Made in Germany is a national glory that Germans are proud of. There are cars, steel, chemicals, robots, and of course beer and sausages, and Germany's "two pencils" are also world-famous.
Founded in 1761, the Faber-Castell pencil brand depicts the family's eight generations of heritage.
Shi De Lou's lead core micro-carving process is exquisite, showing the world on the tip of the pen.
In today's Internet age, people don't use pencils much, unless you are an art lover or a literary youth who needs a box of colored pencils to describe life. Among the many German brands, pencils may be the cheapest product, but Germany has two major internationally recognized brands – Faber-Castell and Staedtler. Both brands come from the same city, both have a history of more than 100 years, and also have their own fans, and after time of cutting, they are still full of vivid colors. In the competition, the two brands catch up with each other and grow together, which is a harmony rarely seen in the business society.
From wooden pole pencils, to automatic pencils, to colored pencils for drawing of various specifications, the color is undoubtedly the first impression they leave on consumers. For professionals, a good pencil is not as simple as writing a few lines, and smooth and not easy to break lead is the basic criterion. Meticulous product classification brings a good user experience to customers with different needs.
The "GRIP2001" pencil, with a special row of small bumps on the silver pen holder, is conducive to the grip of children who learn to write, making it less likely to slip from sweaty hands
A commemorative pencil set introduced on the 150th anniversary of Faber-Castell in 1911
With more than 250 years of brand history and more than 180 years of history, Faber-Castell is one of the oldest companies in Germany, both of which started with pencils and are still loved in the stationery market with pencils. The two companies have always been a competitive relationship, but also each other's business escort, through the continuous progress of technical technology, the pursuit of professionalism and excellence in design, so that the two brands have a wider user group.
In 1761, kaspar Faber, a cabinet maker in Nuremberg, made the world's first pencil, pioneering a new way of writing. Decades later, his small workshop became a big factory, and then a multinational company, and the story of the small pencil turning into a big business began.
Faber-Castell was the first to standardize pencil length, thickness and hardness, and this specification was later accepted by peers around the world.
Around 1840, the Faber family's pencil business grew, and the fourth heir, 22-year-old Lothar von Faber, developed a hexagonal pencil that would no longer roll off the table, and he branded it with the trademark "A.W. FABER". Unexpectedly, the demand for this kind of high-quality pencil in various countries is strong, the French and American branches have been opened, the brand internationalization has been realized in the 19th century, the pencil business has become bigger and bigger, and Lothar has been awarded the baron.
The family's heiress, Otiri, and her husband, and their marriage brought the company a new name to "Faber-Castell".
At the end of the 19th century, Lothar's granddaughter Ottilie became the only heiress of the family, but her marriage was not supported by her boyfriend Castell's royal family, because business was still despised among the royal aristocracy at that time, and eventually the boyfriend gave up his aristocratic status to get married, which is often called Morgan marriage (also known as left-handed marriage, describing a marriage of great status) in Europe, and this marriage brought a new change to the company - renamed Faber-Gay.
Lothar laid a solid foundation for Faber-Castell to survive even in the 20th century, with the originality and craftsmanship of the company passed down from generation to generation. From the castell 9000 drawing pencil, a classic born in 1905, to the creation of the top luxury pen tool GRAF VON FABER-CASTEEL in 1995, the products range from beginner, intermediate to top-of-the-line. Faber-Castell not only attaches importance to design and production, but also attaches importance to the marketing and promotion of products, and Faber-Castell's participation can be seen in various scales of color-filling competitions held around the world. From 12 colors to 64 colors, from the carton to the iron box atmosphere, Faber-Castell has become a gift that many children dream of.
A live-action workshop in the Faber-Castell Museum, showcasing early pencil-making tools.
Seder House, which also took root in Nuremberg, is a competitor of Faber-Castell.G. The same product, similar scale, Shi De Lou seems to be more high-end and professional in the eyes of professionals, with a more detailed classification. The sketch pens in the hands of the street painters you see when you travel around the world are most likely the products of Shi De Lou. Choosing a sketch pencil or a colored pencil is very picky for professional painters, after all, broken lead and impurities can be disastrous for the painter.
In 1834, J. S． Scheider invented the colored pencil oil stick, and the following year obtained a government production license, and the Scheidersho pencil factory began construction in the industrial town of Nuremberg. A brand begins its journey. By 1840, shi de lou already had dozens of pencils on the market. In 1900, the company registered a new brand and trademark, using the head and name of Mars, the god of war and spring in Roman mythology, and the trademark shape has become very simple and tough after several evolutions.
Although there are many production bases and marketing companies in Sedder House Stationery around the world, the old Seder house pencil factory in Nuremberg is still in operation. Martin, the director of the factory, personally introduced the pencil making process to the visiting merchants and media, told the mystery of the combination of graphite refills and clay and boiling and soaking, and also told about his long career from apprentice to manager, including interesting things about his master urging him to work. Here, both the older workers skillfully control the machine, and the young people learn the most basic color grading with the master, and the German brand is passed down in the daily work of these workers.
The Stahlbühl pencil factory in Nuremberg has the same long history as Faber Castell.
The modern pencil industry originated in Nuremberg, and the old Faber-Gay factory on the outskirts of the city has been converted into a pencil museum.
(Excerpt from the January 2019 issue)
※ The article is the author's original, and the copyright belongs to World Knowledge Illustrated.