History
On the way from the small Heidelberg writing instrument factory to the market leader and brand manufacturer of international importance, the birth of the Lamy design brand in 1966 was certainly the most important milestone. But there are many more that are worth introducing with a little time travel.
Steffen Rübke will be the new CEO at Lamy on February 1, 2022. After five years as managing director of the Mairdumont travel publishing group, Rübke is now responsible for marketing and sales for Lamy as CEO. Peter Utsch, who has been a member of the Executive Board since 2018, will continue to be responsible for production, finance and corporate services as COO/CFO.
dr Manfred Lamy, one of the most important German design entrepreneurs, has died at the age of 84. Under the leadership of the Heidelberger, the independent family business developed into a modern and internationally successful brand of writing implements. With the LAMY 2000 he revolutionized the writing instrument market in 1966 and laid the foundation for today's Lamy corporate philosophy. The commitment of the pioneer for modern design and advocate of handwriting went far beyond his own company. dr Manfred Lamy was a visionary who leaves a legacy that is unique and extraordinary in its success story. In his spirit, the family and the 380 employees will honor and continue his life's work.
In June, Lamy gets a new top management. A team of three consisting of long-standing employees Beate Oblau, Thomas Trapp and Peter Utsch now manages the company's business.
The year begins with a special premiere: the first issue of LAMY specs is published.
With the magazine, the brand shows itself from a new angle and provides exciting insights into the Lamy cosmos. Analogue and digital content are interwoven - thanks to an augmented reality app that enhances the reading experience with fascinating 3D animations and video clips.
The second concept store in the USA, which will open in New York in May 2018, is also about experience. In the trendy district of SoHo, visitors can discover the design world of Lamy.
The "50 years of Lamy design" anniversary not only marked an important milestone in the company's history, but also the dawn of a new era. Under the motto "not just a pen", Lamy impressively documented the development into a global lif In addition to numerous product innovations, the anniversary year 2016 also has another highlight in store: Lamy is opening its first German flagship store in Heidelberg. With the prestigious store, Lamy is raising its international brand image to a new level. At the same time, the company reaffirms its connection to the location and its brand and quality promise "Made in Germany".
Last but not least, Lamy is taking the anniversary as an opportunity to address its 50-year design history in an exhibition: "thinking tools" (MAK Frankfurt, Sept. 2016 - Feb. 2017) shows the design process at Lamy as a complex interaction between companies and designers and product developers.
Not only as the market leader in Germany, but also as a German design brand whose products hold a special position worldwide, the company is continuing to expand its pioneering role in the writing instrument market.
Almost half a century after its market launch, Lamy is presenting its iconic LAMY 2000 as a high-quality all-metal series in stainless steel. Implementing the timeless design in this material is a demanding challenge: production requires a combination of sophisticated mechanical and manual manufacturing and processing methods. A complex process that ends in a masterpiece.
In the same year, Lamy received the “German Standards Brand Award” in the “Fountain Pen” category and was included in the “Brands of the Century – Beacons on the Sea of Brands” compendium by a high-ranking jury.
Contrasts create tension, and tension means emotions. So it is literally obvious that the new LAMY scala from the pen of Sieger Design leaves no one cold. Because its unusual attraction results from strong contrasts. Its pure, functional design and precise workmanship convince the mind. Its high-quality paint finish, high-gloss chrome-plated details and the pleasant weight flatter the senses.
The LAMY noto is awarded the Design Prize of the Federal Republic of Germany. As a worthy successor to the LAMY spirit and LAMY pico, which won this coveted "Design Oscar" in 1996 and 2004 respectively. In addition, the LAMY dialog 3 is also becoming more and more the favorite of the design award juries - it has now also been awarded the iF Product Design Award and the red dot Design Award.
Doodling, sketching, designing: right on time for the turn of the millennium, creative minds get the right writing implement to put their ideas on paper. The new LAMY scribble, designed by Hannes Wettstein, is a bulbous mechanical pencil that fits perfectly in the hand thanks to its ergonomic balance. It is also available in a ballpoint pen version for word artists. The writing instrument, which no coincidentally resembles a piece of charcoal, quickly became the favorite of the creative class - whether in architectural offices, design studios or advertising agencies.
30 years of Lamy design: As part of the anniversary celebrations, the new Lamy Galleria is inaugurated – a glass hall flooded with light, the walls of which are lined with large-format pictures. A place of art and inspiration right in the heart of Lamy. Right next to it is the newly built development center - the innovation workshop.
The futuristic building, in which Lamy will design, test and manufacture new products from now on, stands out in particular because of its futuristic appearance: A black glass cube fitted with solar panels, supported by silver steel cables and pylons, represents the clarity of the Lamy designs. At the same time, the architecture reflects the company's high level of innovation and environmental awareness: the photovoltaic modules on the facade supply the building with solar energy, while a water basin reduces water consumption through the collected rainwater.
With the start of its own ink production, Lamy confirms its desire for independence and can once again increase its vertical range of manufacture.
The unmistakable Lamy design does not end with the product, but also characterizes packaging, advertising, presentation in sales and even the company architecture. This consistency is rewarded: The Commission of the European Communities awards Lamy with the newly created "European Design Prize 1988".
20 years of Lamy design. Among other things, the anniversary will be celebrated with the redesign of the company entrance according to the specifications of the Lamy corporate design. C. Josef Lamy dies in July at the age of 87.
With the inauguration of the new injection molding hall, Lamy has taken a big step towards independence: toolmaking and injection molding, the manufacture of nibs, refills, ink cartridges - the company now does all of this in-house, underpinning its quality promise "Made in Germany".
Lamy's high technological standards can be observed at every turn in the company itself. For example in the newly built central warehouse, whose high racks are equipped with the latest control technology.
When the LAMY safari was presented at the Frankfurt trade fair in 1980, no one suspected that it would one day become the best-selling fountain pen in the world. With the LAMY safari, Lamy is conquering the target group of ten to fifteen year olds for the first time. The writing instrument with the characteristic clip is the result of extensive youth psychological research and a strictly application-oriented development process, which is implemented in cooperation with the Mannheim development group under the direction of Prof. Bernt Spiegel and with the participation of the designer Wolfgang Fabian. Its ergonomic design and robust workmanship are perfectly tailored to the needs of schoolchildren, but soon found enthusiastic followers among adults as well.
With the growing success, the focus is also on the topic of marketing: Lamy's communication appearance is being revised from the ground up. A new advertising campaign – one of the most awarded in Germany – puts Lamy in the limelight and shapes the face of the brand until well into the 1990s.
dr Manfred Lamy becomes the sole managing director of C. Josef Lamy GmbH.
Specialist dealers are the only sales partners for Lamy's writing instruments. Formally convincing sales aids such as the new Lamy writing center, creative sales campaigns and product displays and last but not least the Lamy dealer advisory board characterize this consistent attitude.
In the search for new profiling opportunities for the Lamy brand, the young head of marketing Dr. In the Bauhaus philosophy and in the clear, functional design of contemporary companies such as Braun and Olivetti, Manfred Lamy found the solution that best suited his ideas and preferences.
In 1966 the LAMY 2000 came onto the market. The new fountain pen, which bears the Millennium in its name, is revolutionary in many respects: Unlike the writing instruments of other brands, the LAMY 2000 dispenses with material abundance and design gimmicks. Based on the Bauhaus idea "form follows function", he puts the practical value in the foreground - and thus lays the foundation for the clear design language, which is the basis for all Lamy writing implements to this day.
In addition, the model also sets new standards in terms of processing technology: the highly sophisticated material combination of matt-polished stainless steel and Makrolon (polycarbonate) represents an absolute novelty in the mid-1960s.
With the LAMY exact, the first German ballpoint pen with a large-capacity refill and a tip made of stainless steel, Lamy has succeeded in establishing itself in the “upmarket ballpoint pen” market. Sales successes at home and abroad soon make the writing instrument with its modern design a significant sales driver.
C. Josef Lamy GmbH moves to its current location in the Wieblingen district of Heidelberg.
The streamlined LAMY 27 fountain pen, which ensures an even, clean flow of ink with its innovative "Tintomatik", marks the birth of the LAMY writing instrument brand and brings the company's market breakthrough.
At the beginning of the Second World War, more than 200,000 fountain pens of the ORTHOS and ARTUS brands were already being produced each year.
C. Josef Lamy, who had previously worked as an export manager and branch manager for an American writing instrument manufacturer, became self-employed and founded the Orthos fountain pen factory in Heidelberg.
Inspired by the LAMY 2000, Lamy subsequently developed its own design philosophy that has endured to this day.
