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Success from the Start
Founded in 1917, the company came into existence when Harry L. Fellowes bought
a fledgling box business from an acquaintance, Walter Nickel, who was called up
during World War I. Purchased for just $50, the company manufactured and sold a
corrugated filing box designed for bank records. With a newly passed amendment
instituting a federal income tax, records retention became a necessity. The
timing was excellent for a strong and affordable source for records keeping.
Soon after the war, Walter Nickel rejoined Harry. In a patriotic tribute, they
named their product the Liberty Box which soon became popular with a variety of
businesses. As the product lines expanded to meet the demands of office
environments over the next 60 years, the boxes turned into entire systems of
efficient records management. This prosperous period in the company's history
also saw leadership transition to the second generation, as Harry's son Folger
became President in 1951, while his son John became Vice President.
Rapid Growth in the
Information Age
The Information Age spurred a new period of growth for Fellowes®. In
the hands of John Fellowes, and later his sons, James and Peter, the
company continued its tradition of innovation. By envisioning the
computer as the centre of individual workstations in the early 80's,
Fellowes created an entire range of products for the office workstation
that helped people manage increasing loads of information. As
technology moved into mobile devices like laptop computers, mobile
phones and PDAs, Fellowes developed innovative products to facilitate
their use.
In 1982, Fellowes entered into a licensing agreement
with a German company to distribute commercial shredders in the United
States. Based on the outstanding success of this venture, Fellowes
designed and manufactured its own product, introducing the first line
of personal shredders in 1990. No one could have predicted the
phenomenal response to this new product, and almost overnight the
company had a strong consumer product that complemented its established
commercial business.
Globalization and Transition
Fellowes built an international presence with the start of operations
in the Malaysia in 1972, followed by Canada in 1973. The 1980s
saw Australia and The Netherlands added to the roster. Expansion
accelerated in the 1990s with the entry into Germany, France, Italy,
Poland and Japan. More recently, Fellowes has entered China, Korea,
Singapore, Russia and Spain. Including extensive export operations,
Fellowes now sells products in over 100 countries.
Globalization has also played a major role in
Fellowes' transformation in building a global supply chain. Today,
Fellowes owns and operates strategic locations in North America, Europe
and Asia that allow the company to leverage its strengths and
economically deliver its brands around the world.
Embracing Change and
the Future
Throughout Fellowes history, we have embraced change. With the start of
the new millennium, we have made a significant transition from a
manufacturing-centric company to a consumer-driven one with a focus on
building brands. We will continue to build our market-leading positions
in business machines and records storage. We also see growth potential
in our office accessories business. Consistent with our heritage of
innovation, we are exploring new product and service categories.
Unquestionably, the continuing development of our global ventures is a
major opportunity for growth.
From our humble beginnings in a family kitchen,
Fellowes has grown to become a global company. As we look back with
pride on our rich legacy, we can't help but be energized by a future
that is equally rich with possibilities.
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