I heard/read that Sheaffer was closing its USA facilities and figure this is the right place to ask for links to that story. Will the company's presence (manufacturing) in the USA be fini?

It's true. Sheaffer will be closing the Fort Madison operation early next year (2006 - probably by May) and will be doing all production overseas. Some production will be in Europe and some in Asia. Some assembly and shipping will be done at the BIC facility in Charlotte, NC.

I'm wondering, out loud, Jim, what this will do to your business interests with Shaeffer?

I would guess that your collector's interest in vintage Shaeffer will continue, but will you continue to sell modern Shaeffers? If you are unable to answer this due to contract considerations, I'll surely understand.

Hi Jim,

Same question as Roger.

Luigi

We plan on sticking with Sheaffer. It's going to be interesting to see what they do, and there may be stories in the transition. Remember, Parker went through this not that long ago.

Forgive my ignorance...I did not realize Parker took the same route. I used to buy Parkers from a local office supply store YEARS ago. LOL. They were relatively cheap and very available at the time.

Does Parker still have corporate activity in the USA?

Parker maintains a repair center here, but production has been gone for a number of years. Parkers are made in the UK and France.