After I lit a cigarette I looked at the warning label stuck to the side of my lighter and recalled that BIC recently announced that it was going out of the pen and disposable shaver biz and would, henceforth, concentrate on their line of lighters.
Seems to me -- if the trend holds true -- that people will be smoking less in the future. People wont be shavcing less or writing lesser enough to warrant giving up on their (BIC's) line of shavers and pens.
Is the decision to concentrate on cigarette lighters a suicidal decision by the current board of a long-lasted nationally-known corporatation?
Hmmm...
UPDATE: Either the news story I read was wrong or I read it wrong. Seems that, according to StMack in the comments, BIC isn't going out of the pen and shaver business, they are merely moving those particular manufacturing facilities overseas.
I hope that this doesn't mean that BIC lighters will suddenly be of a quality like those el cheapo lighters. Sure, they may cost about a third less at the register, but their sparkwheel assemblies break into pieces while you've still got half of the butane in the dang things.
STIC WITH BIC
I oughta get paid for this rediculously fluid post...
Posted by Tuning Spork at September 13, 2005 09:05 PM | TrackBackThat is really strange. The Bic pen is a classic. Somehow I hope it doesn't go away.
Posted by: Edith at September 14, 2005 10:56 AMI checked with an inside source at BIC and you have nothing to fear. BIC is closing it's US manufacturing of Shavers and Ball Pens but not getting out of the business. They are moving manufacturing of those products overseas.
Posted by: Stephen Macklin at September 14, 2005 12:20 PMNo worries there. From what my contacts have told me, lighters will still be made right in Milford CT. Apparently there are different safety standard designs in different parts of the world (those with standards that is)
Currently about 80% of BIC lighters sold in the US are made in CT the rest (mostly the smaller ones) come from France.
Posted by: Stephen Macklin at September 14, 2005 09:42 PMHere's a preemptive strike for your next worry!
My highly reliable inside source tells me that BiC is announcing today that it is moving its corporate HQ from its facility in Milford CT to a building in Shelton CT.
This is strictly a move of offiice people and I am assured it will not impact the production of lighters that will remain in Milford.
Posted by: Stephen Macklin at September 15, 2005 07:20 PMI, for one, am relieved that my art deco writing implement will continue to be ubiquitous (ubicuitous?) for the forseeable future.
The HQ move sounds ominous though . . .
Posted by: Edith at September 16, 2005 11:11 AM