F.I.L.A.

F.I.L.A. (Fabbrica Italiana Lapis ed Affini) was founded in Florence on June 23, 1920. Its original name defines its initial production purpose: the manufacture of pencils and similar products. Its first president was Count Giuseppe Della Gherardesca, and its first logo, designed by painter Severo Pozzati, was inspired by the lily, the symbol of Florence.

Around 1921-1922, F.I.L.A. launched numerous types of pencils: graphite pencils (the Orion and Selecta lines), copying pencils (with the Tosca and Fiorenza ranges), pencils for stenographers, colored pastels, and special pencils for carpenters or handbags, as well as accessories such as tip protectors.
Turandot copying pencils have been produced since 1926.

The company quickly expanded its catalog from a few initial products to a range that, one hundred years after its founding, now exceeds 350 pages of creative supplies, including pencils, paints, modeling clays, and paper.

Significant technological and product developments have occurred over the years:

In the 1960s, under the leadership of Alberto Candela, the company introduced a line of felt-tip pens, the Giotto Feltro, and later the Giotto Fibra with a synthetic tip.

In 1975, the Tratto Pen was launched, an innovative "pen-marker" that achieved enormous success, selling millions of pieces in just a few days and winning the prestigious Compasso d'Oro award in 1979 for its design and functionality.

In the 1980s, the Tema line was born, including the Temagraph pencil, dubbed "the perfect pencil."

Since 1994, F.I.L.A. begins a policy of acquiring other historic companies and significant brands in the creative sector, including Maimeri (with a wide range of colors and products for artists, divided primarily into oil paints, tempera, acrylic, watercolor, and powdered pigments, as well as a series of auxiliaries such as varnishes, oils, essences, mediums, and thinners), LYRA (one of the oldest pencil brands in the world), Adica Pongo (well-known modeling clays such as Pongo, Didò, and DAS), the French paper manufacturer Canson, the American Dixon Ticonderoga (a well-known pencil manufacturer), and many others.

With a portfolio of 25 iconic brands and a complete range of products for writing, drawing, coloring, modeling, and painting in the School and Fine Arts & Crafts segments, distributed in over 150 countries worldwide, across 5 continents, through 32 direct subsidiaries.

F.I.L.A. moved its headquarters from Florence to Milan in the 1960s and is currently based in Pero (Milan) with a significant presence. International presence: 19 subsidiaries on 5 continents, 11 production plants, and 20 brands in its portfolio.

In summary, F.I.L.A. has a history spanning over a century, beginning with the production of pencils and related products. It has evolved through innovations in the marker sector (Giotto, Tratto Pen), strategic acquisitions, and expansion into the world of creativity, stationery, and fine arts, becoming a leading multinational group in art, school, and hobby products. The company does not appear to have ceased production, but has continually evolved and expanded over time.

The main brands acquired by the F.I.L.A. group, a former pencil manufacturer, among its 25 owned brands include:

Adica Pongo (1994), with the Pongo, Didò, and DAS brands.
Omyacolor SA (2000), a French chalk manufacturer.
CLAC Ltda (2000), a Chilean joint venture specializing in drawing supplies.
Dixon Ticonderoga Company (2005), a historic American manufacturer of pencils and writing materials.
LYRA (2008), a German brand of pencils and drawing products, founded in 1806.
Lapicera Mexicana (2010), a Mexican manufacturer of pastels and pencils.
Lycin (2010), a Brazilian company specializing in modeling and painting products.
Writefine Products Private (now DOMS Industries, India) (2011), acquired primarily in 2015.
Industria Maimeri (2014), a joint venture in the fine art paints and accessories sector.
Daler Rowney Lukas (2016), a leading British group in fine art and craft.
St. Cuthberts Holding Limited (2016), a historic English paper mill specializing in high-quality paper.
Canson (2016), a prestigious French brand of paper for fine art, school, and leisure, founded in 1557.
Pacon Holding Company (2018), a US group specializing in educational and art and craft products with brands Princeton and Strathmore.
ARCHES® (2020), premium artists' paper, a business unit acquired by Ahlstrom-Munksjö.