Lamy had an incredible product in it's 1966 released Lamy 2000. The Lamy 2000 was a huge opportunity for a small family run company to find its individuality and its unique product profile and to make its appearance on the World stage amongst the other fine writing instrument makers. At the time, they simply had no idea how well it would sell and considered even the initial production run as a big gamble. Once it was out there, they had a hard time keeping them in stores since they really didn't have a clue how well it would do and they had a hard time even believing their market research figures. It became a very big success in nearly every way, but it didn't always look like it was going to turn out that way. Even the Makrolon material it is made from, had issues at first. Dr. Lamy sometimes relates a story about how the first Lamy 2000 pens made from a brushed resin material turned white after long storage, and for the longest time no one had a clue of how to correct the problem. Later on, an employee of the resin supplier finally found a viable solution that was acceptable.
Two years after the initial release of the Lamy 2000, changes regarding all of the lessons learned and the establishment of various focus groups are still taking place at Lamy. Their marketing and new product development areas are adjusted to include the feedback from “target groups” and their input related to their various different functional writing requirements. Though there was perhaps some scepticism at first, this is seen as a signiuficant step moving the company forward toward continued new product designs and development.
In 1973, forty years after his father initially founded the company, Dr. Manfred Lamy officially takes the reins from his father as the sole Managing Director of C. Josef Lamy GmbH. He initially began working at the company originally in 1957, and became full-time in 1962 when he assumed the role as the company's “Advertising Manager for the Promotion of Political Economics in Marketing,” a position in which he created the corner-stone, distinctive Lamy design focus and philosophy that's is a part of what Lamy is, even today.
1974 was a momentus year for both the country (Germany won that year's WorldCup Championship), and a tremendously successful one for Lamy (they released the highly praised and very popular cp1, designed by the bauhaus-inspired & highly-acclaimed German industrial designer of the Lamy 2000, Gerd A. Müller. Developed according to the specifications in the recently formulated “Lamy Design” Requirements/Rules, at the time, the cp1 is seen more and more frequently in the hands of not just their usual targeted customer base, mentioned earlier, but also design-conscious women. These design-conscious women quickly and significantly became a bigger share of the market for Lamy than the numbers showed in the past. In fact, they often make design adjustments/allowances specifically for this market segment, beginning with the cp1. One of the main reasons for this is that the Lamy cp1 ball-point quickly became Germany's best selling pen in it's class, at that time. The slim, cylindrical, all-metal writing instrument began to make more and more National and International design award commitees aware of Lamy and Lamy's designs and products. Later the same year, designer Gerd Müller launches a new program for writing instruments which interpreted the theme of “functional design” in such a new, refreshing way that it becomes very attractive to the new target groups.
Beginning in 1976, with C. JosefLamy's increasing success, the advertising and marketing of the Lamy Brand needed sprucing up, updating and revising. Recreated by Leonhardt & Kern (a Stuttgard-based advertising agency), the initial appearance of Lamy's new advertising campaign appeared for the first time in Spiegel Magazine. Their campaign continued to continually develop through-out the remainder of the 1970's, 1980's, and on into the 1990's as one of the longest and most award-winning German advertising efforts, ever. Lamy Design continued to evolve also with the creation of new product and the innovative ways Lamy does business.
After extensive research into young-person psychology, input fromvarious target groups, and a close collaboration with Wolgang Fabian and the Mannheim Developement Group (under the direction of Professor Bernt Spiegel), in 1980 C. J. Lamy GmbH launches an incredible and robust fountain pen for school children, ages 10 to 15 years old at the Frankfort Exhibition Complex. It was instantly well received. The very first Safari's were made of Olive Green ABS (Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene) plastic and its avant-garde style brings a breath of freedom and adventure to the use of fountain pens by young people. Lamys Safari with its unusual, casual, and industrial look soon finds itselfat the front of the class. These modern-looking writing instruments not only become extraordinarily popular with the kids but also for all ages in America and other locations/demographics around the world as well. Being made of ABS, literally makes the Safari indestructible and highly durable, perfect for those just beginning to use fountain pens.
Lamy's high-technology standards can easily be seen in 1981, reflected in the business itself. A newly built central warehouse that year, with its advanced set-up, high-bay racking, and completely equiped with ultra-modern and highly-sophisticated control systems.
1982 brought with it the “White is Nice” slogan, along with it came the Lamy White Pen which quickly became the world's first and most copied writing instrument - in white. A mere one year later, Wolfgang Fabian exceeds all expectations, by adding the designs of the Lamy Spirit with his introduction of the Lamy Logo. With its innovative clip “Push Button” unit it became a deffinative and long-lasting cornerstone of the companys product lines.
The designer that partnered with Dr. Lamy to develop the Lamy 2000, Gerd A. Müller was at his height of productivity and creativity in 1984 when he was responsible for not one product going to market, but two - and at the very same time, The Lamy Unic was born along with its cousin the Lamy Twin Pen.
The Lamy unic with its round, cylindrical body, its cool, technical modernistic beauty clearly distinguishes itself from the wave of nostalgia for writing instruments that was widespread at the time. It quickly becomes the preferred writing tool of people who are not afraid of modern technology, design and who are impressed by innovative product details such as the extendable, telescopic tip.
This was accompanied by the Lamy Twin pen, released at around the same time, it has a slim metal body containing terrific and very useful surprise when needed, this ingenious ballpen converts with a twist into a propelling pencil! It truly was the first modern writing instrument for taking notes AND making sketches and only needing one instrument to do it all. The Lamy Twin Pen opens up the door for a whole series/line of multi-system writing instruments, a specialty which Lamy is well-know for even today.
In 1985, C. J. Lamy GmbH celebrated the start-up of its brand new injection molding hall, surprising even the industry insiders present (at the opening) with its unusual versatility and unique depth of production, toolmaking and injection molding as well as the manufacture of pocket clips, nibs, refills and even ink cartridges - all of these operations are now performed in-house, thanks to this new building addition.
After an incredible “water-shed” year, producing more writing instruments, experiencing greater sales, enjoying the biggest revenue increase ever, and biggest market share so far, C.Josef Lamy celebrates these milestones and the 20th anniversary of what made all of the above possible, the implementation twenty-years before of Lamy Design.
Sadly, with nearly 57 years of success with his namesake company: Lamy, about 69 years in the writing instrument industry and at the age of almost 88 years old, Carl Josef Lamy dies in July of 1986. Even with all of the tremendous successthe company enjoyed up to this point, it was a very sad and contemplative time around the halls of C. Josef Lamy, GmbH in Heidelberg.
Children starting school in 1987, had a special reason to look forward to their first day in the classroom. Called the Lamy ABC, a beginners fountain pen, like which has never existed before. The ABC is made of wood and the toy-red plastic and represents the start of a complete system for learning to write. A collaboration between teaching experts, the designers of the Mannheim Development Group (under the tutelage of Professor Bernt Spiegel), Lamy developed the first writing instrument especially designed to meet the needs of children who are learning to write for the first time. This effort created a new niche in the market, that Lamy is the leader of from the very beginning.
In 1988, as a result of steadily increasing inquiries from foreign trade partners, Lamy responds with a new distribution concept. Markets are no longer served indirectly through “freelance” style agents but directly from Heidelberg by Lamy's own salaried staff. Also that same year, for its tremendous commitment to design - from product, packaging and advertising through to the company architecture and design management, Lamy is awarded the newly created “European Design Prize 1988,” presented by the Commission of European Communities. This award also marks Lamy's on-going increase in International recognition.
The very next year, Lamy begins production of its own branded fountain pen ink. Once again C. Josef Lamy GmbH exhibits its incredible depth of production and product independence that sets it apart from nearly all of its competitors.
On Grenzhöferweg in Heidelberg-Wieblingen in 1990, everyone celebrated the fall of that ugly wall, the reunification of Germany, and Lamy's 60th anniversary. Invited guests to the celebration are able to admire the planted roof garden on the Lamy Production Halls for the very first time since it was created.
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