Japanese pen and pencil brand
Uni-ball
(
ユニボ?ル
,
Yunib?ru
)
(stylized as
uni-ball
) and
Uni
(
ユニ
,
Yuni
)
are
brands
of
pens
and
pencils
,
[1]
made by the
Mitsubishi Pencil Company Limited
(
三菱鉛筆株式?社
,
Mitsubishi Enpitsu Kabushiki Gaisha
)
of
Japan
. The brand was introduced in 1979 as a
rollerball pen
model, then expanding to the rest of Mitsubishi Pencil products.
[3]
Mitsubishi Pencil Company distributes over 3,000 core products in over 100 countries through subsidiaries, such as Mitsubishi Pencil Company UK. Distribution in the
United States
,
Canada
and
Mexico
is by Uni-ball's North American Corporation in Wheaton, Illinois. In Germany they are sold by
Faber-Castell
, in the
Persian Gulf
and the
Middle East
by Hoshan Pan Gulf,
[4]
in India by Linc Pen and Plastics Limited (LPPL),
[5]
[6]
and in the Philippines by Lupel Corporation.
[7]
Despite its naming and the nearly identical logomarks, Mitsubishi Pencil Company is unrelated to the
Mitsubishi Group
,
[8]
and has never been a part of their
keiretsu
.
[9]
The logo itself is a family crest, or
kamon
.
History
[
edit
]
Mitsubishi Pencil Company Ltd.
|
Mitsubishi Pencil Co. headquarters in Shinagawa,
Tokyo
|
Native name
| 三菱鉛筆株式?社
|
---|
| Mitsubishi Enpitsu Kabushiki Gaisha
|
---|
Formerly
| Masaki Pencil Manufacturing Company
|
---|
Company type
| Public
KK
|
---|
| TYO
:
7976
|
---|
Industry
| Stationery
|
---|
Founded
| 1887
; 137 years ago
(
1887
)
|
---|
Founder
| Niroku Masaki
|
---|
Headquarters
| ,
|
---|
Area served
| Worldwide
|
---|
Key people
| Shigehiko Suhara
[10]
(
President
)
|
---|
Products
| Ballpoint pens
mechanical pencils
|
---|
Brands
| Uni-ball
Posca
Lamy
|
---|
The Mitsubishi Pencil company was founded in
Tokyo
by Niroku Masaki in 1887
[11]
as the "Masaki Pencil Manufacturing Company".
[2]
After
World War II
, it was renamed "The Mitsubishi Pencil Company".
[2]
Masaki Pencil started to export its products, first to
Mexico
in 1927, then expanding to other markets including
Belgium
,
Egypt
,
Portugal
,
Argentina
,
India
and
Netherlands
. At the end of
World War II
, the company introduced the "9800" pencil. In 1959, Mitsubishi released its first
ballpoint pen
, while its first
mechanical pencil
was launched in 1961.
[3]
In 1966, they began creating performance pens and by 1979 they developed the first "Uniball"
rollerball pen
,
[11]
which was the first ballpen with water-based ink and metallic tip. This pen would be a great success in Japan and North America. One year later, the company launched the "Paint", an oil-based
marker
.
[3]
While mainly focused on making pens, in 2008 they developed a new
mechanical pencil
that rotated 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
.
[12]
The name
Kuru Toga
is a
portmanteau
of the two Japanese words 'kuru' (turning) and 'togaru' (to be sharpened).
In August 2020, Uni-ball announced a partnership with Starline.
[13]
Beginning in January 2021, Starline became the exclusive supplier of the Uni-ball brand for the promotional products industry.
[14]
In February 2024, the company announced it was acquiring German fountain and ball point pen company
Lamy
.
[15]
Products
[
edit
]
Although Mitsubishi Pencil started as a
wooden pencil
manufacturer, the company is no longer specialized in that product, focusing on
mechanical pencils
instead.
[16]
Uni-ball's
writing implements
brands include
Jetstream
(hybrid-ink
ballpoint pens
);
Air
,
Eye
(marketed as
Vision
in the U.S.A.)
rollerball pens
,
Signo
(pigment ink
gel pens
);
Onyx
,
Kuru Toga
(
mechanical pencils
);
[17]
Paint
,
Posca
(marker pens),
Chalk
, and
Prockey
(
marker pens
).
[18]
Wood-cased pencil brands include
Hi-Uni
,
Uni
and
Mitsu-Bishi
.
Some other pen lines (mainly intended for the Japanese market) are
Power Tank
(pressurised ink cartridge),
R:E
(erasable ink pens),
Laknock
,
Clifter
(ballpoints),
One
(
gel pens
),
Style Fit
(multi-pen system),
Shift
,
M-552
(mechanical pencils), and
Propus
(highlighters).
[19]
Often listed best or one of the best pens in gel pen rankings
[20]
[21]
[22]
Uni-ball's range of products include:
Gallery
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]
|
---|
International
| |
---|
National
| |
---|
Academics
| |
---|