishi Pencil is a strong partner to develop the growth area of digital writing, expand international sales, and will also contribute its ecommerce expertise. The Lamy brand products complement the Mitsubishi Pencil range in the premium segment.
The new partnership ensures that the headquarters and production facilities in Heidelberg will be maintained and that investments will be made in the further development of the company and the brand. How these potentials will be specifically utilised by Lamy in the markets is currently being developed through a collaborative dialogue between the teams in Heidelberg and Tokyo. It’s been a busy start to 2024 for Lamy, alongside the news about Mitsubishi Pencil, the company has been celebrating 20 years of
SUSTAINABILITY AT THE HEART Over 95% of Lamy products are made at its production site in Heidelberg, guaranteeing consistently outstanding quality which is ‘Made in Germany’. Furthermore, collaboration with regional suppliers leads to short supply chains, which not only is more economic, but also more environmentally friendly. Packaging and communication materials are produced with adhesivefree packaging and a high percentage of this also comes from regional suppliers.
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