America's oldest manufacture of fine writing instruments also produce the most resilient pens in the world. A.T. Cross guarantee it .. for life.

When FORTUNE magazine decided to investigate the 'Products that America Makes Best', only one writing instrument was chosen. "Quality is the element that drives this company, it is the reason for its success and it is why people purchase Cross writing instruments. The quality always comes through, they are dependable, excellent value for the dollar and our lifetime guarantee covers incidences that would be unheard of in a normal guarantee", says John E. Buckley, Executive Vice President at Cross.

Cases which attest to the lifetime unconditional guarantee can be found in the 'Dead Pen Department' which houses a collection of Cross instruments that have fallen foul of both human error and incredible misadventure. some bear the imprint of a wayward automobile tyre. Others have plummeted from shirt pocket heights so many times that they are nigh on unrecognisable and still others have met a taudry end at the hands of aggressive seafood; such as the man whose gold pencil was snatched by a lobster in a U.S. restaurant, or the fisherman who upon gutting his prize catch retrieved a Cross pen from its stomach. Letters recount horror tales of baptism by washing machine, tumble dryer; loss in a labyrinth of men's room plumbing and a tour of duty in Vietnam but the most heartening triumph of Cross quality is found in the letters from several policemen who attribute their lives to these versatile instruments.

"The bullet went through my left thumb, then struck the left side of my chest towards the heart", wrote one Officer Duncan of the Denver Police Force. "The bullet, thank God, struck the Cross pen, which was in my left pocket, causing the bullet to change course just enough to avoid hitting my heart and other vital organs ..." Officer Duncan's ink talisman was duly replaced and pictures of the original pen were circulated to the Cross employees in the company magazine, 'Cross-currents'. "When you have a company that is 143 years old, of course there are going to be a lot of stories like these", laughs John Buckley.

Even though a Cross ball point pen will write anywhere from an astonishing 13,000ft to 15,000ft before it begins to show normal wear and tear, and a visitor to the facility will observe Cross pens writing E's and J's (the two letters most likely to give problems) repeatedly over reams of paper each day in post-production testing, the requests for replacement pens arise out of circumstances that are frequently odd to say the very least.

"There are 150-200 operations that we go through in making a ball-point pen. For example, there are minute springs involved that serve certain purposes and are a normal part of our procedure that most companies would not bother with: so in every step of our procedure, we re aware that if there is a problem with the pen whether it be 5, 10 or 15 years from the purchase date, we are responsible. In a sense we still own that pen, it is going to be returned and we are going to have to replace it for free. If we don't care then ultimately our reputation for quality is going to suffer enormously: we will lose the potential customer and our regular purchasers will be hesitant to give Cross instruments as gifts. It may appear on the surface that a lot of our methods re a waste of money and I know that it was an education for me coming here and being involved in the financial side of the business, learning about Cross from this end. A financial controller of course looks at ways to save money and I remember clearly when initially offering my suggestions being told, 'Absolutely not, young financial controller, you have a lot to learn about this company'. And I did!"

America's oldest manufacturer of writing instruments, A.T. Cross, has been servicing the needs of discerning scribes for 143 years. Founded in Rhode Island in 1846 by craftsman and inventor, Alonzo T. Cross, the original objective was the construction and marketing of very elegant, hand-tooled, gold and silver filigree casings for wooden pencils. Ambitious, and a man of considerable foresight, Alonzo T. Cross, soon had over twenty-one patents to his name, developing and marketing several breakthroughs in his field including the first propel-retract mechanical pencil and the Stylographic pen, the instrument with the distinction of being the prototype of the ball-point pen, arguably one of today's most indispensable items. The company has exchanged its initial modest operations for two manufacturing plants in Rhode Island and across the seas in Ballinasloe, Ireland which see the annual revenue sit firmly in the $200 million bracket, but they have remained faithful to both their founder's name and philosophy. The latter embodies an uncompromising devotion to craftsmanship, design and quality which prompted the FORTUNE accolade, and render A.T. Cross the preferred writing implements of Presidents and movie luminaries. Indeed the company has an enviable collection of autographs which show that their product does not miss a single flourishing stroke.

The company was sold in 1916 to Walter R. Boss who in turn brought his sons into the industry and whose grandsons, Bradford and Russell are now Chairman of the Board and President respectively. From Cross to Boss, little of the objectives have changed; Cross refuse to cater for the low end of writing instrument, it is a compromise that they are certain would only serve to jeopardise their reputation for quality, and from the ink to the internal mechanism to the casing, only the finest of materials are used to ensure that the Cross pen given on the first day of school will be the same one signing the marriage Register. The Cross writing system includes; ball point pens, mechanical pencils, rolling/ball porous point pens and fountain pens with finishes ranging from 18 karat gold to sterling silver to plates, rolled gold and chrome. Even the epoxy models have satin finishes and gold electroplate or chrome appointments. Their range of beautifully crafted desk sets has been expanded and designed with the same attention to detail, using materials of the calibre of Mexican onyx, walnut, Macassar ebony wood, leather and fine American cherry wood.

The cost of a Cross writing instrument or desk set ranges from a comfortable Aus $39.95 to $4,500 for the 18kt gold pen and as John Buckley states, the company is not interested in new-fangled gimmicks or gadgetry in their designs. They prefer to rest exclusively with their classic 'Century' design inaugurated in 1946 to commemorate the company's 100th anniversary. It remains the prototype of all Cross instruments with its definitive conical top and streamlined design. A. T. Cross were also the first company to offer a range of models designed exclusively for women in 1968, retaining the 'Century' design but offering an engraved accent band on the barrel and a pen Purse to protect the instruments when not in use.

"The product itself has evolved over time", says John Buckley. "If for example, we looked at the product that was being sold in 1954 - in the Century line - it is not dramatically different in shape to the current line. There are continued changes and improvements made in the feed system; in the inks, in the ball, in the metal that is being used to hold the ball ... but in terms of the design itself there really have not been many changes for quite some time.

"A Mont Blanc or a Waterman would be a much thicker writing instrument: basically the aesthetics of a Cross have been developed from a practical point of view. Whilst one can make a statement by having a Mont Blanc which is certainly an excellent product, if you wish to keep a Mont Blanc ball-point pen, fountain pen and a pencil in your pocket, you could well overbalance! With Cross pens, one can have three or four writing instruments and not be concerned about ripping the pockets of your shirt. Although the slimness is not for everyone, many prefer to have a heavier instrument with a heftier feel. Some people purchase a Cross ball point pen and pencil, but opt to buy a Mont Blanc or a Waterman for their fountain pen, perhaps because they have been longer established in this facet of the industry. It is simply a matter of personal taste".

An important element in the success of A.T. Cross is directly attributable to the working environment and the excellent relations between employer/employee, for which A.T. Cross is renowned. Each employee is a quality control inspector and has the delegated right to reject any instrument at any time for whatever reason he or she deigns fit.

"In the state of Rhode Island, A.T. Cross is recognised as a very successful, a very employee-oriented company. We actually have long waiting lists of people trying to get into the company: when I first came here, we employed seven hundred people and had another one thousand waiting for a vacancy", says Buckley.

"I think that it begins with the attitude of the two principals and from the gentleman before them, their father, W. Russell Boss, he was a very caring person who was very interested in his employees and dedicated to quality product. Both his sons take a sincere interest in their staff - each of our 1,400 S.S. based employees receives a bonus cheque personally from either the Chairman or the President and the staff have direct access to the President via the monthly meetings. If there is any reason for access between the meetings, there are doors open to them all the time. So A.T. Cross is a very caring company especially given that it is also a very fast-growing concern: our sales this year will be in excess of US$225 million.

"Employees often come through families - where a mother and father work at Cross, their son or daughter may follow the tradition. They come into a successful company, they are well compensated, treated with respect - we don't have time clocks and all those other oppressive regiments, there is quite a bit of latitude. The employees have a considerable amount of power within the production process and there is no quota system in that so many units must be produced per day. We make a quality product and everyone gets into the spirit. When we receive accolades in the financial and local press, everyone's morale is boosted as well as through bonuses and vacations. This atmosphere provides the incentive for everyone to do well. We have actually been called one of the most 'Japanese-like' American companies"

This pervasive sense of quality from product environment is an additional reason for A.T. Cross to remain exclusively devoted to superior quality writing instruments. Where A.T. Cross is considerably successful in the international market, they will not cater to high fashion or use multiple colour schemes in their casings which could serve to create awareness in new markets.

"We cannot be all things to all people", says John Buckley. "We believe that if we start becoming involved in the low end then we are going to be giving conflicting signals to our employees. Certainly the most important element in this area would be to produce as many instruments per day as possible. As a result, it would be extremely difficult to talk about proper quality control or even conceive of high end writing instruments. The results would be disastrous. Having the right to reject any product is extremely important because each operator knows that he or she is playing an important part in the Cross success story. In terms of the lifetime guarantee, we could end up with hundreds of millions of pens being returned each year if the employees cannot take a sincere interest in what they are doing. Ultimately, it could be extremely costly for the company, so it is infinitely better to concentrate only on the best product. Quality is always the objective and the major concern and without our employees we do not have a business so it would be fruitless to sacrifice all that we have established over the years".

Whilst A.T. Cross continue to conquer the quality writing instrument sector in the United States, John E. Buckley is characteristically philosophical about breaking the competitive international market wide open.

"There is no question that we have quite a challenge in the international arena but we know that quality is as respected overseas as least as much as it is in the U.S. so our market will continue to grow. We are a very patient company".