D/J – Mitsubishi Pencil Co., Ltd., which is based in Tokyo has taken over the German family business, C. Josef Lamy and the brand Lamy. The writing instrument manufacturer confirmed in a press release: “In the course of a complex process, the family that owns Lamy has been searching for a purchaser, who would carry on running the company founded in 1930 by C. Josef Lamy with competence, experience and love for the brand Lamy in the future and who was also committed to the location in Germany. With the sale of all shares in the company this process is now being brought to a successful close. The annual turnover of Mitsubishi Pencil is much higher than that of the company Lamy.”
It was noted that Lamy had been looking for a strong partner for the further development of the growth field digital writing and to expand the international sales and had found the company they were looking for in Mitsubishi Pencil, founded in 1887. The Japanese family company – that is among others well-known for its uni-ball ballpoint pens – is at the same time securing that the head office and production at the location in Heidelberg will be maintained and that investments will be made in the further development of Lamy.
Shigehiko Suhara, CEO of Mitsubishi Pencil.
Shigehiko Suhara, President and CEO of Mitsubishi Pencil in the sixth generation commented, “We have great respect for the history and the power of the brand Lamy. We believe that the vision and corporate culture of Lamy and Mitsubishi Pencil harmonise very well together. Furthermore, we are convinced that taking over the company Lamy will ensure a strong joint platform for future growth and will increase the value of the company –for both Lamy and Mitsubishi Pencil.“ Vera Lamy, the hitherto co-shareholder of C. Josef Lamy GmbH, explained: “We have placed great importance on finding a company that disposes of the strength and heart that will write a totally new chapter in the Lamy story together with the Lamy employees and all our partners. We have found this company.” Her brother and co-shareholder, Markus Lamy, added: “The core of the brand Lamy will remain intact and will be further developed. The ‘made in Germany’ aspect will continue to play a decisive role. That was and is of the greatest importance to us.”
Andrè Hammelsbruch, Area Sales Manager for the Promotion Products Department at Lamy, affirmed the continuation of the B2B strategy: “The B2B concept, which we realigned especially for the D-A-CH promotional products industry in 2017 by founding the Hamburg-based Distribution Exclusive Gifts B2B GmbH, will continue to be optimised and further expanded in a distributor-friendly manner together with the B2B professionals from Hamburg in the future. All existing contracts and agreements will of course remain valid.”
Mitsubishi Pencil has already been in business for 137 years and employs over 2,700 people worldwide today. The company has 22 international sales subsidiaries and operates 11 production sites. The wide range of stationery products includes the uni-ball pens that are well-known for their waterproof pigment ink.
Lamy stands for the ‘Made in Germany’ seal and both its headquarters and production site are located in Heidelberg. The company has a headcount of over 340 employees. The brand Lamy is represented in more than 80 countries today with more than 15,600 points of sale, including also around 200 mono-brand stores.
