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The Parker Pen Company is a manufacturer of luxury pens, founded in 1888〔(Parker timeline history )〕 by George Safford Parker in Janesville, Wisconsin, United States. In 2011, the Parker factory at Newhaven, East Sussex, England (United Kingdom) was closed, and its production transferred to Saint-Herblain (France). ==History== George Safford Parker, the founder, had previously been a sales agent for the John Holland Gold Pen Company. He received his first fountain pen related patent in 1889.〔(US patent n.416944. )〕 In 1894 Parker received a patent on his "Lucky Curve" feed,〔(US patent n.512319 ).〕 which was claimed to draw excess ink back into the pen body when the pen was not in use. The Lucky Curve feed was used in various forms until 1928.〔(A Parker History )〕 From the 1920s to the 1960s, before the development of the ballpoint pen, Parker was either number one or number two in worldwide writing instrument sales. In 1931 Parker created Quink (quick drying ink), which eliminated the need for blotting.〔(Quink, the ink developed by Parker )〕 In 1941 the company developed the most widely used model of fountain pen in history (over $400 million worth of sales in its 30-year history), the Parker 51.〔(Parker 51 history in Parkerpens.net )〕〔(Parker 51 on Books about Pens website )〕 Manufacturing facilities were set up over the years in Canada, United Kingdom, Denmark, France, Mexico, USA, Pakistan, India, Germany (Osmia-Parker), Brazil and Argentina. The company bought retailer and catalog company Norm Thompson in 1973, and then sold it off in 1981. In 1976 Parker acquired Manpower just as the temporary staffing market was surging. In time Manpower provided more revenue than the pen business. A 1982 spinoff, Sintered Specialties, Inc., became SSI Technologies, a manufacturer of automotive sensors. A management buyout in 1987 moved the company headquarters to Newhaven, East Sussex, England, which was the original location of the Valentine Pen Company previously acquired by Parker. In 1993 Parker was acquired by the Gillette Company, which already owned the Paper Mate brand, one of the best-selling disposable ballpoints. Gillette sold the writing instruments division in 2000 to Newell Rubbermaid, whose own Sanford Stationery Division became the largest in the world—owning such brand names as Rotring, Sharpie, Reynolds as well as Parker, PaperMate, Waterman, and Liquid Paper. In July 2009, the 180 workers at Parker Newhaven got notice that the factory would be shut down and the production moved to France.〔(Sussex Edition ); BBC News.〕 The following month, Newell Rubbermaid Inc. announced that the Janesville, Wisconsin plant was to close the remaining operations tied to Parker Pen (which eliminated 153 jobs). The company press release said: Newell Rubbermaid stated it would offer transitional employment services as well as severance benefits.〔(Parker Pen Newhaven closure plan revealed ), The Argus, 16 July 2009〕〔(Sanford leaving Janesville ), Madison.com, 19 August 2009〕 More recently, Parker has abandoned traditional retail outlets in North America. While some Jotter pens may be found in retailers such as Office Depot, what little remains of the Parker line has been moved to upscale "luxury" retailers, effectively abandoning the entry level market. With the move to such retailers, Parker weakened its traditional product warranty on its high end pens, moving from a lifetime warranty to a two-year warranty.〔(Parker Official Website )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Parker Pen Company」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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