Goulet Interview With Lamy Ceo Bernhard Roesner

[Olya]

I don't know whether you've seen this, but Brian Goulet interviewed Lamy CEO Bernhard Roesner (Rösner in German; or Rosner if you will) last month in Heidelberg, it's nearly 1h long and very interesting.

One of the things revealed is that apparently Lamy is set to release 10 new inks this year! (1st quartal if things go by plan!)

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGf475MD5UE

[Astronymus]

Maybe the LEs were meant as a wide test how other colors would be accepted by the costumers.

[tamiya]

One of the things revealed is that apparently Lamy is set to release 10 new inks this year! (1st quartal if things go by plan!)

Perhaps putting existing bottles into LE boxes is to test level of suckerbility of their fans

[AL01]

I just saw the whole interview yesterday.

 

It's interesting that 15 years ago Lamy was known as a BALLPOINT MANUFACTURER???!!!

 

Impressive, really.

 

The do a lot with so few employees.

 

I believe Mr. Goulet does have footage of the factory as well.

 

SO stay tuned till then...

[Intensity]

Very interesting about the inks. I hope they will make Petrol part of the standard line-up. Looking forward to other ink colors.

[Olya]

The thought that the LE inks were tests to see how consumers would accept new inks and colours crossed my mind too. And I also thought that maybe (at least some) past LEs might become part of their regular lineup. Would be nice if it were so, Dark Lilac and Petrol are right up my alley!

 

I was also suprised that they were at that point mainly ballpoint manufacturers, because many school kids use Lamys and that's millions every year! The ABC for primary school and the Safari/ Al Star for secondary school/ Jr High (5th grade onwards in Germany). It used to be Geha vs Pelikan/o, but since at least the 1990s it was definitely Lamy vs Pelikan. Not sure which one wins the classroom war nowadays, but I'd bet Lamy does.

 

As I keep saying, Pelikan majorly fcked up by changing the design of the Pelikano so much and now it looks like a kid's toy, whereas the Safari is iconic, most likely because they never changed the overall design, save for some improvements and adjustments over the decades. Many teachers use the Safari too. Can you imagine an adult using a current version of the Pelikano?

Edited January 30, 2018 by Olya

[Olya]

I hope it's okay to post links to reddit, if not please delete this post and accept my apologies.

Here the reddit fpen sub is discussing the same interview, with also some good posts and thoughts:

https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/comments/7tru6h/brian_goulet_interviews_lamy_ceo_new_ink_new/

[grainweevil]

And I also thought that maybe (at least some) past LEs might become part of their regular lineup.

 

A thought that had crossed my mind too. Seems an obvious thing to do, which doesn't necessarily make it a Lamy thing to do at all.

 

Can you imagine an adult using a current version of the Pelikano?

Erm... No? No, noppity, nope. This pen here? Pelikano? Oh, some random passing schoolchild must have inadvertently left that there on my desk. In my house. I think the trouble is Pelikan are trying to make the Pelikano as instantly recognisable as the Safari, and went a little astray. But it's sort of worked, as I noticed some unbranded knock-offs of it on Ebay just the other day. The ultimate accolade...

[Olya]

 

A thought that had crossed my mind too. Seems an obvious thing to do, which doesn't necessarily make it a Lamy thing to do at all.

 

Erm... No? No, noppity, nope. This pen here? Pelikano? Oh, some random passing schoolchild must have inadvertently left that there on my desk. In my house. I think the trouble is Pelikan are trying to make the Pelikano as instantly recognisable as the Safari, and went a little astray. But it's sort of worked, as I noticed some unbranded knock-offs of it on Ebay just the other day. The ultimate accolade...

 

Not 100% sure what you mean by saying that it's not a Lamy thing to do (ie whether you're joking or serious ), but they repackaged their turquoise and sold as LE "Pacific Blue", like Waterman with their turquoise. They wouldn't be the only ones to re-issue an LE or SE and make it part of their line-up, which if it sold well and is in demand is a good thing to do! (*side eyeing Parker and thinking of the Penman line*..).

 

No worries, I have a few Pelikanos myself From various decades, but the most modern I go with Pelikano is their ca 2001 version. After that I'm out (meaning the 2010 and after that versions with the rubber grip and non-existent/ non-functioning bs clip, because as per pelikan "people don't really use clips" and I beg to differ..). Though I hang on to Pelikanos and am so upset about them because I used them at school and have a nostalgic attachment to them. The choice was between a Lamy Safari and a Pelikano, and the Lamy Safari my mum & I found b*tt ugly (still find them b*tt ugly, but I have several and they are comfy and good writers! The colours are hard to resist...) and the Pelikano much prettier, so a Pelikano it was - my 1st fpen! ... Also not being bound by proprietary carts was a plus, another reason why I have several and also a number inked up...

 

Pelikan are so reluctant to go out of their comfort zone when it comes to their whole line of pens, but with the Pelikano they seem to have thrown their hands in the air, rolled the dice and smoked & drunk sth iffy and now we have those ugly and childish abominations, which have nothing in common with any of the past iterations of that pen

Edited January 30, 2018 by Olya

[grainweevil]

Not 100% sure what you mean by saying that it's not a Lamy thing to do (ie whether you're joking or serious )

 

Sorry - joking, The obvious thing to do is rarely Lamy's first choice, or at least that's how it often feels!

 

And my Pelikanos are exclusively of the ugly and childish abomination variety. I, um, kinda like them.

[Olya]

 

Sorry - joking, The obvious thing to do is rarely Lamy's first choice, or at least that's how it often feels!

 

And my Pelikanos are exclusively of the ugly and childish abomination variety. I, um, kinda like them.

At least you're a fan! They are comfy, I tried them, I'll give them that much...

[Intensity]

Actually this makes the current 2018 L.E. Safari a lot more logical, given the information in the interview. It's probably just a test to see how well the full black matte Safari sells before they add it (or not) to the current line-up, or even substitute the "umbra" black-ish version. A lot of what they did did not make sense to me until I heard the interview. It appears a lot of their novelty product presentation (these boutique stores and probably also L.E. pens and inks) are just to test the waters and get some feedback, hence the small production numbers and the stores being more for proof of concept and advertising.

[Torrilin]

Originally the pink Safari was an LE. It sold like crazy for them, and they added it to the regular line up. But that was filling a much more obvious marketing hole than the subsequent range of LEs. And I wouldn’t expect every LE to make the cut. But if they can field 10 new inks while keeping the existing ones... fun.

[Olya]

I haven't watched this one yet, but Brian's also done an interview with Lamy's Head of Product Management/ R&D Marco Achenbach.

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1s9u3oklvrU

 

-----

 

What I found surprising during the talk with Mr. Rosner, was that he said Montblanc is their competition, which, sure, they are; but their direct real competitor is actually Pelikan (targeting the exact same market, from school kids to professionals and connoisseurs of the finer things), no mention of that!

 

In the spririt of the "what would be your Pelikan pen wish?" thread: I'd wish that Lamy did more classic designs and did more resin pens. With a touch better girth than what they currently offer (the line below the Studio but above the Safari/ Al Star for instance). And Studios with more resin grip sections.

They pride themselves on German design and the Bauhaus thing, but Bauhaus means (as I understand it) being stylish and functional/ utilitarian, and well, a classic Pelikan m2xx/ 4xx etc falls into that category as much as a Lamy 2000, so why not & pretty please make more resin pens with a more classic design!

 

That said, I think one of the best coups Lamy did was to stick with some of their classics and never change the design, like with the Safari and 2000. Vintage and modern collectors can delight at the same time and people with nostalgia don't have to hunt endlessly on the 2nd hand market.

 

Considering they were apparently primarily a ballpoint manufacturer and became in the last decade (again!) primarily a fountain pen company, I wonder what is hindering other classic brands like Sheaffer and Parker (& Waterman) to up their game and climb back to the top, obviously it's doable (yeah, I know, the devil that is Newell Rubbermaid, ugh!). Improving what they have and perhaps bring back some classics from the past... 51, 75, 45, Triumph nibs... *drools* One can dream!

Edited February 13, 2018 by Olya

[Intensity]

One of the things revealed is that apparently Lamy is set to release 10 new inks this year! (1st quartal if things go by plan!)

 

I've been wondering when this new ink release is going to happen. First quarter has passed, and we're halfway into the second quarter. Any rumors or news reports on that?

[Olya]

I've been wondering when this new ink release is going to happen. First quarter has passed, and we're halfway into the second quarter. Any rumors or news reports on that?

 

I have no idea. I am disappointed that nothing's happened and hope the delay isn't too long..

[pajaro]

I wonder how easily read this ink will be.

[Arstook]

I wonder, what ballpoint models was Lamy particularly known for back when it was primarily a ballpoint manufacturer?