Bic (company) facts for kids
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| Société Anonyme | |
| Traded as | Euronext Paris: BB CAC Mid 60 Component |
| Industry | Manufacturing |
| Founded | 25 October 1945 |
| Founders |
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| Headquarters | , |
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Area served
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Worldwide |
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Key people
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Gonzalve Bich (CEO) |
| Products | |
| Revenue |  €2.233 billion (2022) |
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Operating income
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€303.5 million (2022) |
 €208.9 million (2022) |
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| Total assets | €2.6835 billion (2022) |
| Total equity | €1.8763 billion (2022) |
| Owner | Bich family |
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Number of employees
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15,898 (2022) |
Bic is a famous French company that makes everyday items. It's known for making things you use once and then throw away, like pens, lighters, and shaving razors. The company was started in 1945 by a person named Marcel Bich in Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine, France.
Contents
How Bic Started and Grew
In 1942, Marcel Bich and his friend Édouard Buffard began a small business. They made parts for writing tools in a factory near Paris. Marcel Bich bought the idea for the ballpoint pen from a Hungarian inventor named László Bíró.
Bich used special tools, like those used for making watches, to create tiny stainless-steel balls for the pen tips. He made the ballpoint pen design even better. In 1950, the Bic Cristal ballpoint pen became the company's first product. This pen has sold over 100 billion units since it was first made!
Marcel Bich officially formed the company Société Bic in 1953. The design of the Bic Cristal pen has stayed almost the same since it first came out. Even today, it is one of the most popular pens in the world.
Between 1950 and the 1970s, Bic grew and started selling products all over the world. They expanded into countries like Italy, the Netherlands, Brazil, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In 1958, Bic bought an American company called "Waterman Pen Company". This helped Bic become well-known in the U.S.
In 1969, Bic started its first big advertising campaign in the United States. A year later, they launched the Bic 4-Color pen. This pen allowed you to switch between four different ink colors without needing a new pen. Bic was able to make pens in huge numbers, which made them very affordable for everyone.
In 1979, Bic bought the Conté company, which made art supplies. In 1981, Bic started "BIC Sport," a company that made windsurfing boards. They also launched the "BIC Mini lighter" in 1985 and the "BIC Electronic" lighter in 1991.
In the 1990s, Bic continued to grow. They expanded into Eastern Europe and Asia. In 1992, Bic bought Wite-Out Products, a company known for its correction fluid. Bic then sold this product as Bic Wite Out. In 1997, Bic also bought the Tipp-Ex brand, which makes correction products.
Bic's Journey in the 2000s
In 2000, Bic opened a new factory in Marne-la-Vallée, France. Two years later, they started selling BIC Sport kayaks. They also released new shaving razors called BIC Comfort 3 and BIC Soleil.
In 2008, Bic launched the Bic Phone in France and Belgium. It was a simple, ready-to-use phone that came with a SIM card and some prepaid call time.
In 2015, Bic bought Cello Writing in India, which was India's largest maker of writing tools. The company was renamed "BIC Cello (India)." In 2019, Bic opened a new factory in Nairobi, Kenya, to serve the East Africa region. Today, Bic has over 25 factories around the world.
Bic also started making new types of products. In 2018, they launched BodyMark by BIC, which are temporary tattoo markers. In 2019, they introduced Made For You, a line of shaving products for everyone, without specific gender labels.
In 2020, Bic bought Djeep, a company that makes fancy, customizable lighters. This helped Bic offer more types of lighters. That same year, Bic also bought Rocketbook, a company that makes smart reusable notebooks. This helped Bic combine old-school writing with digital technology.
Bic has also focused on making more eco-friendly products. In 2021, they launched the BIC ReVolution line. This line includes pens made from recycled ocean plastic, mechanical pencils, and markers made from recycled plastic. Even the packaging is made from 100% recycled material.
In 2022, Bic bought Inkbox and Tattly, two companies that make temporary tattoos. In 2023, Bic launched EasyRinse, a new razor designed to prevent clogging.
What Bic Makes
Lighters
Bic started selling its famous disposable lighters in 1973. These lighters are made of plastic and were first sold in five colors. They were very cheap, which made them popular. Bic lighters are still very affordable and widely used today. Bic has a factory in Redon, France, where 400 employees make 750 million lighters every year!
Razors
In the 1980s, Bic's shaving products became very popular. In 1981, Bic started a separate company called Bic Sport, which made products for water sports. However, Bic sold Bic Sport in 2019.
Bic continued to improve its shaving products. In 2004, they launched Soleil, a brand of razors made for women. They also started adding more blades to their razors, leading to the Flex 5 razor, which has five blades, launched in 2015.
Helping the Environment
In 2021, Bic launched its eco-friendly Bic ReVolution product line. These products, like pens and mechanical pencils, are made with at least 50% recycled plastic. All the paper packaging for these products is made from 100% recycled material.
In 2022, Bic joined One Percent for the Planet. This is a group where companies give at least one percent of their yearly sales to help protect the environment. So, one percent of all sales from the BIC ReVolution line goes to environmental groups.
Bic has big plans for the future. By 2025, they want all their product packaging to be reusable, recyclable, or compostable. By 2030, they aim for their products to contain 50% non-new plastic.
Who Owns Bic
The Bich family, who started the company, still owns a large part of Bic. They own about 46% of the company's shares and control 63% of the voting power.
Bic's Sports Sponsorships
Bic has supported sports teams in the past. In the 1960s, Bic sponsored a professional cycling team. Famous cyclists like Jacques Anquetil and Luis Ocaña, who won the Tour de France, were part of this team. Bic started sponsoring the Tour de France again in 2011 and continues to support it today.
Bic also sponsored the Prost Grand Prix team in Formula One car racing from 1997 to 2000.
Bic's Look: The Logo
The Bic company logo has two main parts. There's a shape like a diamond with curved corners that says "BiC" (with a small "i"). Next to it is the "Bic Boy."
The diamond shape first appeared in 1950 when the Bic Cristal pen was launched. It was originally red with white letters. The letters still look the same today.
The "Bic Boy" was added to the logo in 1961. He is described as "a schoolboy, with a head in the shape of a ball, holding a pen behind his back." The ball shape on his head represents the tiny tungsten carbide ball in Bic's new ballpoint pens. The schoolboy was designed by Raymond Savignac to help attract children to the new pens. When the Bic Boy was added, both parts of the logo changed to the company's official color, orange.
See also
In Spanish: Bic para niños
