There was an excellent story recently in the Sunday Times which highlights the development and history of Faber Castell. Who will be celebrating their 250th anniversary next year!
Count Anton – Wolfgang Lother Andreas von Faber Castell had a point to make. He planned to make it by throwing bundles of the pencils produced by his family since 1761 from the top of the Eiffel Tower, to prove not a single pencil would break. The Count is no stranger to a publicity stunt and once had the World’s Biggest Pencil a giant Faber-Castell Grip 2001 measuring 39 feet outside his castle to promote its entry into the Guinness Book Of Records. To read the full article a copy can be found here.
Faber-Castell is one of the world’s largest pencil manufacturers producing a staggering 2,000 million wooden-cased pencils a year. They employ over 7000 people and sell their products in over 100 counties.
What really struck me was the quote from the count “if I had done what the consultants had advised as necessary for survival when I took over the company from my father, we wouldn’t be here today. Whatever they tell you is bound to be wrong.”
It is hard to imagine that a company as prestigious as Faber-Castell could come that close to going out of business. You really can’t help but be impressed with the way Count Anton – Wolfgang Lother Andreas von Faber Castell has turned the fortunes of the company around.
Quite a fascinating look at the vision and philosophy of the head of one of the more successful pencil companies in the World today. Thanks for posting it.