uni-ball

Uni-ball
(Subsidiary of Mitsubishi Pencil Company)
Founded 1887 (1887)[1]
Headquarters Tokyo, Japan
Area served
 Asia, North America, South America, Europe
Key people
 Eiichiro Suhara (President)[1]
Non-consolidated: ¥2,387 million
Consolidated: ¥3,715 million[1]
Number of employees
 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. The brands currently have several lines of pens including uni Jetstream, Vision Elite, Eye (rollerball pens); PowerTank (pressurised ink cartridge pen); Signo (gel pens); and POSCA (markers) among others.

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

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 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.[5]

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

The Jetstream line of rollerball pens uses a hybrid ink formulation whose viscosity is lower than that of standard ballpoint ink. The ink 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 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. The ink also resists washing. The Signo refills comes in varied tip sizes, ranging from ultra-micro (0.38mm) to bold (1.0mm).

Ballpoint pens: Laknock broad and SA-R ballpoint pens.

Pencil: 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 Mitsubishi Pencil Company still produces wooden pencils.[6]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "About Us". Uni-ball. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  2. ↑ "Uni-ball India".
  3. ↑ "About Mitsubishi". mitsubishi.com. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  4. ↑ "Creating a Unique Advertising Tool with Uniball". ThePenGuy. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  5. ↑ "Our Story". Uni-ball. Archived from the original on 5 April 2014. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  6. ↑ "Products". Uni-ball. Archived from the original on 8 April 2014. Retrieved 8 May 2014.

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