This Is Your Pilot Speaking...

The venerated Japanese pen and accessories company shows its appreciation for its U.S. fan base with a slew of new products.

- NICKY PESSAROFF

Over 100 years ago, Ryosuke Namiki wished to make his own gold nib. From that creative impulse was born Pilot, the largest and one of the oldest pen and accessories companies in Japan. Established in 1918 by Namiki and his partner Masao Wada, Pilot (known then as the Namiki Manufacturing Company) created more than nibs. Indeed, every aspect of a Pilot pen— the nib, feed, filling system, and body—is made in house.

Today, Pilot is a multi-national corporation with headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, and Pilot Corporation of America calls Jacksonville, Florida home. After a major restructuring of its North American manufacture and distribution, Pilot has exploded with creativity in 2023 and expanded its North American social media and pen show presence.

As part of that restructuring, Pilot Corporation of America has a new sales manager for its fine writing collection, Jaclynn Burleigh. She says, “As the fountain pen community continues to change and grow, we want to make sure we’re involved in the evolution. Pilot Pen’s spirit of innovation has always focused on servicing consumers’ unmet writing needs, making writing a pleasure with exceptionally designed, smooth-writing pens.”