It’s been some time since we last had a story about Faber-Castell factories. A few years ago, the company gave viewers a tour of their pencil factory. And just last year, they gave us a closer look at their highlighter making process:
It all takes place at their Engelhartszell plant in Austria. According to Faber-Castell, over 35 million writing materials are produced in this plant every year. This translates to 250 tons of ink fueling them.
A total of four key chapters make up their production process: injection molding, ink mixing, assembly, and packaging.
Injection Molding
The first chapter has very little to do with the actual writing material. Instead, it focuses on providing the proper housing for the highlighter. By melting recycled plastic and different colored dyes and injecting them into a mold (hence the name “injection mold”), Faber-Castell is able to produce its iconic highlighter cases.
Mixing Ink
A highlighter isn’t complete without the ink. Various dyestuffs are mixed and matched in a laboratory until the perfect color is attained. Considering Faber-Castell has been doing this for centuries, they most likely have their own patented, in-house colors which are a closely guarded secret.
The dyes are given a quality check whilst still in the mixing vat to ensure they are up to the company’s standards. If they pass the test, the batches are sent off to the assembly line.
Assembly
This is where the housing and dyes are brought together to make the highlighters you know and love. Here, the cases are sorted, labeled, and fitted with an ink reservoir.
The cases are then flipped right side up and injected with their appropriate ink color. Once the reservoir is filled, a highlighter tip is inserted and the top cap is installed.
Quality Test & Packaging
Prior to packaging, each highlighter is tested to see if it is working properly. If it passes the test, it is either packaged by hand or by machine (depending on the type of marker) and sent off to stores worldwide.
These inside looks into Faber-Castell’s manufacturing process aren’t supposed to be the most informative videos. They are meant to be relaxing breaks from your daily work. So sit back and enjoy watching the manufacturing process of some of your favorite office supplies on the Faber-Castell YouTube channel.
