Remember all those times, when you made an error in your school project, an application form and didn’t want to make things dirty by crossing it out. Or, when you were dying to finish the crossword in the day’s newspaper, but just could not spot the eraser. The Frixion ball pen, from the stable of Pilot, is your best bet in all such situations.
Imported, packed and marketed in India by Luxor Writing Instrument, the new Pilot Frixion pen is equipped with a temperature-sensitive ink. This thermo-sensitive “Metamocolor” ink becomes translucent when exposed to temperature over 650 degree Celsius. Thus, one can simply erase the writing by rubbing with the end stub of the pen. The friction caused by rubbing will generate heat and the ink disappears almost instantaneously.
Frixion, the result of 32 years of dedicated research by Pilot Japan, was test marketed in India in 2008. However, the new Frixion pen takes the clever ink technology a step forward. Its built-in erasable roller ball ensures that there is no eraser dust or smudging. The ink can also be erased with any hard plastic as all one needs is friction. The writing can be reactivated by subjecting it to freezing temperatures of about minus 100 degree Celsius. Needless to say, it is advisable not to risk using this pen to sign or write on cheques and examination papers.
The Frixon ball pen is targeted at all those who still prefer pen and paper over the keyboard, says Pooja Jain, executive director of Luxor Writing Instrument. “It would enable people to write without the fear of making errors,” she says. Primarily a fun product, it is targeted at students as well as young professionals. The company would principally focus on school and college students above the age of 10 in metro and mini metro towns.
For the records, the writing instrument market in India is estimated at $1 billion, growing at 8-10 per cent annually.
To woo the young consumer, the Pilot Frixion is available in vibrant shades of blue, black, green, purple, pink and red and is attractively shaped, with a 0.7mm cone tip. Priced at Rs 125, it is available at all Luxor stores and prominent stationery outlets.
To begin with, the company will focus on below-the-line activities, with an accent on point of purchase. Luxor also has plans to promote its Frixion pens through the print and electronic media, informs Jain. It was in the early 1980s that Luxor brought Pilot pens to India. Jain believes that consumers are continuously looking for something new and Luxor strives hard to address that need. “We have some other new products slated for launch later this year under some of the other brands in our kitty, like Parker and Waterman,” says Jain.
