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Written by JJewell
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 We carry office supplies from literally hundreds of different manufacturers from all over the world. It can be hard sometimes to keep track of them all, so I decided to start learning about some of them. I started with Fellowes because one of their representatives recently came to our office to show us some of their new laminators and shredders. Fellowes is an Illinois based manufacturer that specializes in office equipment such as shredders, binding machines, Bankers Box storage boxes and other items.
The history of Fellowes began way back in 1917 when founder Harry L. Fellowes bought a box making business called Bankers Box from an acquaintance named Walter Nickel who had recently been called to action in World War I. The company built and sold corrugated filing boxes specifically designed for bank records. Mr. Fellowes purchased this company for a mere $50. Soon after, a new amendment was passed that instituted a federal income tax, so suddenly keeping and storing bank records became a necessity.
When Walter Nickel returned home from the war he rejoined the company, and in a patriotic salute, they named their product the Liberty Box. Over the next 60 years, as businesses needs expanded so did their product line, eventually turning into complete records management systems. In the early 1980’s the company’s name was changed to Fellowes as their product line has now expanded to meet the needs of the information age when computers started becoming the centerpiece of personal workstations.
In 1982 Fellowes began distributing commercial paper shredders. The response and demand was so great that in 1990 Fellowes introduced the world’s first line of personal paper shredders. Fellowes now had a strong consumer product to complement their already established line of commercial business products. Fellowes now manufactures some of the finest shredders, laminators, binding machines and other office products as well as continuing to produce the Bankers Box storage boxes that gave them their start.
The main aspect I noticed about Fellowes is their ability to change with the times and provide products necessitated by the advances of technology, and changes in work-culture. Fellowes has grown from a small storage box company into a global office products manufacturer that continues to blossom in the winds of the future.
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