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. To read the full article a copy can be found here.
Faber-Castell is the world’s largest pencil manufacturer producing a staggering 2,000 million wooden-cased pencils a year. They employ over 7000 people and sell their products in over 100 counties.
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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.
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.