Called BICsusing the phonetic spelling of Bichs namethe pens were of a simple design, nonretractable with clear plastic barrels, and sold for around 19 cents each. 
Within ten years, Gillette would stop advertising its disposables to concentrate on its razor systems and replacement blades. Many product liability suits were filed against BIC Corporation alleging that its lighters caused personal injury. Bics aim is to provide consumers with top quality products for their day-to-day lives at the minimum fair price. The Waterman Pen Company in Seymour, Connecticut was founded by Lewis E. Waterman, a U.S. insurance salesperson and part-time inventor, who developed the first practical fountain pen in 1884. The Pennsylvania case was the first involving BIC to go to trial, and the Times reported that although claims began to trickle in soon after Bic introduced its throwaway lighters in 1972, the company has until recently been able to keep the cases quiet by settling them out of court. The newspaper stated that BIC had settled more than 20 cases for amounts ranging from $5,000 to almost $500,000. As of 1996, the company did not operate in Europe or Asiamarkets being served by parent company Societe Bic. We are unable to constantly trace each product if it still manufactured in the same location as the year ago. The line included the BIC Shaver for Normal Skin, the BIC Lady Shaver, BIC Metal, BIC Pastel Shavers, and twin-blade products. . bic corporation company report. After making the ink, tungsten carbide pellets are ground into finished balls. In 1985, however, the company was forced to stop selling the sailboard in the United States when a U.S. District Court ruled that BIC had infringed on a patent owned by Windsurfing International. BIC Corporation's international operations include subsidiaries in Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Guatemala. Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. & CEO; Raymond Winter, Pres. Langway, Lynn, Razor Fighting, Newsweek, November 22, 1976, p. 103. 28 Jul. Encyclopedia.com. Fox, Harriot Lane, Bic Launch Sets Off Razor Wars, Marketing, February 3, 1994, p. 2. Flax, Steven, Why Bic Got Flicked, Forbes, September 27, 1982, p. 38. Brockhaus AG, Bicalho Oswald, Henrique Carlos (19181965), https://www.encyclopedia.com/books/politics-and-business-magazines/bic-corporation, https://www.encyclopedia.com/books/politics-and-business-magazines/bic-corporation-0, https://www.encyclopedia.com/economics/economics-magazines/bic-corporation. It pulled Cricket from the market and later sold the brand to Swedish Match Corporation, which licensed the lighter for distribution in the United States. headquarters: 11200 e. 45th ave. Marcel Bich and Edouard Bufford start making pen parts in France, Purchases the Waterman Pen Company located in Seymour, Connecticut, to become Waterman-BIC, BIC pens are introduced into the U.S. market, BIC Pen Corp. becomes a publicly traded company, BIC Sports becomes the world's leading sailboard company; introduces the Wite-Out Pen. The whole process starts with huge 600 gallon tanks of BIC's own ink. During the trial, design engineers testified that BIC lighters occasionally leaked, and debris could cause the shut-off valve to fail. They can find sex in a garage mechanic talking about shock absorbers. In 1976, BIC Corporation continued its string of successful new product launches with the introduction of the BIC Shaver, which became a leading disposable shaver in world markets. BIC also slashed the wholesale price of its lighters so they sold at retail for less than one dollar. The company reported its highest ever sales and earnings in 1992 and moved its trading from the American Stock Exchange to the New York Stock Exchange. . In another effort to establish a market in the United States, Waterman-BIC distributed its pens for sale in grocery stores and small shops near schools where students congregated, rather than in the department stores that carried more expensive pens. The program is designed to help students in grades 4 through 6 develop strong writing skills through interesting activities. In 1995, with exchange rates very favorable to the French franc, BICs parent, Socit BIC, S.A., offered to buy up a large chunk of BIC Corporations stock and take the company private. Analysts were skeptical whether U.S. consumers would accept an inexpensive French perfume since part of the appeal of French perfumes lay in their image as luxurious and expensive. Many of BIC Corporation's writing instruments were tailored for specific age ranges or population categories. Hershey Foo, 1221 Broadway Street BIC reintroduced the sailboard to the U.S. market when the patent expired in 1987. Competitors in those industries include: American Safety Razor; Gillette; PaperMate; Pentel; Pilot; Sanford; Schick; and Warner-Lambert. ." 
always possible. Another part of BIC Corporation's strategy was to grow through acquisitions. Gillette Challenges Bic To Verify Its Ad Claims, Business Week, March 19, 1979, p. 32. sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. The acquisition of Sheaffer put BIC in a better position against its long-time competitor Gillette, which had acquired two high-end pen companies several years earlier. After the merger, business did not change substantially at BIC Corporation. For example, Go-Gos were aimed at 10-year-olds, Spring Fever for girls aged 10 to 18, and the Football and Basketball Series for 10 to 14 year old boys. ." Attorneys for the children argued that the lighter should have been more child resistant; BIC argued that the children should have been better supervised. The Waterman Pen Company in Seymour, Connecticut, was founded by Lewis E. Waterman, an American insurance salesperson and part-time inventor, who developed the first practical fountain pen in 1884. Part of our data can be outdated. By the time his competitors figured out how to build an equally good pen for the price, Bich had a lock on the market.. Also acknowledging that a woman had died in an accident involving one of its lighters, BIC reassured the public that it had discontinued the model that was involved in the accident. (July 28, 2022). "BIC Corporation BIC reintroduced the sail-board to the U.S. market when the patent expired in 1987. Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. For example, in the early 1990s, the BIC Wavelengths line of pens and mechanical pencils was broadened to include new designs, including a heat-sensitive pen that changes color as it is held. In 1970, Gillette purchased the S. T. Dupont Company, a prestigious French manufacturer whose principal product was luxury cigarette lighters that sold for hundreds of dollars. The company was renamed the Waterman-BIC Pen Corporation, and its headquarters was moved to Milford, Connecticut. This site is for informational , $22M Campaign Urges: Spritz Your Bic, Advertising Age, February 20, 1989, p. 3. In one series of commercials, people were blindfolded and shaved by professional barbers, using either the BIC Shaver or Gillettes nondisposable Trac II razor. However, as a result of our longstanding philosophy to vigorously defend these claims, and our success in doing so, the number of lawsuits continues to decline. The first adverse decision resulted in a $1,000 verdict, and the second verdict that went against BIC was reversed and remanded for a new trial following BICs successful appeal. Loctite Corp headquarters: 100 crystal a dr. Producing inexpensive, quality products promoted through aggressive advertising campaigns, BIC has steadily increased its marketshare in the United States, maintaining 60 percent of the ballpoint pen market and 45 percent of the disposable shaver market in 1992. clichy, france: societe bic, 1997. investigate companies by their standard industrial classification codes, also known as sics. King C. Gillette had invented the safety razor in 1903, and the company he founded dominated the market for the next 70 years. BIC has extensive manufacturing facilities in North and South America, including in Toronto, Canada; Milford, Connecticut; Clearwa-ter and St. Petersburg, Florida; Guatemala City, Guatemala; and Cuautitlan, Mexico. BIC Corporation's status as a good corporate citizen was on shaky ground in the eyes of some students, however. Pens comprise about half of the companys production, as well as half of its sales and earnings. ." Although it stumbled again briefly in September following the airing of the ABC television program 20/20, which featured a story on lighter safety, the stock was back to $31 per share by October. We cannot guarantee all of our data is 100% accurate. Retrieved July 28, 2022 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/economics/economics-magazines/bic-corporation. Chief Competitors: BIC Corporation manufactures and markets writing instruments, razors, and lighters. According to BIC, the company has defended itself in more than 50 lawsuits involving lighters between 1988 and 1993, losing only three. In 1982, the company introduced the BIC Sailboard, which quickly became the North American market leader. In response, BIC claimed in March 1997, that animal testing was required by law ". In 1972, Time reported that Baron Bich has done for ballpoints what Henry Ford did for cars: he has produced a cheap but serviceable model. In 1974, a reporter for Forbes wrote, From the start, Bich concentrated on the cheap end of the marketbut with a difference. Rocky Hill, Connecticut 06067 Bich the Ballpoint King, Fortune, August 15, 1969, p. 122. Cooper, Wendy, The Case of the Exploding Lighters, Institutional Investor, December 1987, p. 209.
During this time BIC attempted a further diversification by launching a line of inexpensive, pocket-sized perfume spritzers in 1989. . more, the commercials showed BIC pens still working after being drilled through wallboard, shot from guns, fire-blasted, and strapped to the feet of ice skaters. The patented Child Guard lighter required that a safety latch be moved to the side and up before it would light. Fax: (616) 9235486 The production site of a particular product can change over time and we may not be able to reflect Retrieved July 28, 2022 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/books/politics-and-business-magazines/bic-corporation-0, headquarters: 500 bic dr.milford, ct 06460 By then BIC had also taken a tentative step into sports equipment. . The company reported strong sales of its twin blade products in 1996. "scorching demand for lighters." They founded the company that would later become Bic. Furthermore, it was not eager to see customers switch from its reusable razor systems to its disposables, since Good News! In the 1950s, however, with the growing popularity of ballpoint pens, the company had begun to falter. url: http://www.bicworld.com http://www.qualitycomesinwriting.com. Eventually, the company changed its tactics and revealed that there were 42 lawsuits then pending. Employees are able to expand and grow with the company through their Employee Involvement Program in which individual ideas and suggestions are "recognized, implemented and rewarded.". Bichs U.S. managers urged him to make a more expensive ballpoint to compete with PaperMate, but Bich resisted. In 1982, with revenues approaching $220 million, BIC acknowledged its expanding status as a leading maker of lighters and shavers by dropping pen from its name to become, officially, BIC Corporation. The group got the information from the PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) Internet site, which contains information claiming BIC tests its ink in the eyes of rabbits and beagles. Bruno Bich, Marcels son, who became president of the U.S. subsidiary in 1982, later told Investor Relations, With hindsight we should have given out more information and done it faster to avoid the inaccuracies and exaggerations that appeared in the press.. It is available to teachers at no charge on the program's Web site at http://www.qualitycomesinwriting.com. Incorporated: 1929 as Nineteen Hundred Corpora, founded: 1910 However, as a result of our longstanding philosophy to vigorously defend these claims, and our success in doing so, the number of lawsuits continues to decline. The first adverse decision resulted in a $1,000 verdict, and the second verdict that went against BIC has been reversed and remanded for a new trial following BICs successful appeal. The latch slid back into place automatically after each use. As an Amazon Associate In 1963 Waterman-BIC, which later became BIC Corporation, moved into new facilities in Mil-ford, Connecticut. Each product has information about the date it was added to our database. Armstrong, Jeffrey D., BIC Corp.: The Stock Will Strengthen as the Issue of Lighter Safety Fades, Barrens, October 12, 1987, p. 69. BIC alleged that imports from China and Thailand were being sold at below market value, with lighters going for as little as six cents each wholesale, and the numbers of such cheap lighters were increasing yearly. The inexpensive BIC pens did not catch on as quickly in the United States as they had in Europe, probably because the U.S. market had been flooded with shoddy pens by other companies. Then, copy and paste the text into your bibliography or works cited list. The machines shape the outside of the pens. BIC also slashed the wholesale price of its lighters so they sold at retail for less than one dollar.
That name soon became outdated, however, as the company embarked on its first diversification. In 1959, BIC pens were introduced to the U.S. market with a successful advertising and marketing campaign. Earthlings, a student environmental group, sponsored a "pen swap" in hopes of encouraging peers to trade in BIC pens (the ink is tested on animals) with those from Pilot, one of the few writing instrument manufacturers that does not do animal testing. Though BIC still trailed Gillettes pens in terms of pens sold to offices, the firm led the market for pens sold to individuals and had enhanced its line with many attractive new models. https://www.encyclopedia.com/economics/economics-magazines/bic-corporation, "BIC Corporation Later that year, Time reported that BIC was test marketing a cost more to make and sold for less than the companys replacement blades. & COO. Analysts were skeptical whether U.S. consumers would accept an inexpensive French perfume since part of the appeal of French perfumes lay in their image as luxurious and expensive. The place of production may have changed since then or new place may have been added. The company's 1997 acquisition of Schaeffer also helped increase Bic's market share by adding premium writing instruments to its product offerings. inks or correction fluids," as reported in The Tattoo: A student publication of The Bristol Press. The slogan "Flick my BIC" was particularly memorable. At the time lighters accounted for about 40 percent of BICs revenues, and the day the story appeared, BIC stock fell 25 percent, from $32 to $24 per share. In 1972 Time reported, Baron Bich has done for ballpoints what Henry Ford did for cars: he has produced a cheap but serviceable model. In 1974 a reporter for Forbes wrote, From the start, Bich concentrated on the cheap end of the marketbut with a difference.