Uni-ball

Uni-ball

Type	(Subsidiary of Mitsubishi Pencil Co.)
Founded	1887 [1]
Headquarters	Tokyo, Japan
Area served	Asia, North America, South America, Europe
Key people	Eiichiro Suhara (President) [1]
Net income	Non-consolidated: ¥2,387 million Consolidated: ¥3,715 million [1]
Employees	Non-consolidated: 603; Consolidated: 2,575 [1]
Parent	Mitsubishi Pencil Co.
Divisions	Uni-ball North America
Website	uniball.com

uni-ball and uni are brands of pens and pencils, made by the Mitsubishi Pencil Company (三菱鉛筆株式会社, Mitsubishi Enpitsu Kabushiki Gaisha, TYO: 7976) of Japan. The brand currently has several lines of pens including: Jetstream, Vision Elite, Signo, eye and Power Tank RT.

Mitsubishi Pencil Company distributes products in over 100 countries through subsidiaries, such as Mitsubishi Pencil Company UK. Sanford distributes uni-ball in the United States and Canada, Faber-Castell does so for Germany, and Linc Pen and Plastics Limited (LPPL) in India.^[2] Despite its naming and the near identical logomarks, Mitsubishi Pencil Company is unrelated to the Mitsubishi Group,^[3] and has never been a part of their zaibatsu.

History

Originally founded in 1887 by Niroku Masaki, the company then known as Masaki Pencil Manufacturing Company began creating superior wooden pencils. It wasn't until after World War II that the company became The Mitsubishi Pencil Company.^[4]

In 1966, they began creating performance pens and by 1979 they developed the world's first metal-tipped roller pen. This was the first Uniball pen as well as the world's first pen with water-based ink. While mainly focused on their performance pencils, in 2009 they developed a new mechanical pencil that rotates the graphite every time it is lifted from the page to ensure an even cone shape.^[5]

Product Line

Roller: The standard system for the majority of their pens, including the Vision Elite which was built with an inside resovoir that can compensate for changes in pressure to prevent spills during flights.

Jetstream: Dries faster than a standard ballpoint to prevent smears when writing.

Gel: 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 making to make the world's first retractable gel pen.

Pencil: No longer specializing in wooden pencils, The Mitsubishi Pencil Company began creating mechanical pencils. Every time it is lifted off the page, the graphite rotates to ensure an even cone shape - the KuruToga Twist engine.^[6]

See also

• List of pen types, brands and companies
• Sanford L.P., the North American distributor for Uni-ball.

References

External links

• Uni-ball Japan