Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) is a global integrated business enterprise that develops and operates businesses together with its offices and subsidiaries in approximately 90 countries and regions worldwide, as well as a global network of around 1,400 group companies. Shop the MITSUBISHI PENCIL CO Home range from our Home & Tech department for a wide range of MITSUBISHI PENCIL CO Home Available to buy online.
(Subsidiary of Mitsubishi Pencil Company) | |
Founded | 1887; 132 years ago[1] |
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Headquarters | , |
Area served | Asia, North America, South America, Europe |
Eiichiro Suhara (President)[1] | |
Non-consolidated: ¥2,387 million (~ $21.4 million) Consolidated: ¥3,715 million (~ $33.4million) [1] | |
Non-consolidated: 603; Consolidated: 2,575[1] | |
Parent | Mitsubishi Pencil Company |
Divisions | Uni-ball North America |
Website | www.uniball.com |
Uni-ball and Uni are brands of pens and pencils, made by the Mitsubishi Pencil Company Limited (三菱鉛筆株式会社Mitsubishi Enpitsu Kabushiki Gaisha, TYO: 7976) of Japan. Mitsubishi Pencil Company distributes products in over 100 countries through subsidiaries, such as Mitsubishi Pencil Company UK. Distribution in the United States and Canada is by Sanford (a division of Newell Brands), in Germany by Faber-Castell, in the Persian Gulf and the Middle East by Hoshan Pan Gulf[2] and in India by Linc Pen and Plastics Limited (LPPL)[3][4]. Despite its naming and the near identical logomarks, Mitsubishi Pencil Company is unrelated to the Mitsubishi Group,[5] and has never been a part of their keiretsu.
History[edit]
Founded in 1887 by Niroku Masaki, the company then known as Masaki Pencil Manufacturing Company began creating superior wooden pencils. The pencils were branded 'Masaki Yamato'. It wasn't until after World War II that the company became The Mitsubishi Pencil Company.[6]
In 1966, they began creating performance pens and by 1979 they developed the world's first metal-tipped[citation needed] roller pen. This was the first Uniball pen as well as the world's first ballpen with water-based ink. While mainly focused on making pens, in 2008 they developed a new mechanical pencil that rotates the graphite lead every time it is lifted from the page to sharpen it into an even cone shape. This line of pencils is named as Kuru Toga.[7]
Products[edit]
The brands currently have several lines of pens including Jetstream (hybrid ink ballpoint pens); Vision Elite, Eye, Air (rollerball pens); PowerTank (pressurised ink cartridge pen); Signo (gel pens); and POSCA (markers) among others. Pencil products include Mitsu-Bishi, Hi-uni (wood-cased pencils); Kuru Toga, Shift (mechanical pencils).Uni-ball's range of products include:
Category | Products |
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Writing instruments | Ballpoint pens, gel pens and rollerball pens, multifunction pens Pencils, mechanical pencils Marker pens, highlighters |
Other stationery | Erasers, pencil sharpeners |
Rollerball pens: The standard system for the majority of their pens. The pens are built with an inside reservoir that can compensate for changes in pressure to prevent spills during flights.
Gel pens: While they designed the world's first pen using water-based ink, they also have a line of gel pens. The Mitsubishi Pencil Company incorporated a retractable tip to make the world's first retractable gel pen.
The Signo line of gel pens uses 'uni Super-ink', an archival quality ink that is water-proof and fade-resistant.
Ballpoint pens: The Jetstream line of hybrid ink ballpoint pens uses a hybrid ink formulation whose viscosity is lower than that of standard ballpoint ink, but greater than rollerball ink. The ink dries faster than a standard ballpoint to prevent smearing when writing.
Multi function pens: These pens can hold two or more refills of ballpoint/roller/gel pen or a mechanical pencil.
Pencils: No longer specializing in wooden pencils, the Mitsubishi Pencil Company began creating mechanical pencils. For example, the Kuru Toga mechanical pencil is one of the flagship mechanical pencils they make. However, the company still produces wooden pencils predominantly under the Mitsu-Bishi and Hi-uni brands.[8]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ abcd'About Us'. Uni-ball. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
- ^'Hoshan Pan Gulf'.
- ^'Linc Pen & Plastics Limited'.
- ^'Uni-ball India'.
- ^'About Mitsubishi'. mitsubishi.com. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
- ^'Creating a Unique Advertising Tool with Uniball'. ThePenGuy. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
- ^'Our Story'. Uni-ball. Archived from the original on 5 April 2014. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
- ^'Products'. Uni-ball. Archived from the original on 8 April 2014. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
External links[edit]
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