Difficulties At Omas In Bologna ?

[Calabria]

I can't answer as to specific model, but a advanced pen collector posted some time ago about an Omas packaging material change, which caused the celluloid that was in direct contact with the packaging material to deteriorate. After some back and forth discussion with Omas the damage issue was rectified. The packaging change had already been rectified.

 

My personal preference is to store in moderate temperature, low humidity, out of direct light, allowing air to circulate, in neutral material containers.

Thank you for this information - I kept mine in the original boxes which in some cases appears to have been a mistake.

[jayKellner]

I was quite shock to know that they only have 17 employees..(in the workshop basically)......I would like to know actually how many people they have in all the management/marketing stuff........anybody know if it's because of low sales, or something like that? or is just related to the problems O-luxe has in gral.

[KyleKatarn]

I believe that the overall problem of Italian pen manufacturers is their target. They are aiming to the luxury market, neglecting school children, cheap fountain pen aficionados or anyone else that simply hasn't the bucks in the bank to spend that kind of money on a pen. Maybe I'm wrong but I don't remember any italian pen currently in production under 60 . Most of them are quite more pricey than that. In short, italian manufacturers are neglecting everything that Lamy, for example, does just so well. They are not the only ones, Waterman being another example, scrapping great models such as the kultur to go for luxury.

 

I'm afraid that, unfortunately, Omas won't be the last. I'm in Turin for Christmas and today I visited the four best fountain pen shops in town. One of the things I wanted to buy was a bottle of Aurora Black and no one had it. They all got their complaints and one of them went as far as telling me that Aurora is also in trouble... The future is clouded and I really think that a change in overall strategy and target is warranted if they want to survive and succeed.

Edited December 22, 2015 by KyleKatarn

[fabri00]

All the Italian fountain pen mentioned, Omas and Aurora have been also producing pens of very low cost for students or office use till probably 20 years ago.

 

Then they Decided to stop that segment of market, and to continue only withe expansive pens.

 

I could immagine they should have invested big capitals for equipments able to produce cheap pens for very low price, and probably they decided to quit and to invest in more fashionable and expansive models.

 

At that time, at the end of the '70 those company were owned by small local families, with some limits in the financial resources, I believe.

 

Today managing a very small company producing goods in the top parts of the market is very complicated and I really think it is not so easy to say "they should have done this instead of that". The real life is much more complicated. .....

[KyleKatarn]

Today managing a very small company producing goods in the top parts of the market is very complicated and I really think it is not so easy to say "they should have done this instead of that". The real life is much more complicated. .....

I was not trying to point fingers or to question their options in the past but rather just stating that, in my opinion, a change of strategy is warranted if they want to succeed. Even in the luxury segment they are a niche, people loaded with money and no knowledge of FP's will probably go for a Montblanc... Wether they make their pens even more niche, at higher prices, for collectionists, or they broaden their target.

[bobje]

Focusing on luxury goods is not necessarily a bad strategy. It's one of the fastest growing markets in the world, and there is room for Italian companies with a strong reputation for leadership in design and craftsmanship. The Torinese retailer's observations are unprofessional at best and rumor-mongering at worst.

[Bisquitlips]

It would be a tragedy to see Omas go under.

 

I sincerely wish the best for the employee buyout. There would be a huge hole in the pen world without Omas!

 

Omas Arco Dama / Italic.

 

[ylw]

I believe that the overall problem of Italian pen manufacturers is their target. They are aiming to the luxury market, neglecting school children, cheap fountain pen aficionados or anyone else that simply hasn't the bucks in the bank to spend that kind of money on a pen.

Dunno if this applies to other countries but here in The Netherlands people either buy cheap or go for quality. That means that the only way to survive is to be in the low end, (bleep) quality but very cheap or the high end, high quality and expensive. Everything in the middle is in decline and most of them are now going bankrupt (V&D being the most recent example).

 

The problem with the low end is that this needs to be very cheap which usually means low quality and high volume. High volume isn't easy and requires you to have facilities that can produce high volumes of the product. That is not something that is feasible for any small company such as the Italian pen manufacturers. They also need to compete with already established larger companies, mostly the ones that make the low end ballpoints pens (Bic and the like) which is also isn't that feasible. The other problem is that they go for high quality pens. Producing cheap and lower quality products next to your high end ones is rather risky. The lower quality can rub off negatively on the entire brand and thus the high quality models as well.

 

Then there is also something called "differentiation". You can't really do that with cheap stuff, they only way to differentiate here is on price (you need to lower the price but maintain the quality). The higher segment doesn't have a limitation on this. You can create whatever model you want and aim at certain people.

 

The real problem is money. Income has decreased, people have been sacked, etc. and thus there isn't that much to spend on certain products. That's the reason why people here in The Netherlands buy high end stuff (if they are going to spend the money then it better be good and last) or cheap stuff (you can't spend something you don't have). We are not the only country in the world with these issues, it can be seen everywhere in nearly every business. That's why there are many different businesses in difficulty.

[Calabria]

Focusing on luxury goods is not necessarily a bad strategy. It's one of the fastest growing markets in the world, and there is room for Italian companies with a strong reputation for leadership in design and craftsmanship. The Torinese retailer's observations are unprofessional at best and rumor-mongering at worst.

I completely agree, especially when it comes to fountain pens. Very few countries still require students to use fountain pens, and as quality expectations have increased, few manufactures can match already established brands.

 

The "Made in Italy" cachet still has pull, and those customers who would prefer Ferrari over Mercedes might also choose Aurora over Montblanc.

 

Aurora has an extensive cheaper line. But most of their expensive models go to the global market, so you may not find a great selection in Turin. My experience in Turin was completely different btw, I brought a defective Talentum into a pen store and the man exchanged the part on the spot with a smile.

[Phormula]

Dunno if this applies to other countries but here in The Netherlands people either buy cheap or go for quality...

 

It is a common trend worldwide, from shoes to clothing to home appliances and food.

People either go for the cheapest option that does the job, or shop for the brand and the highest price (and hopefully quality).

 

In the shoes industry over the last years I have seen many companies that were producing "middle of the road" shoes shut down.

They were manufacturing a good quality product but without the appeal of a brand. As a result, they were perceived by the market as cheap quality (no brand) but high price, because the average consumer is less and less able to judge the quality of a product when looking at it in a brick and mortar store and even less able when shopping online.

Either you could move up (and become a known brand) or you had to step down (and go for price).

There was simply no market for quality and craftmanship without a brand.

[Batman]

Do we have any updates as to the future of Omas yet?

[Keyless Works]

 

 

In the shoes industry over the last years I have seen many companies that were producing "middle of the road" shoes shut down.

They were manufacturing a good quality product but without the appeal of a brand. As a result, they were perceived by the market as cheap quality (no brand) but high price, because the average consumer is less and less able to judge the quality of a product when looking at it in a brick and mortar store and even less able when shopping online.

Either you could move up (and become a known brand) or you had to step down (and go for price).

There was simply no market for quality and craftmanship without a brand.

What are some examples? There are plenty of old high end shoe manufacturers around that do not advertise...but maybe that's not what you are talking about. For shoes I am better buying a high quality shoe from a small brand than one from a huge company like Ferragamo or Louis Vuitton. The price might be similar but the quality isn't.

[Feanaaro]

To be fair, the Aurora Idea is relatively cheap (<30€), or at least it was until a few years ago (certainly much more recently than 20 years ago, as I bought several in the early-to-mid 2000s).

Nowadays it does not appear to be available anywhere in stores, although it is still on their website (I asked them, and they said I can buy one directly from them, though still no word on price).

 

More generally, sadly as it may be, I think for small manufacturers focusing on the higher end is likely to be the only way to survive in the current market.

[Phormula]

What are some examples? There are plenty of old high end shoe manufacturers around that do not advertise...but maybe that's not what you are talking about. For shoes I am better buying a high quality shoe from a small brand than one from a huge company like Ferragamo or Louis Vuitton. The price might be similar but the quality isn't.

 

I used to live in an area of Italy where a district for shoe production was located.

Up to the 1980s and 1990s there were a lot of small and medium companies making shoes, sport shoes, many of them family owned.

Most of them produced high quality shoes, my Monterocca sport shoes lasted 6 years. When I trashed them, the upper leather was still in good condition but the sole was completely worn out, like a tyre with many miles on it, with the threads completely worn out. I bought another pair from them and it lasted another 8 years. The much known and expensive brands like Nike or Adidas I've been using afterwards (Monterocca closed in between) do not last more than 2-3 years.

 

I also had relatives and friends working in some of these factories.

Nowadays most of these factories have shut down, they could not compete on first price and they did not had a strong brand.

They were just making good shoes and no advertising.

[by78]

Isn't Omas owned by the Chinese? Doesn't China have the largest market for fountain pens as well as luxury goods? If marketed correctly to the Chinese, surely Omas should be doing booming business.

 

Or is this a case of a Chinese conglomerate owning Omas as a part of their larger European portfolio, which means Omas gets buried and neglected?

 

Regardless, it'd be a crime to allow Omas to go under.

Edited January 14, 2016 by by78

[rafapa]

The question is: would the chinese company move the production to China?

[jar]

Isn't Omas owned by the Chinese? Doesn't China have the largest market for fountain pens as well as luxury goods? If marketed correctly to the Chinese, surely Omas should be doing booming business.

 

Or is this a case of a Chinese conglomerate owning Omas as a part of their larger European portfolio, which means Omas gets buried and neglected?

 

Regardless, it'd be a crime to allow Omas to go under.

Omas is publicly owned and the single largest stockholder is Chinese; but the economy in China is not doing as well as it did in the past.

[fabri00]

Somewhere I read that they are now negotiating with a local investor bringing some money, plus a number of employees bringing also money, to buy out the company from the Chineses.

 

Just read somewhere about a week ago.

[gerigo]

Isn't Omas owned by the Chinese? Doesn't China have the largest market for fountain pens as well as luxury goods? If marketed correctly to the Chinese, surely Omas should be doing booming business.

 

Or is this a case of a Chinese conglomerate owning Omas as a part of their larger European portfolio, which means Omas gets buried and neglected?

 

Regardless, it'd be a crime to allow Omas to go under.

 

China is a little different than the rest of Asia, especially Japan. China has gone through dramatic change in a very short time, from abject poverty and not having choice to where it is today, which is a society that's for all intents and purposes driven by a capitalist economy. And because a lot of people have personally seen and lived through the change, they would reject anything that would remind them of this past. So writing and calligraphy, although an important and integral part of the Chinese culture, is not something that's really integrated or appreciated. People prefer anything that points and speaks to modernity and aspiration. Computers, tablets, mobile phones, modern Western style apartments, cars, cook range and ovens etc. These are all trappings of Western aspiration people all want and seek. Pens are not in there with the exception of the MB snow cap. I lived in Shanghai for 7 years, and almost never saw any one with a fountain pen. I went around with one, and people sort of politely made anachronistic jokes about what an affectation it was.

[Calabria]

Somewhere I read that they are now negotiating with a local investor bringing some money, plus a number of employees bringing also money, to buy out the company from the Chineses.

 

Just read somewhere about a week ago.

I wish them good luck. It's a difficult market, and also a complex brand that is not widely recognized outside of collectors' circles.

 

I personally believe that there's a great future ahead for niche brands and specialty products but I'm basing most of this on my observation of what is happening in Japan - probably not a good benchmark for the world at large.