The 'Big' Who Made the World's Best-Selling 'Ballpoint Pen' [Hidden Industry Story]

'Bic' Founded by Marcel Bich in 1945
Company That Commercialized Ink-Leaking, Uncomfortable Ballpoint Pens
Principles of 'Affordable Price, Long Lifespan, Good Quality'
Essential Item in Consumers' Daily Lives

Big Crystal Ballpoint Pen. Photo by Big Official Website

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] The history of the ballpoint pen, considered one of the three great stationery inventions alongside the typewriter and the copier, is closely tied to the birth of the French company 'BIC.' Today, digital devices like computers and smartphones are used for note-taking, but in the past, writing instruments were essential. In particular, the ballpoint pen improved upon the inconveniences of brushes, pencils, and fountain pens, becoming a convenient writing tool that can be easily taken out and used anytime, anywhere, and it remains popular to this day.

The ballpoint pen was invented in 1938 by Hungarian journalist L?szl? B?r?, but it was not widely used due to low quality and high cost. BIC is the company that solved these problems and popularized the ballpoint pen commercially. What is the secret behind BIC’s creation of the best-selling ballpoint pen in world history?

◆ An Idea Found in the Wheel

'Big (BIC)' company logo/Photo by Big official website

BIC’s founder, Marcel Bich, was born in 1914 in Turin, Italy. After moving to France and completing his studies, Marcel worked in manufacturing at a company that made pens and ink. In 1945, he and his business partner ?douard Buffard established a factory producing fountain pen components, which became the origin of BIC.

Marcel did not originally intend to produce ballpoint pens when founding BIC. However, he heard complaints from ballpoint pen users about poor writing feel and thought it would be good to create a product that could be comfortably used in everyday life. At that time, ballpoint pens often leaked ink while writing, quickly staining new clothes, and their prices were exorbitantly high compared to their quality. In the United States, a single ballpoint pen sold for $12.50 (about 100,000 KRW).

One day, Marcel saw a garden wheelbarrow and came up with the idea that applying the principle of the wheel could improve the writing feel of ballpoint pens. He then devoted two years to developing the pen and succeeded in manufacturing a stainless steel ball with a diameter of just 1mm using a machine capable of ultra-precision processing to 1/100mm units, a technique used in Swiss watchmaking.

Marcel purchased B?r?’s ballpoint pen patent and launched BIC’s first product, the 'Cristal Ballpoint Pen,' in December 1950. The public response was explosive. More than 10,000 units were sold daily immediately after launch, and three years later, sales reached 250,000 units per day, gaining huge popularity.

BIC announced that it had sold over 100 billion ballpoint pens by 2005, 55 years after the Cristal pen was first introduced, making it the best-selling pen in the world. Even now, BIC pens are sold at a rate of 57 units per second worldwide, earning the pen the reputation as a symbol of ballpoint pens.

◆ Philosophy of 'Lightweight, Long-lasting, High Quality'

The reason for BIC ballpoint pens’ great popularity was that, unlike previous pens, the ink formulation was appropriate, allowing for long writing periods with a smooth writing feel. Unlike the previously expensive ballpoint pens, the price was also very affordable at 29 cents (about 300 KRW). Maintaining lightweight, long life, and good quality was the secret to BIC’s popularity.

This principle was applied to other products made by BIC as well. After the commercial success of the ballpoint pen, BIC produced everyday items such as razors and lighters, all following Marcel’s management philosophy of 'providing the best quality at the lowest price.'

In particular, the lighters released by BIC are recognized by consumers for their excellent quality due to their stylish design and colors, small size, and long lifespan capable of more than 3,000 ignitions. They are neither luxury items nor flashy designs, but BIC’s charm lies in offering products that people can conveniently use in daily life at reasonable prices, which has persuaded consumers for a long time.

Mini lighter made by Big. Photo by Big website

◆ A Company That Also Cares About the Environment

After the success of the ballpoint pen, BIC expanded not only throughout Europe but also to various countries worldwide, growing into a large corporation with over 9,300 employees in more than 160 countries.

As environmental issues became an important social topic and the company grew in size, BIC, which mainly produced disposable products, could not avoid criticism related to environmental concerns. In response, since 2003, BIC has been working to reduce the use of non-recyclable raw materials and operating programs to find eco-friendly materials. Packaging is also minimized and made from recyclable materials.

In fact, the original Cristal ballpoint pen released by BIC continuously reduced unnecessary parts, cutting its initial weight from 16g to just 6g. This reduction in raw materials and energy used in production lowers costs and creates a virtuous cycle where users can use a lighter pen.

As a result of these efforts, BIC ranked 3rd in the 'Corporate Social Responsibility' category selected by the French economic magazine L'AEGEFI in 2009 and took 1st place in the 'Corporate Transparency' category in 2011.