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Eberhard Faber: Welcome back home!
After 100 years of separation, Eberhard Faber now extends the brand portfolio of the Faber-Castell group
With effect from January 1, 2010, Faber-Castell AG acquired the rights to the brand name Eberhard Faber that was previously owned by the Staedtler group of companies. With the purchase of the brand name rights, the "Eberhard Faber" brand name, familiar particularly in the USA, returns to the fold of the Faber-Castell group. This is a milestone in the history of the Faber-Castell brand, as it means that for the first time all three Faber brands are back in the hands of the original company A.W. Faber, which was renamed as Faber-Castell following the marriage of Count Alexander of Castell-Rüdenhausen and Ottilie Freiin von Faber in 1898.
Using the A.W. Faber brand, Lothar von Faber, the great-great-grandfather of the current head of the company, created the first branded articles in the world in this sector. His two younger brothers, Johann and Eberhard Faber, set themselves up independently in the second half of the 19th century and became acrimonious competitors to the mother company. Count Roland von Faber-Castell bought up the Johann Faber company in the 1930s, whereas the Staedtler Group secured the brand name of Eberhard Faber for Europe in 1978.
Brand independence maintained
The brand strategy of Eberhard Faber is explained by the sales manager Faber-Castell Europe, Rolf Schifferens: "Eberhard Faber should supplement the product range of the Faber-Castell group, while remaining independent as a brand. In recent years, Eberhard Faber has proved itself as a competent creative brand for products aimed at kindergarten, pre- and primary school children. We want to expand its potential in sales segments in which Faber-Castell is more of a niche supplier. In particular, this means the toy trade, but also the hobby and creative markets as well as equipment suppliers to kindergartens and primary schools."
Classic versus Trendsetters
Whereas the Faber-Castell name is represented as a timelessly classic premium brand, Eberhard Faber is positioned as a brand with an attractive price/performance ratio that can respond quickly and flexibly to trends in the modelling and hobby sector.
The product ranges of both brands are focussed in different areas: Whereas the focus of Faber-Castell is in the high-quality product segment, Eberhard Faber is a specialist in paints and modelling clays for children and educational use: "We are exploiting our group resources", explains Schifferens with reference to the production of the ranges. "It goes without saying that the same strict quality criteria apply to both brands."
Trade welcomes the brand takeover
There has been a thoroughly positive reaction from the trade: "The step of taking over the brand name, is an obvious one and welcome for us as dealers", says Hans-Jörg Iden, CEO of Duo Schreib und Spiel (Write and Play). "After all, there was always confusion in the past both in the trade and among customers due to the relationship between the names, which concerned the association of the Eberhard Faber brand. It was frequently connected with Faber-Castell, effectively paying into the account of the world's largest and oldest manufacturer of wooden pencils". The decision to retain the independent brand was also positively received: "Eberhard Faber has a high level of credibility and competence, especially in the kindergarten, school and creative sector, particularly as far as school crayons, pens and modelling clay are concerned", adds Thomas Simon, CEO of ALS Verlag.
© 2011 Eberhard Faber Vertrieb GmbH | Last modified: 09/01/2011