Marcel Bic / "BIC"

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Marcel Bic / "BIC"

«The person so likes disposable things because he and itself disposable», - has written in one of the books writer Marquez. Much before it the inventor Marseilles Bik which has offered to the person those disposable things before has guessed: handles, lighters, razors. After opening Bika all became disposable - from ware to books. Baron Bik has appeared among those who has defined special style of a life ("used-has thrown out"), inconceivable last centuries and very extended in second half of XX-th century.

Marcel Bic was born in 1914 in Turin. His father was the engineer and often moved on affairs of service from a city in a city. Small Marseilles has got used to change of places. He studied at first in Italy, then two years has spent in Madrid in "Lycée Fransez". Has finished secondary education at Dominican school in Bordeaux. Marseilles freely owned Latin, Greek, knew rhetoric, good form rules, was fine able to dance and exploit. Being already the student, it has independently travelled the half-world, studying culture of Italy, Holland, France, which citizenship it has soon received, and Spain.

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Experts assert, that the child in the childhood adapts to frequent change of conditions. He perceives changes as an integral part of a life and itself starts to invent the things, capable to change the world. Something similar has occurred and with Bic . He hated to drag with itself(himself) from a city in a city heavy bags with things and as a result has invented that the inveterate homebody never would invent.

In many years he recollected: «I have thought, that it would be ideal to throw out an old thing in one place and to buy new in other … I have plunged into dreams: here I would have so much money that I was not a pity to throw out anything … Then has understood: it is necessary to make simply very cheap things»

But while dreams remained dreams, Marcel honesty continued to study. In eighteen years, during study in known "Lycée Karno", the enterprising young man already was engaged in sale of small lamps, carrying them in houses of Parisians and earning pocket money. Then he has learnt to sell, impose to the potential buyer the goods.

Upon termination of lycée Marseilles has got a job the manager in the company which was engaged in manufacture of the writing goods. He has been assured, what is it does not become its permanent job, and in the evenings continued the education on faculty of law Sorbonny. In 1939 on the eve of war in Europe Bik has received the diploma of the lawyer. By this time it worked as the manager on sales in "Stefens" - the largest French company which are engaged in manufacture of pens which was at this time the basic competitor "Uotermen".

Career Bika has been interrupted by war. It was necessary to serve in army where it have called in the same 1939. It has got to aircraft, but military career to make was not in time. For France war has quickly ended with defeat, and Marseilles has returned to company "Ñòåôåíñ".

Post-war crisis has changed consumer representations: money at people was a little, but to write, read, smoke, have a shave it was necessary all the same. There has come time for cheap, but the qualitative goods. Then Bik has ingeniously guessed, at the expense of what it is possible to lower the goods cost price, - odnorazovost. It is not necessary to think of durability and durability, quality is necessary only. For example, a ball which faultlessly smoothly slides on a paper. It was necessary very few - to think up such handle and to make it.

In 1945 together with friend Edward Buffardom Bik has bought small manufacture in the Parisian suburb Klishi. It was shabby enough premise with the out-of-date equipment. The initial capital has made $1000. Young men have begun manufacture new and seeming in that moment perspective the goods - cores for ball pens. They even have got the modern Swiss equipment. But cores have not justified expectations. Then Bik has decided to make the handle at the price of a core.

On working out of the first handle at Bika has left four years. He pored over the form, improved the product, achieved maximum functional reliability. «The disposable handle should not be semisingle, - joked Bik. - she should live The unique life with shine». It was supposed to do the case of the first ball disposable handle from almost nobody known then plastic of high quality. As early as three years have left on finding the manufacturer for the invention. Six companies in which he addressed with the idea, have given up to it, including one of the most known manufacturers - Waterman (he will buy this company hardly later).

Then Bik has created own manufacture. And in 1953 on light there was first disposable handle Bic. But now the ingenious inventor should solve two challenges. The first: the handle that she was not a pity for throwing out how much should cost? And the second: how to organise cheap manufacture? Pens for that moment cost from $9 to $13 for a piece. Marseilles has stopped on 29 cents: Bik all in advance has counted up. By its calculations, it was possible to sell 10 000 disposable handles in day. As a result he has, of course, miscalculated: in two years he sold 250 000 handles in day.

By 1957 the program-minimum has been executed: bikovskimi handles all Europe, and Marseilles Bik wrote if is not fantastic, has decently grown rich. Just right was to put new problems. And the vigorous Frenchman has made the whole list, but the following was priority: 1) to eat the English competitors; 2) to win the American market; 3) to continue a number of disposable things. It has started performance of the first problem immediately. For $300 thousand he has bought English company Biro-Swan and has automatically got access not only to British isles, but also on the markets of former and present British colonies - Canada, New Zealand and Australia.

A year later Bik has got "Uotermen" and has begun a gain of America. But by the occurrence moment in American market Bika and its goods of such good as ball pens, there it was full. And the main thing - they were cheap enough. Here only quality of these handles was disgusting. Qualitative cost very expensively, and popular broke still before the core came to an end. But to convince practical Americans, that disposable handles it is favourable, was not so simply.

And then Marseilles has made the "biki" folding (you want, buy a core and change, only here there is it almost as much, how much the handle) and has added advertising.

Its 4-million massed advertising campaign «the test test», spent on national TV, represented ball pens "Bik" boring through the walls, writing on the ice, burnt in fire, they were trampled down by dancers "flamenko" and vystrelivali from a gun. It was thus shown, that handles continue to write, and was unostentatiously mentioned, that at them very much the reasonable price - only 29 cents! And the American consumer has estimated rollers and recognised the Frenchman. And teenagers "dokrutili" disposable handles, declaring their fashionable accessory.

Having won the difficult American market, Bik undertook working out of last problem. Following step to the disposable industry of a steel of a lighter. The secret is simple: cheaply, reliably also it is practical. And more variously - it is possible to have a new lighter every month. It was especially important for the women smoking more and more. Now they could buy lighters under colour of dresses or clip-on earrings - it is cheap and beautiful. And more one: at studying of the market of handles and lighters it has been revealed, what exactly these subjects lose more often. And here (also it is very effective advertising course) has lost and it is not a pity: it is possible to buy precisely same for real pennies. Naturally, lighters were made and to Marseilles Bika. But here already known arguments were put to use: the price more low, than at competitors, on 30 %. Plus competent advertising. A slogan «Click Bic», appeared in 1973, has won the world. It said with obvious pleasure and ambiguously winked. The youth has joyfully accepted lighters Bic in the world and has attached them to the well-known handles.

And the turn of disposable razors has then come. Experts of firm Gilette acted categorically against the disposable goods, understanding, that strong blow will be struck to trade in their reusable machine tools. Fight was to the death, after all under blow were put not only shaving machine tools, but also accessories to them. But after in 1975 on the market the first party of disposable razors Bic has arrived, the firm-competitor had to reverse tactics of struggle and to start after Bic to stamp the disposable razors.

Company Bic expanded with fantastic speed. Only in the USA it has opened more than 300 000 shops where all assortment of firm has been presented: handles, lighters, razors. 93 % of production were realised and realizovyvaetsja through these small trading stands or trays in the big supermarkets. That bought as more often, as bread and milk. And all these infinite focuses, industrial and advertising, thought out itself Bik.

The baron who has not received in the inheritance anything, except good education and education, has died on May, 30th, 1994 at the age of 80 years the multimillionaire. The principle «has used - throw out» has affected even private life of Marseilles Bika. The one-woman man it was never - ten children continue the well-known surname of the passionate Frenchman. It, perhaps, one from this the little, that is known from a private life of mister Bika: he never aspired to become property of the public. About him it is known, that he hated to borrow money: «the Credit is a deviation, return of the won profit».

The status also has put Marseilles Bik has left to children. Brjuno Bik - one of its liked sons - is the president of the monopoly created prolific in every respect by the father since 1993.

Today Bic, the third on popularity French trading a world in the world after Chanel and Dior, includes a large quantity of branches on five continents. The company wins first place in the world on manufacture of ball pens: the multinational corporation of Marseilles Bika sells almost 4 billion handles a year (hardly less, than inhabitants on a planet). The group lets out the various writing goods under stamps Conte, Hauser, Ballograf, Sheaffer, White-Out, Tipp-Ex.

Bic is the unconditional leader in manufacture of disposable lighters and razors: in day 4 million lighters and 8 million disposable razors with stamp Bic worldwide is on sale.

In 1997 corporation BIC has created branch BIC graphic, specially focused on manufacture of specialties on the basis of production BIC. Today BIC graphic - the in the lead company on manufacture of specialties in Europe. It is the unique souvenir company which possesses a full cycle of manufacture. Even ink and cores of ball pens are made on technology and at factories BIC.