Klio-Eterna Schreibgeräte

What Klio-Eterna Schreibgeräte does

Klio-Eterna Schreibgeräte GmbH & Co KG is a family-owned German manufacturer of promotional ballpoint pens, founded in 1899 in Wolfach in the Black Forest region. The company manufactures every plastic ballpoint pen at its single Wolfach site, controlling all production stages in-house: refill manufacturing, plastic injection molding, printing, assembly and shipping. It sells exclusively on a business-to-business basis through the German and European advertising specialty trade (Werbeartikel-Fachhandel) and does not transact directly with end customers; prospective buyers without a dealer are routed to a partner via the website inquiry function. Management is held by Edeltraud Syllwasschy and Michael Gleich as Geschäftsführer of the general-partner entity, with no external investors, parent company, or subsidiaries disclosed.

The product portfolio centers on plastic and metal ballpoint pens, spanning 24+ models including the Jona, Klix, Push, Icy and Boa series, with specialty variants such as desk pens and USB pens. Three material sub-brands address differentiated demand: Recycling pens from recycled ABS (rABS), Bio pens from bio-based PLA, and the Boa matt eco+wood pen incorporating visible wood-fiber residues from regional sawmills. The Antibac sub-brand embeds silver-ion additives during injection molding for permanent antibacterial and antiviral protection, certified to ISO 22196 and ISO 21702. Ink conforms to ISO 12757-2 document-safe and REACH standards. The company is EMAS-certified, sources 100% renewable electricity, and has reduced CO2 emissions from 400 to 70 tons since 2017, with residual emissions offset through PRIMAKLIMA.

The revenue model is one-time unit sales of customized pens through dealers, with minimum order quantities of 100–500 pieces for standard products and 3,000 pieces for custom CI colors (with a €300 RRP surcharge for Pantone/HKS/RAL color matching). Pricing on the published catalog ranges from €19 to €983 per piece. Customer segments include SMEs and large corporations using pens as promotional media, sustainability-focused companies seeking eco-friendly branded merchandise, healthcare and hygiene-sensitive environments requiring antibacterial writing instruments, and government and public-sector buyers. Geographic coverage is concentrated in the DACH region with documented sales into France and a multilingual (DE/EN/FR) website supporting broader European outreach.

Name

Klio-Eterna Schreibgeräte

Legal name

Klio-Eterna Schreibgeräte GmbH & Co KG

Website

https://klio.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1899

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Klio-Eterna Schreibgeräte is a family-owned German manufacturer founded in 1899 in Wolfach, producing promotional ballpoint pens entirely in-house. It serves European corporate, sustainability-focused, healthcare and public-sector buyers exclusively through the advertising specialty trade dealer channel.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Wolfach

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Custom Promotional Ballpoint Pens: One-time purchase of customized ballpoint pens manufactured to customer specifications including corporate branding, special colors, and custom configurations. Revenue generated through direct manufacturer-to-dealer sales with minimum order quantities starting at 100 pieces for standard products and 3,000 pieces for special colors.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Klio-Eterna Schreibgeräte is a German manufacturer of promotional ballpoint pens, producing its full plastic pen range entirely in-house at its Wolfach, Black Forest facility — from refill manufacturing, injection molding, printing, and assembly through to shipping. The company offers custom-branded pens in plastic and metal, including specialized sub-lines such as recycled (rABS), bio-based (PLA/wood fiber), and antibacterial (silver-ion) variants, sold exclusively B2B through the advertising specialty trade.

Product overview

Klio-Eterna Schreibgeräte is a German manufacturer of promotional ballpoint pens offering a comprehensive portfolio of writing instruments. The core product line consists of plastic ballpoint pens (ABS and M-ABS materials) and metal ballpoint pens, all manufactured in-house at their Wolfach facility. The product portfolio includes multiple pen models (Push, Klix, Jona, Icy, and 18+ others), supported by sub-brands addressing sustainability (Recycling pens from recycled ABS, Bio pens from PLA/biomass, Boa matt eco+wood from bio-based plastic with wood fibers) and hygiene (Antibac pens with silver ion antimicrobial protection). Additional offerings include Cases & Etuis for pen storage, and specialty models such as desk pens and USB ballpoint pens. The company controls all production stages internally—including refill manufacturing, injection molding, printing, and assembly—enabling customization options such as special colors from 3,000 pieces and various imprinting techniques.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Plastic Ballpoint Pens Klio-Eterna's primary product line: plastic ballpoint pens manufactured entirely in Germany at their Wolfach facility, from refill production through injection molding, printing, and assembly. Customizable with company branding and special colors.
• Metal Ballpoint Pens Metal ballpoint pens sourced from controlled trade, offered alongside the plastic pen lineup for premium promotional use.
• Antibac Antibacterial Ballpoint Pens Ballpoint pens with silver ion additives embedded in the plastic during injection molding, providing >99% reduction of pathogenic microbes after 24 hours, tested to ISO 22196 (antibacterial) and ISO 21702 (antiviral) standards. Targeted at healthcare and hygiene-sensitive environments.
• Recycling Ballpoint Pens Ballpoint pens made from recycled ABS material (rABS), using the company's own regenerates and industrial plastic waste, manufactured entirely in Germany.
• Bio Ballpoint Pens Ballpoint pens made from bio-based plastics including PLA (polylactic acid) from plant starch, industrially compostable per DIN EN 13432, with granules sourced from domestic plants.
• Boa matt eco+wood Ballpoint pen made from bio-based plastic with visible wood fibers from regional sawmill waste, free of fossil components, microplastics, BPA and PFAS, industrially compostable.
• Jona Ballpoint Pen Series The company's bestseller among promotional ballpoint pens, available in multiple variants including recycling, high gloss, transparent, ice, matt, softgrip, and softtouch finishes, with options for metal tips and clips.
• Klix Ballpoint Pen Series Classic retractable ballpoint pen with minimalist design and discreet push button, available in high gloss and transparent variants with optional metal tips.
• Push Ballpoint Pen Series Retractable ballpoint pen with distinctive push clip and subtle barrel, combining modern aesthetics with functional design in high-gloss and transparent plastic variants.
• Icy Ballpoint Pen Series Timeless ballpoint pen with fixed metal clip and linear design, available in classic colors such as black, white, red, and blue, in frosted and silver-coated plastic variants.
• Cases & Etuis Protective cases and pouches for ballpoint pens, available in cardboard or plastic variants with options including lids, viewing windows, magnetic closures, linen or carbon finish, and transparent designs.
• Deskpen Stand-up Ballpoint Pen Stand-up ballpoint pen design, one of the specialty models in the product range.
• USB Ballpoint Pens (Turnus) Ballpoint pens with integrated USB functionality, combining writing instrument with digital storage capability.

Quantifiable outcome

• CO2 emissions reduced from 400 to 70 tons since 2017
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting and minor.

• amfori BSCIcoreOthersKlio-Eterna is a member of amfori BSCI (Business Social Compliance Initiative), which advocates for fair working conditions, ethical trade, and responsible sourcing in global supply chains.
• SedexcoreOthersKlio-Eterna is a member of Sedex, an organization working to improve ethical supply chain practices globally.
• PRIMAKLIMAsupportingOthersCarbon offset partnership through PRIMAKLIMA for CO2 emissions from remaining production, supporting reforestation and forest protection projects in certified initiatives in Indonesia, Cambodia, and Uganda.
• OVH GmbHsupportingTechnology or IntegrationExternal hosting provider for the Klio-Eterna website, based in Saarbrücken, Germany.
• CleverReach GmbH & Co. KGsupportingTechnology or IntegrationNewsletter service provider used to organize and analyze newsletter distribution to customers and prospects.
• Carl Leipold GmbHminorGTM or Marketing PartnerVideo collaboration creating a series about Klio-Eterna's production and the 'Schwarzwaldkuli' (Black Forest ballpoint pen) featuring Carl Leipold GmbH.
• SinusQuadratminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDigital agency and software development company from Offenburg that developed Klio-Eterna's website.
• Hochschule OffenburgminorOthersUniversity of Applied Sciences from Offenburg visited Klio-Eterna to learn about innovative part feeding systems for assembly automation machines.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• BIC: Global mass-market writing instrument manufacturer with a broad promotional-products offering; overlaps with Klio-Eterna in ballpoint pens but competes primarily on price and scale rather than customization depth.
• Faber-Castell: Large German writing instrument and art supplies manufacturer with a wider product portfolio; overlaps in ballpoint pens and German manufacturing heritage but addresses a broader consumer and creative-prosumer market.
• Pilot: Japanese global writing instrument manufacturer with a substantial ballpoint pen portfolio including promotional SKUs; competes broadly in the same product category but at much larger scale.
• Lamy: German premium writing instrument brand; comparable German manufacturing base and brand heritage but skews to consumer/premium retail rather than the promotional B2B channel.
• Pentel: Japanese writing instrument maker with global distribution and ballpoint pen offerings that overlap with Klio-Eterna in the promotional-products channel, though not specialized in custom German-made promotional SKUs.

Emerging players

• DJOIS / CrisMa (promotional pens, Germany): Specialist European promotional pen manufacturer focusing on private-label and custom promotional writing instruments — overlapping in dealer-channel distribution and customization offerings.

Direct peers

• Senator: German manufacturer of promotional writing instruments, directly comparable in product category, B2B Werbeartikel distribution model, customization capabilities, and 'Made in Germany' positioning.
• UMA Schreibgeräte: German manufacturer of promotional ballpoint pens and writing instruments distributed via the Werbeartikel-Fachhandel; closely overlapping target customer base and product category.
• Schneider Schreibgeräte: German family-owned writing instrument manufacturer producing ballpoint pens and markers for promotional and office channels; comparable in heritage, German production base, and B2B promotional-product focus.
• Prodir: Swiss/European manufacturer of promotional ballpoint pens with strong focus on customization, sustainable materials, and design — overlapping directly with Klio-Eterna's premium promotional pen offering and dealer channel.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/klioeterna
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/klio-eterna-schreibgeraete-gmbh
• Instagraminstagram.com/klio_eterna
• Xx.com/Klio_Eterna

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Klio-Eterna Schreibgeräte