Pilot Corporation

KK Pilot Corporation
legal form	Kabushiki kaisha
Seat	Tokyo
Number of employees	1240 (2008)
sales	approx. 80 billion yen (2008)
Branch	Stationery
Website	www.pilot.co.jp

So-called “Frixion” pens from Pilot in different colors

Pilot's ballpoint pen

KK Pilot Corporation ( Japanese 株式会社パイロットコーポレーション , Kabushiki kaisha Pairotto Kōporēshon , English Pilot Corporation ) is a Japanese stationery manufacturer based in the Kyōbashi district of Chūō , Tokyo Prefecture ( Tokyo , Japan). The company is the largest stationery manufacturer in Japan and the third largest in the USA, mostly known for its mechanical pencils and ballpoint pens from the Namiki line. The company is also engaged in pearl necklace production.

The company was founded in 1918 by Namiki Ryōsuke as KK Namiki Seisakusho ( 株式会社並木製作所 , "AG Namiki-Fabrik", English Namiki Manufacturing Co. ). In 1938 it was renamed Pilot Mannenhitsu KK ( パイロット萬年筆株式会社 , "Pilot Füller AG", English Pilot Pen Co., Ltd. ), and in 1989 it was finally renamed KK Pilot Corporation (English Pilot Corp. ).

The company's big breakthrough in Germany came with the so-called "Frixion" pens. This is a rollerball pen which, thanks to the thermochromic ink, can be "erased" with the help of heat, as the friction that occurs during erasing generates sufficient heat. The ink becomes transparent at temperatures above 60 ° C, around −10 ° C it returns to its original color. Because of this property, the pen is not document-proof . However, it predestines it for use in reusable notebooks such as the Rocketbook or the Elfinbook.

Pilot Corporation has 1,240 employees and sales of around 80 billion yen in 2008. The largest shareholder with 15.5 percent of the shares is Daiwa Securities SMBC Singapore Ltd., a total of 32.8 percent are held by financial institutions, around a quarter are in free float (As of June 30, 2009).

Individual evidence

Web links

[1] Temperature behavior of the ink

[2] 会社概要

[3] 平成 20 年 12 月期決算短信

[4] 株式の状況（平成 21 年 6 月 30 日現在）