Cross manufactures ball-point pens,
fountain pensA fountain pen is a nib pen that, unlike its predecessor the dip pen, contains an internal reservoir of water-based liquid ink. From the reservoir, the ink is drawn through a feed to the nib and then to the paper via a combination of gravity and capillary action...
, and
mechanical pencilA mechanical pencil is an implement for writing or drawing in which the solid marking core is not bonded to the outer casing, and is designed such that the core is to be extended as its point is worn away.Mechanical pencils are known by many alternative names, some of the most...
s. In addition they produce a range of other luxury goods such as watches, desk accessories and leather goods.
The company was founded in 1846 in
Providence, Rhode IslandProvidence is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island, and one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the estimated second or third largest city in the New England region...
, and initially manufactured gold and silver casings for pencils, reflecting the Cross family's history as jewelers. The company was founded by Richard Cross who passed it on to his son Alonzo T.
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Overview
Cross manufactures ball-point pens,
fountain pensA fountain pen is a nib pen that, unlike its predecessor the dip pen, contains an internal reservoir of water-based liquid ink. From the reservoir, the ink is drawn through a feed to the nib and then to the paper via a combination of gravity and capillary action...
, and
mechanical pencilA mechanical pencil is an implement for writing or drawing in which the solid marking core is not bonded to the outer casing, and is designed such that the core is to be extended as its point is worn away.Mechanical pencils are known by many alternative names, some of the most...
s. In addition they produce a range of other luxury goods such as watches, desk accessories and leather goods.
History
The company was founded in 1846 in
Providence, Rhode IslandProvidence is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island, and one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the estimated second or third largest city in the New England region...
, and initially manufactured gold and silver casings for pencils, reflecting the Cross family's history as jewelers. The company was founded by Richard Cross who passed it on to his son Alonzo T. Cross. The company developed many innovative new writing instruments, including forerunners of the modern mechanical pencils, and the earliest stylographic pens. The company was sold to Walter R. Boss in 1916 and members of the Boss family remain on the board of directors. The company has been publicly owned since 1971.
Products
Cross is well known for its writing instrument lines, beginning with mechanical pencils and produced the first stylographic (a technological forerunner of the modern ball point pen) pens in 1879. The current product line includes fountain pens, ball-point pens, gel pens and mechanical pencils. The first Cross fountain pens were likely produced in 1930, but not again until the 1980s.
Cross writing instruments are generally sold in the mid-range of the market, rather than the extreme luxury end. However, they became a "must-have" accessory for the rising professional during the 1970s and 1980s.
The company also manufactures a range of wristwatches, cufflinks, desk accessories and leather goods such as pen cases, key fobs, and portfolios, and other items often targeted at the gift market.
In late 1997 Cross and
IBMInternational Business Machines Corporation, abbreviated IBM, is a multinational computer technology and IT consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, Town of North Castle, New York, United States. The company is one of the few information technology companies with a continuous history dating...
teamed-up to introduce a digital writing pad, called the
CrossPadIn 1997, the A. T. Cross Company and IBM co-marketed an electronic notepad called the CrossPad. The special pen contained a small radio transmitter which told the special pad where it was writing...
.
Outsourcing
Due to rising financial difficulties in the early 2000s, A.T. Cross began to outsource the manufacturing of its products to
ChinaThe People's Republic of China , commonly known as China, is the largest country in East Asia and the most populous in the world with over 1.3 billion people, approximately one-fifth of the world's population...
. By 2006, all Cross pen products were Chinese-made, the company had sold the
Rhode IslandRhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
building that housed its headquarters, and the U.S.-based portion of its workforce numbered under 100.
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