Parker Pen Company
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Private (subsidiary of Newell Rubbermaid) | |
| Industry | Writing instruments |
| Founded | 1888 |
| Founder | George Safford Parker |
| Headquarters | Newhaven, East Sussex, England |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people |
George Safford Parker, founder, Kenneth Parker [1] |
| Products | Fountain pens, ballpoint pens |
| Parent | Newell Rubbermaid |
| Website | www.parkerpen.com |
The Parker Pen Company is a manufacturer of luxury pens, founded in 1888[2] by George Safford Parker in Janesville, Wisconsin, United States. In 2011, the Parker factory at Newhaven, East Sussex, England (United Kingdom) was closed, and its production transferred to Saint-Herblain (France).
History
George Safford Parker, the founder, had previously been a sales agent for the John Holland Gold Pen Company. He received his first fountain pen related patent in 1889.[3] In 1894 Parker received a patent on his "Lucky Curve" feed,[4] which was claimed to draw excess ink back into the pen body when the pen was not in use. The Lucky Curve feed was used in various forms until 1928.[5]
From the 1920s to the 1960s, before the development of the ballpoint pen, Parker was either number one or number two in worldwide writing instrument sales. In 1931 Parker created Quink (quick drying ink), which eliminated the need for blotting.[6] In 1941 the company developed the most widely used model of fountain pen in history (over $400 million worth of sales in its 30-year history), the Parker 51.[7][8] Manufacturing facilities were set up over the years in Canada, United Kingdom, Denmark, France, Mexico, USA, Pakistan, India, Germany (Osmia-Parker), Brazil and Argentina.
The company bought retailer and catalog company Norm Thompson in 1973, and then sold it off in 1981.[9] In 1976 Parker acquired Manpower just as the temporary staffing market was surging. In time Manpower provided more revenue than the pen business. A 1982 spinoff, Sintered Specialties, Inc., became SSI Technologies, a manufacturer of automotive sensors.
A management buyout in 1987 moved the company headquarters to Newhaven, East Sussex, England, which was the original location of the Valentine Pen Company previously acquired by Parker. In 1993 Parker was acquired by the Gillette Company, which already owned the Paper Mate brand, one of the best-selling disposable ballpoints. Gillette sold the writing instruments division in 2000 to Newell Rubbermaid, whose own Sanford Stationery Division became the largest in the world—owning such brand names as Rotring, Sharpie, Reynolds as well as Parker, PaperMate, Waterman, and Liquid Paper.
In July 2009, the 180 workers at Parker Newhaven got notice that the factory would be shut down and the production moved to France.[10] The following month, Newell Rubbermaid Inc. announced that the Janesville, Wisconsin plant was to close the remaining operations tied to Parker Pen (which eliminated 153 jobs). The company press release said:
"This decision is a response to structural issues accelerated by market trends and is in no way a reflection on the highly valued work performed by our Janesville employees over the years."
Newell Rubbermaid stated it would offer transitional employment services as well as severance benefits.[11][12]
More recently, Parker has abandoned traditional retail outlets in North America. While some Jotter pens may be found in retailers such as Office Depot, what little remains of the Parker line has been moved to upscale "luxury" retailers, effectively abandoning the entry level market. With the move to such retailers, Parker weakened its traditional product warranty on its high end pens, moving from a lifetime warranty to a two-year warranty.[13]
Famous models
Key models in the company's history include:
Parker Vector
The precursor to the Parker Vector was introduced in 1981. It was a simple cylindrical plastic cap and barrel roller-ball pen called the "Parker RB1".[14] In 1984, Parker added the FP1 ("Fountain Pen 1"), with essentially the same design. The RB1 and FP1 models were produced until 1986, at which time Parker revised the pen by lengthening the cap and shortening the barrel and renaming the new pen the "Vector Standard". Presently, there are four models available (in plastic and steel): the fountain pen, capped rollerball, pushbutton ballpoint, and pushbutton pencil.[15]
Products
The following is a list with products offered by the Parker Pen Company as of 2012:[16]
| Type | Model |
|---|---|
| 5TH Technology | I.M., Ingenuity, Sonnet, Urban |
| Fountain pens | Duofold, Premier, Sonnet, Facet, Esprit, Urban, I.M., Vector, Jotter |
| Ballpoint pens | Facet, Executive, Esprit, Frontier, Urban, I.M., Vector, Jotter |
| Inks and refills | Quink, 5TH Mode |
See also
Notes and references
- ↑ Parker Pen history on Internet-Ink website
- ↑ Parker timeline history
- ↑ US patent n.416944.
- ↑ US patent n.512319.
- ↑ A Parker History
- ↑ Quink, the ink developed by Parker
- ↑ Parker 51 history in Parkerpens.net
- ↑ Parker 51 on Books about Pens website
- ↑ Hambug, Ken (20 November 1989). "Portland’s Norm Thompson is 40 and still growing". The Oregonian. p. C9.
- ↑ Sussex Edition; BBC News.
- ↑ Parker Pen Newhaven closure plan revealed, The Argus, 16 July 2009
- ↑ Sanford leaving Janesville, Madison.com, 19 August 2009
- ↑ Parker Official Website
- ↑ Note: The RB1 name stands for "Rollerball 1".
- ↑ When Parker Pens Ruled; Tuesday, December 7, 2010; article; The Wall Street Journal; comment: about the relaunch of Parker Pens held at the Museum of Arts and Design on Columbus Circle. Pictured are two Parker Vectors with polished steel finish; retrieved ???.
- ↑ Parker press and press release information
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Parker Pens. |
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