A W Faber Castell history

One of their first accomplishments was the first railroad in Germany which started operations between Nuremberg and Fürth in 1835.

1840 – Lothar von Faber, Kaspar’s great grandson, lent his name to the pencils (with the company now called A. W. Faber) and set standard lengths, diameters and grades of lead hardness that are still in use today.

Geologists started searching for new deposits in many parts of the world and one of them, Johann Peter Alibert, spotted a rich graphite deposit of high quality in Siberia, Russia, in 1847.

1849: The company's first foreign subsidiary is established in New York.

1851 – London branch opens, in order for Lother von Faber to be present at the Great Exhibition

1856 – Lother von Faber acquires the rights to a graphite mine in Siberia, giving him a distinct commercial advantage.

In 1861 Eberhard started his own production in New York.

1872 – Vienna branch opens.

In 1874, Lothar von Faber petitioned the imperial parliament to protect and recognise brand names, as his success had led to many imitators using his name which had become synonymous with quality and craftsmanship.

In 1876, Lothar's brother Johann, who had been sent to South America to explore the unknown market for A.W. Faber, left the family business to set up a pencil company of his own.

In 1879 Johann, his middle brother, also set up his own pencil business in Nuremberg.

1884 – The elegant Faberhaus building on Berlin’s Friedrichstrasse is opened.

A.W. Faber, the largest of them, employed a workforce of 1,000 and an additional 300 home workers in 1890.

1884 – The elegant Faberhaus building on Berlin’s Friedrichstrasse is opened. It was later destroyed in World War II. 1898 – Lothar Von Faber’s granddaughter Ottilie marries Count Alexander zu Castell-Rüdenhausen, who takes on the business.

In 1905 the Castell 9000 - a genuinely classic pencil - was launched by Count Alexander von Faber-Castell (6th Generation). Its quality and finely graduated degrees of lead hardness have made it a firm favorite with artists and illustrators.

Moreover, with the United States entering the war in 1917, A.W. Faber was cut off from this major market, where the company lost its production facilities and sales offices.

Later in the 1920’s a range of piston fillers with rounded ends and four banded caps began production.

1925 – Count Alexander builds a new production facility at Stein, Germany, which is where Faber-Castell’s pencils are made to this day.

After Count Alexander died in 1928, his son Roland took over the enterprise at age 23, and the company was transformed into A.W. Faber, Castell-Bleistiftfabrik AG.

Another action that insured the company's continued world market leadership was the acquisition of an interest in Johann Faber's production subsidiary in Sao Carlos, Brazil, which was the largest of its kind in South America, in 1937.

During this time, Count Roland’s enterprising wife Nina managed to transform the company to sole proprietorship and reclaim ownership of the company, which was renamed A.W. Faber-Castell by 1942.

1948 – Production of TK pencils starts.

In 1949, the company ventured into manufacturing ball point pens and afterwards kept expanding its product range, workforce, production capacity, and distribution network.

In 1950 they introduced the famous torpedo shaped ballpoint pen known as the ‘gentleman’ which was released in black or grey pearl and silver.

A hand-made pencil was discovered in the 1960's during restoration work on the roof timbers of a Swabian farmhouse.

1961 – The company celebrates its bicentenary with 3000 former and current employees.

In 1967, the company was able to acquire a majority stake in Lapis Johann Faber, the world's largest factory for lead and colored pencils in Sao Carlos, Brazil.

Being a global leader in the production of pens and pencils comes with it an obligation and commitment to people and the environment, something which Faber-Castell has been an industry leader in since the 1970’s.

Phyllis and Evelyn attending their first International Toy Fair Trade Show in 1978.

Count Anton-Wolfgang von Faber-Castell replaced his father's role in 1979 and embedded the philanthropic nature of Lothar back into the company with environmental issues and social issues being addressed as a priority by the company.

In 1980 the company started to use the name Creativity for Kids.

The group's industrial activities are organized under the management holding Faber-Castell AG; its service arm, Faber-Castell-Consulting, offers IT and management consulting services; and Faber-Castell Projetos Imobiliarios is the group's Brazilian real estate development arm, founded in 1994.

In 1997 Creativity for Kids was the first specialty toy manufacturer to have a website.

The new century saw another Faber-Castell innovation--the silver-colored triangular-shaped lead pencil Grip 2000, which featured lacquer bumps for a firm grip.

In the summer of 2001, the company celebrated its 240th anniversary and launched a limited edition of its premium sets, including a pencil with an extender made from massive white gold and a cap with three embedded diamonds.

In 2016 Faber-Castell celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Creativity for Kids Brand at The North American International Toy Fair. "Toy Fair" is an annual toy industry trade show held in mid-February in New York City's Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.