Towards a Sustainable Future!

For almost 100 years, Ritter-Pen has been manufacturing writing instruments in its own production facility in the Odenwald region. The philosophy “From the idea to the finished product” still holds true today, just as it did at the time of its founding. With its core competencies in toolmaking, plastic injection molding, finishing and assembly, the company is holistically positioned and can look positively towards the future.

Tradition and Location

That one of the leading specialists for the production of writing instruments is located in the tranquil Brensbach in the Odenwald region is not immediately obvious. However, the first thermoplastic plastics were processed here as early as 1932. Since the 1990s, Ritter-Pen has been active in the promotional products market. To this day, Ritter-Pen’s writing instruments are manufactured in its own factory in the Odenwald.

“From design to tools, injection molding, and assembly, all the way to printing and shipping – everything happens right here,” says Frank den Daas, who has been supporting the management team around Arno Ritter since spring.

Quality Pays Off

Ritter-Pen is particularly proud of its in-house toolmaking department, as toolmakers are becoming increasingly rare. For some time now, the Ritter Tech business unit has offered the option of taking on the design of injection molds, the production of plastic parts, or the manufacturing of 3- and 5-axis milled parts for other industries as well.

The molds for Ritter-Pen’s writing instruments are also manufactured in the company’s own workshop. “It can take three to four months for a single injection mold to be finally produced,” reports den Daas. “Of course, manufacturing the molds is complex and costly, but they are also extremely durable.” Since Ritter itself produces high volumes, Ritter Tech also enjoys a good reputation in other industries.

The finished injection molds are then used just a few meters away in the injection molding department. Several employees are responsible for the machines, which must be regularly refilled with new plastic granulate. “The demands on our employees are constantly increasing, because the variety of materials means there is more to consider. Each material requires a different injection pressure; a deviation of 0.5 bar can make a big difference,” explains Arno Ritter.

Green Focus

Sustainability also plays a major role at Ritter-Pen. This is reflected not only in the fact that the company covers a large part of its electricity needs with the help of its own photovoltaic system on the roofs of its company buildings, but also in the injection molding department. Sprues, which are created during the production of parts, are collected and returned to production in line with the no-waste policy. In particular, the Insider Recycled model consists of 100% ABS regranulate.

The Insider Recycled and numerous other models are offered under the Ritter Cares label. For environmentally conscious buyers, there is a diverse range of pens made from cardboard, post-consumer recycled ABS plastic, bio-based PLA, cellulose acetate, or, more recently, the innovative material PHA.

Ritter-Pen gained particular attention through a collaboration with the drugstore chain dm: From discarded product dividers, Ritter developed ballpoint pens that consist of 100% polycarbonate recyclate. The ballpoint pens were specially designed for dm and, among other awards, received the Promotional Gift Award in the promotional products industry. A shining example that Ritter not only implements its own ideas but also develops exciting products in close cooperation with customers.

While the writing instruments themselves are manufactured in Brensbach, there are still some accessories that are not made of plastic and are not produced by Ritter itself. These are sourced regionally whenever possible or imported from Europe. “We primarily work with long-standing partners. One of these partners is our refill supplier, among others. Despite the geographical distance, we use these refills because the quality is simply right. If we can then offer refills with recycled PP casings in cooperation, the story also fits, which is very important to us,” explains den Daas.

Individual metal parts such as clips or tips, which are used in some models in the Ritter range, are sourced from regional production whenever possible, so that supply chains are kept as short as possible. “It is simply not possible to produce everything ourselves. Especially in the area of refills or metal clips, different expertise is required, so we are happy to rely on our partners,” adds Ritter.

Detail-oriented in Finishing

Even when it comes to finishing, the company relies on short distances. Thus, in the in-house printing facility, machines for screen and digital printing are available, as well as several machines that can perform three- or even five-color prints. New machines, such as the three-color printing machine, are constantly being added here to achieve brilliant results.

The area of digital printing is relatively new. For this printing variant, both barrels and clips of the pen are available. “Especially for multiple print colors or detailed logos and motifs, digital printing is the best choice,” reports Managing Director Ritter. Even if digital printing is somewhat more cost-intensive than conventional screen printing, it has advantages: The setup effort is significantly lower, as no screens need to be produced. Not least for this reason, digital printing is increasingly in demand.

Therefore, when developing new writing instrument models, Ritter also ensures that the parts are designed to meet the requirements of digital printing machines.

Series Assembly and Technology

Ritter also demonstrates sustainability in the area of assembly. In the future, some of the writing instruments will be assembled by a restored machine. “We had a machine for series assembly, which was recently converted in-house by our toolmakers and technicians to a different model. Fine-tuning is currently underway, then the machine can start,” explains Ritter.

The advantage of machine series assembly is that it runs much faster than manual assembly of writing instruments. The restored machine was therefore converted to a new model to speed up the workflow. Here too, the advantages of in-house toolmaking are evident to the managing directors: “Our team restored the machine in-house. Setting it up through the manufacturer would have been very expensive, so we were able to do it ourselves. Even in the event of technical defects, it is worthwhile that someone knows the machine so well that we can repair it with a few simple steps, ideally. These are steps that the public doesn’t even notice, but which are extremely sustainable and helpful for us,” they explain.

Ritter’s People

Despite the machines for series assembly, not all models can be assembled in this way, therefore some writing instruments are assembled in the company or by home workers manually or with the help of assembly devices. The home workers are partly former employees or local residents who earn an additional income through this work.

In addition to home workers, apprentices play an important role for Ritter. Frank den Daas also completed his apprenticeship at Ritter. The motto “Learn at Ritter, stay at Ritter” is extremely important to us. “In the commercial sector, we have trained a large proportion of today’s employees ourselves,” knows the former apprentice.

Den Daas knows the advantages of an apprenticeship at Ritter from his own experience: “The chances of being taken on are definitely very good. Anyone who performs well and is motivated gets the opportunity to stay at Ritter. Even if a suitable position doesn’t immediately arise, but we see potential, we look for ways to retain the apprentice.” Den Daas also recognizes the experience of working through different departments today as a positive aspect: “I also worked in the printing department during my apprenticeship. Later, when I was responsible for the Dutch market, I could explain to customers exactly what options were available.”

Similar to sourcing local products, Ritter also focuses on local recruitment of personnel. “Getting to Darmstadt in the morning often takes an hour or more. If someone decides to move here or stay, then people are happy to remain with the company,” says Ritter.

Even if not every apprentice can become a managing director, it is important to the management that every employee feels seen. “We have regular meetings where someone always brings in new ideas. This can be regarding new materials or entirely different points. As a team, we then check if the idea is feasible. It is important that there are no barriers, not even to the management,” confirm the managing directors.

“Our intention is to regularly engage in personal conversations with every employee. In addition to daily small talk, this is very important to us, especially as a medium-sized company,” adds Ritter.

Outlook on the Future

The young managing director has numerous plans for the traditional company for the future. “We want to make our brands more visible. This includes becoming more present for industrial customers and further promoting Ritter Cares. But Ritter Tech should also become better known, because many companies, even from this region, don’t even know that we also produce for external companies,” explains den Daas.

“With our standards, we meet the spirit of the times, producing locally and sustainably. Even if writing instruments are promotional items, they are ambassadors, and with a good, well-founded story like ours, you receive a valuable product that the customer will appreciate,” adds Ritter.

With inventiveness, a young, motivated team, and a good portion of pride in its own operations, Ritter-Pen is thus moving towards its 100th anniversary with great strides.