The ballpoint pen was invented in the tannery, but it was Marcel Bich who made it shine: the story of the Bic ballpoint pen

The history of the ballpoint pen first

John Loud, a tanner, developed a pen in 1888 to make it easier to mark leather. Since he couldn't do this with fountain pens, he decided to produce a special pen for this job. He applied for a patent by placing a rotating ball on the end of an ink reservoir. The pen performed great on hard and distressed surfaces. But it was very difficult to write on smooth surfaces like paper. Also the ink leakage problem persisted. That's why it didn't even occur to Loud to go into mass production.

Ladislao Biro, who spent all day writing, was working as an editor for a newspaper. To get rid of the troubles of fountain pens, he set to work on a pen. Seeing that newspaper ink dries faster than fountain pen ink, Biro was also interested in Loud's design. Continuing to work together after sharing the situation with his chemist brother, the duo introduced the ballpoint pen in 1931. The pen, which has a more refined version of Loud's design, attracted attention. The duo, who patented the ballpoint pen in Paris in 1938, immigrated to Argentina with the onset of World War II.

The Biro brothers escaped from the Nazi persecution and settled in Argentina at the invitation of Argentine President Augistin Justo. In 1943, the brothers founded the company Biro Pens of Argentina, which also received the Argentine patent. The pens produced under the Birrome brand became so popular that the ballpoint pen became synonymous with the name Birrome. The thing that made the ballpoint pen spread in America and Europe was the adoption of the pen by the air force. Due to the stable operation of the pen in airplanes and at high altitudes, the ballpoint pen began to spread rapidly.

After the ballpoint pen began to be heard, the companies Eversharp and Eberhard Faber first merged to obtain the US production license of Birrome. Different manufacturers wanted to be included in the rapidly growing market after the war. Milton Reynolds, an entrepreneur and businessman, bought a few of these items on a business trip to Argentina and returned to the USA. Unfortunately, the product was not patented in the USA. They immediately imitated it and released it under the name Reynolds Rockets. It was the first commercially successful ballpoint pen.

Marcel Bich, an ink merchant, also founded a pen factory with his partner. The factory, which opened in 1945, produced fountain pens and spare parts. Hearing the reputation of Birrome pens and impressed by its design, Bich decided to purchase this patent. In 1953, he bought the designs of the ballpoint pen from the Biro brothers for $2 million. Bich, which immediately went into mass production, changed the brand name to Bic by removing the letter h. Bic, which is still in production today, has many products from stationery products to lighters or disposable razors.

The story of Marcel Bich

The name Marcel Bich has a different place in the development of the ballpoint pen, which was invented by Ladislao Biro in 1938. Marcel Bich, who bought the right to manufacture ballpoint pens from Ladislao Biro in 1950, offered users a new writing experience beyond offering a new product with the Bic ballpoint pens he developed. At the same time, it reduced production costs and popularized the use of ballpoint pens. Many features developed by Marcel Bich for Bic ballpoint pens, which are more practical and economical writing tools than fountain pens, have become the basic standards of ballpoint pens in the future.

Who is Marcel Bich?

Marcel Bich was born on July 29, 1914 in Turin, Italy. He immigrated with his family first to Spain and then to France under the conditions of World War I. He completed his undergraduate education in the field of law at the University of Paris. His father, Aime-Mario Bich, was an engineer in Italy. The Bich family, which has a deep-rooted history in Turin, could not show the same success in the field of trade. His father wanted Marcel Bich to be successful in business as well as getting a good education. The way to be successful in trade was through production. After his graduation, Marcel Bich decided to go into business and bought an empty factory in the suburb of Paris. He then partnered with Edouard Buffard, who manufactures writing instrument parts. He believed that thanks to this partnership, he could be successful both in production and sales.

Marcel Bich (1914-1994)

When the difficult conditions of the World War II continued, there were serious difficulties in the supply of writing instruments and equipment in Paris and all over Europe. Due to the policies implemented by German companies, which were in a strong position in the market, writing instruments and instruments came to Europe mostly from America, which led to increased costs. In particular, great efforts had to be made to reach the fountain pen parts. In addition to these parts, it was also very difficult to find ink and cartridges. Evaluating this situation well, Marcel Bich started the production of fountain pen parts and other writing instruments together with Edouard Buffard. The factory, which started its operations in Clichy in 1944, made an important contribution to breaking the foreign dependency in writing instruments and equipment in France, which was just liberated from the Nazi occupation.

Pen Market and Marcel Bich in the 1940s

One of the most important developments in the pen market in the 1940s was the rapid rise of ballpoint pens. Ladislao Biro, who received the patent for the ballpoint pen he developed in 1938, was aware that he was developing a new writing experience beyond offering a new product to the pen market. He was also aware of the commercial potential of ballpoint pens, which offer an easier and more economical writing experience than fountain pens. But what is it, II. Under the conditions of World War II, it was difficult to use these opportunities effectively. When his country, Hungary, was under Nazi occupation, he saw that he could not get the results he wanted in this regard. Ladislao Biro went to Argentina in 1941, upon the invitation of Argentine President Agustin Pedro Justo, whom he met by chance at an event he attended. And with the support of Justo, it started the production of ballpoint pens in Argentina.

In the second half of the 1940s, Ladislao Biro was personally involved in the sales, advertising and marketing of ballpoint pens in Argentina. The first products, launched in 1943 with the Birrome brand name, attracted great attention and aroused curiosity in the market. In the advertisements of Birrome ballpoint pens, which were developed further in a short time, it was noted that the products could be used even in the rain. The intense interest in ballpoint pens in Argentina further encouraged Ladislao Biro to open up to the US market. The person who brought Birrome ballpoint pens to the US market was a Chicago entrepreneur named Milton Reynolds. Following the US market, these products began to arouse interest in Europe as well. However, serious problems arose in meeting the increasing demand. Thereupon, Ladislao Biro decided to sell the production rights of ballpoint pens to Marcel Bich in 1950.

Marcel Bich, who closely followed the developments in the pen market, saw what kind of transformations the invention of the ballpoint pen could create in the market. However, Birrome ballpoint pens were not of good quality yet. The costs of these products, which were produced with limited means in Argentina, were also high. To turn ballpoint pens into a commercially successful product, it was necessary to improve their quality and reduce costs. The ball used in the ballpoint pen allowed the ink to pass onto the paper in a controlled manner. However, the quality of the ball and ink was low, and the writing possibilities were limited. For this reason, the product had to be developed and the necessary facilities for this were available at the factory he operated in Clichy. At a time when interest in Birrome ballpoint pens was growing in France and Europe, Marcel Bich visited Ladislao Biro and offered to work with him.

Marcel Bich originally wanted to use the ball point invented by Ladislao Biro in his own pens. In return, he offered to pay her for every item sold. Unlike Ladislao Biro, Marcel Bich both knew the writing instruments very well and knew the intricacies of the trade. Although Ladislao Biro invented the ballpoint pen, Ladislao Biro did not have enough experience to solve the problems encountered in the field of sales and marketing. In 1950 Ladislao Biro sold the production rights of the ballpoint pen to Marcel Bich and withdrew from active commercial life. Thus, Marcel Bich had a very important opportunity in the field of ballpoint pens. At the same time, it had an important opportunity to catch a rapid growth momentum in the pencil market. Marcel Bich was the person who made these products more practical with some minor changes in the ballpoint pen invented by Ladislao Biro.

Since the 1950s, Bic expanded its product range and increased its production capacity by establishing factories in different geographies of the world. In 1954, it first entered the Italian market, then the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland and Spain. Entering the Brazilian market in 1956, Bic gained a serious upward momentum in the South American market with the factory established in Sao Paulo in 1960. Bic, which started production in the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa in 1957, entered the US market by purchasing the Waterman Pen Company in 1958. In the following period, very important investments were made in the Scandinavian market, Africa and the Middle East. It also strengthened its sales network through local distributors and offered its products to consumers in the most remote corners of the world. The Bic logo was designed by Raymond Savignac in 1960. The Bic logo, which consists of the figure of a child going to school and holding a ballpoint pen, is still used today.

In 1973, Marcel Bich bought the high-end lighter manufacturer Flaminaire, adding pocket lighters to the Bic brand's product range. Bic's product line expansion continued in 1975 with disposable razors. He entered the entertainment industry in 1981. After purchasing the Tabur Marine brand, it started to produce and sell water sports equipment. In 1992, in order to expand its product portfolio in the stationery group, it bought the American tape trimmer brand Wite-Out. At the same time, it started the production of graphite and crayons. Marcel Bich, who died in 1994, left a mark in many fields, especially ballpoint pens and writing instruments. His son, Bruno Bich, was the CEO of Bic Group. One of the most important players in the market today, Bic continues to meet the various needs of millions of users around the world every day.