MarketIn lettered hands its a deadlyweapon. It has sent to thegallows hands that have wieldedthe sword; by a single flourish ithas signed off freedom andwith equal deliberation inkedthe death knell. It has acceptedsurrender with magnanimityand scattered wealth withseeming disdain andcondescension for it. Withinits slim profile the humblepen brandishes and concealsenormous power in equalmeasure. Whether the penis mightier than the swordis an idiom that has beenput to the test throughcenturies of turmoil,upheaval and civil strife.But would it survive themechanisation of the'paperless office?' Thishas been a questionthat had remainedunanswered for overfour decades. But withthe advantage ofhindsight the answerhas now beendiscovered: the pen lives!

In this digital age, it continues tobe the enduring symbol of literacy andrefinement. In India, the multi-billion rupeecomputer industry has failed to displace thehumble pen as the tool for communication.These simple truisms are continually relevant ina society where nearly a third of the populationhas just about started to ink success byemerging from the darkness of illiteracy.

The Indian writing instruments market isestimated at Rs. 2500 crore (US$ 625 million)and is growing at 15% annually (Source: WritingInstruments Industry estimates).The leader,among several other manufacturers, Luxorcontrols by far the largest market share in India.In 2008 it expects to exceed Rs. 300 crore inturnover (US$ 75 million).

AchievementsBy vir tue of it being so common place the penevokes little surprise. But the truth really is thatno segment is more fiercely competitive thanthe writing instruments business. With acombined market in excess of 3500 million units per annum (Source: Writing InstrumentsIndustry estimates) the pen is in the thick of aserious battle. Luxor's achievements, in such an environment, are many and impressive.Pioneering new categories, experiences anduses, Luxor has always been at the forefront ofthe Indian writing instruments market. It may bea historical fact that if there was a significantpiece of writing in independent India, it wasprobably inked with a pen manufactured by Luxor.

For over four decades Luxor has had manyfirsts to its credit.The launch of fibre tippens in the early 1970s was followed by

the introduction of micro tipand 3-D roller ball pens. In1980 Luxor added anotherchapter to its history: itintroduced the metal body ballpen and fountain pen range.

The beginning of 1982 sawLuxor bringing the world-renowned Pilot 'Hi tec' needlepoint pen to India, inassociation with PilotCorporation of Japan. Anotherlittle known fact is that Luxorwas the company thatintroduced locally made

markers and highlighters to the Indian market.Since their launch in 1986 these products have earned numerous awards for design and innovation.

When liberalisation was announced Luxorrose to meet the challenge of the openeconomy.The company adopted the latesttechnologies and upgraded product lines andprocesses. Simultaneously, in a show ofaggression, it did the unthinkable: it launched aslew of products in the international market.

Luxor has been the Number One WritingInstruments Exporter for the past sevenconsecutive years (Source: Writing InstrumentsManufacturers' Organisation). It has beenincluded in the Limca Book of Records 2003 forconceptualising and designing the smallest penin India.

The company did more than just egg internalproduction; it introduced the Indian market toan exciting range of international products:Parker in 1996, followed in quick succession byPapermate and Waterman.

Luxor's unstinting commitment has beenproven by several certifications that it hasreceived. In 1996 Luxor became the first writing instruments company in India to begiven the ISO 9001-2000 certificate; it was alsothe first writing instruments company in India toreceive the ISO 14001 for EnvironmentalManagement System (EMS) by the leadingGerman Registrar, DQS and also the first toreceive the OHSAS 18001 for OccupationalHealth & Safety Assessment Series (OHSAS).It is no surprise that Luxor products conform to both the German DIN and the AmericanASTM standards.

HistoryLiving in crowded lanes of Old Delhi,Davinder Kumar Jain, visualised the potential in writing instrument way back in the early1960s. At the age of just nineteen, DK, as he isfondly called, started producing fountain pens,a writing instrument that deeply fascinated him.There were only two types of writinginstruments available in those days: woodenpencils and fountain pens with rubber grips and metal levers.

DK entered the manufacturing line for pens inthe face of stiff opposition from his family. Onthe face of it, it would appear that there is nobig deal in putting together a pen.The fact isthat in the early 1970s, it was a Herculean task;every little part that would go into making thepen had to be imported from various cornersof the globe. DK set about assembling a fountainpen with a clear vision: producing truly home-grown Indian pens using backward integrationand absorbing emerging technologies. Othersfollowed the path set by him, and thus DK,almost single-handedly, created a flourishingwriting instruments industry.

Luxor, today, is the largest manufacturer of writing instruments in India, producing over one million pens per day in all shapes, sizes, designs and colours. It is the only brand of Indian writing instruments that is exported to every corner of

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the world and is a registered trademark in 126 countries.

ProductLuxor designs and develops products thatspecifically address the needs of its consumersin different segments. From the highly sensitiveball pen to robust board markers, Luxoremploys cutting edge research and developmentto create new products.

It pioneered fibre-tip and roller-ball pens inIndia.These are also distinctly styled to catch thefancy of their users.Thus, to attract students,Luxor has created colourful designs on the bodyof its pens.These designs vary from cartoons,floral, binary systems to unique animal and birdcollections. In fact, Luxor has an extensive arrayof colour pens, crayons, sketch pens, tattoomarkers, etc and is the only company in Indiathat caters to the complete sketching, drawingand colouring needs of children.

Luxor was not only the first to introducemarkers for various applications, but alsoinvented the concept of 'Dry Safe Ink Markers.'These markers do not dry even when the cap is left open for 24 hours. Luxor enjoyed acomplete monopoly in this segment for over a decade.

It has been the constant endeavour of thecompany to develop and improve its productsthrough in-house R&D and continuously refinethem to meet the functional and fashion needsof its consumers. All products are manufacturedon a company-wide TQM platform inconformity with international standards.Thecompany specialises in selling high quality writing instruments by customising them toconsumer's needs.

RecentDevelopmentsIn order to furtherstrengthen its strong presence inthe international market Luxorhas recently set up a newstate-of-the-artmanufacturing facility inNoida. Spread over twoacres, this 100% exportmanufacturing unitmanufactures over one million pens per day forthe international market.

Understanding the critical role of real-timeinformation, Luxor has recently implementedSAP.The company, one of the worlds first in thewriting instruments category, has joined a selectgroup of international organisations to do so.

The Indian retail environment is undergoing ahuge metamorphosis. Not to be left behind, thecompany launched Luxor Signature anexperimental gift and stationery store inOctober 2006. Gratified by its success, Luxorhas plans to roll out 100 of these signatureoutlets across the country in coming years.

Spearheading the retail drive, Luxor has alsoopened up its shop-in-shop formats in Reliancehypermarkets and other stores.This initiative

coincided with Luxor's entry into new productcategories. Luxor Premium Corporate Seriesencompasses files and folders while LuxorPremium Notebook Series includes spiral andhard bound notebooks and office pads. With theobjective of making learning a pleasurableexperience Luxor launched a new premium kidsbrand called Luxor Planet Happy in 2007.

Luxor is looking atdiversification as a means of growth.Towards this end, the company is developing 9 million square feet of IT/ITES space under acompany called Luxor Cyber City (P) Limited. Ithas also entered the hospitality industry byacquiring 50% stake in Edenpark Hotels whichowns the four-star deluxe property,The Qutab,in New Delhi.

PromotionLuxor built the brand on the strength of itsproduct range and quality and by appealing tothe fledgling nation's desire to be seen as self-reliant. Luxor's advertisements of the early yearswould matter-of-factly state: 'For the first time inIndia'.This straight forward approach worked

well. It laid thefoundation forLuxor's exponentialgrowth in the 1970sand 1980s.

The company alsostarted, albeitunknowingly, thetrend of celebrityendorsements inIndia. In the 1960s, itfeatured film stars,sportsmen and othercelebrities for itswriting instruments.Most of these were not paid

endorsements since celebrities were not yetmarketable commodities.

By the early 1980s, the Indian market wasbecoming quite sophisticated and there weremany players in each product category vying fora share of the consumer's mind.The time hadnow come to launch and build brands, ratherthan just products.Taking advantage of thistrend, Luxor launched its range of 'gloliters' andmarkers with a high-decibel advertising

campaign that encouraged itsconsumers to 'StopUnderlining, Start Gloliting'.Since then, Luxor has

supported the launch ofevery new product with highlyvisible and energetic marketing

efforts.This culminatedfamously in the signing up ofIndia's biggest film star,

Amitabh Bachchan, whoadded his own touch of style

and pizzazz to the Luxor brand.

Brand ValuesThe Luxor brand enjoys an appeal that isuniversal. Adults view it as a reliable writingcompanion and children find the style andcolours of Luxor products loads of fun. Luxorprovides value for money, which gives it a strongbrand position. It has products in all writinginstrument categories making it a formidableplayer.

Competitors can ignore this fact only at theirown peril.

www.worldofluxor.com

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THINGS YOU DIDNT KNOW ABOUT

If you were to join, end-to-end, every Luxorpen made in a year, the resultant chain wouldstretch from the earth to the moon

The Luxor brand has been re-purchased by itsowners at least four times in its history

Luxor once launched a 3-D roller pen that had14,000 glass beads

Luxor has exported pens to over 75 countriesin the world

Luxor

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