The fountain pen market was in decline in the 1970s. The ballpoint pen was the writing instrument of choice in a rapidly changing world. Pelikan was also clearly in trouble. Like other pen manufacturers such as Parker, the company did not simply develop new lines within traditional markets, but moved more aggressively into an ever-broader range of products, including steps into the emerging field of information technology. However, in the waning days of the industrial age and before the information age had fully emerged, diversification for its own sake was not enough. Nor was Pelikan unique. A costly failure, emblematic of the company's challenges, was its attempt to enter the photocopier business. Pelikan's product was expensive and did not work well (Pelikan Pens: History).

 

In 1978, Pelikan became a stock corporation, with all shares held by the Beindorf family, and the company was reorganized. At that time, the company's 40 subsidiaries, which also manufactured products from outside the industry, such as books and even cosmetics and pet food, generated worldwide sales of 930 million DM. However, many of the new products, which were designed to meet or set current trends, had short life spans. While some product divisions were successful⁽¹⁾, other parts of the Pelikan Group and some of the worldwide subsidiaries did not make a profit. In particular, Pelikan Informationstechnik GmbH & Co KG (the photocopier division) made losses (Pelikan: Ein Unternehmen schreibt Geschichte). 

 

By the early 1980s, the company, still undercapitalized, was in trouble. Pelikan went into receivership in 1982 (Pelikan Pens: History). Three days after the new CEO, Kurt Hackel, took office in 1982, he filed a petition for composition with the district court in Hanover. A lack of cooperation between the heirs of the Beindorf family, a lack of capital and a loss-making photocopier business were quickly identified as the causes of the crisis. The reorganization plan that was drawn up provided for a return to the company's traditions (Pelikan: Ein Unternehmen schreibt Geschichte)".

Under Hackel's leadership, unprofitable businesses were liquidated. On the other hand, the old model 400 was reintroduced in 1982 under the name Souverän (sovereign) M400, which was the renaissance of the classic full-open nib pen in its true sense⁽²⁾. According to the brochure for the launch of Souverän M400 (Fig.6):

"Die zeit ist reif für den neuen, alten Pelikan.
Pelikan Souverän 
Eine Antwort auf die Suche nach werten".

(The time is ripe for the new, old Pelikan.
Pelikan Sovereign
A response to the search for values).  

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"Here is the new, old Pelikan Souveran, new because it is now being manufactured again after a creative break of many years. It is also new because we have refined its equipment wherever technical progress has made it useful. The same finely engraved 14 karat gold nib, the original green/black surface texture, the same gold-plated Pelikan Schnabel clip, the original classic piston mechanism. The new original".

 

Although because of the settlement payment, the company could not afford the advertising costs, the pen was a huge success. The retailer enthusiastically stocked and sold the pen. Thanks in large part to the pen's sales, the company was back in the black by the end of the year (Pelikan: Ein Unternehmen schreibt Geschichte).  

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In spite of the difficulties, Pelikan advertised with the slogans "Pelikan, for the office of the future" and "From youth on with Pelikan" on the carriages of the Hanover tram from 1982 on, and wanted to convey one thing above all: the company was getting back on its feet. The comeback of model 400 was one of the reasons for this (Pelikan: Ein Unternehmen schreibt Geschichte). The revival of the 400 helped the revival of Pelikan⁽³⁾.

 

M400 was an exact copy of the old 400: although the manufacturing innovations in the filling mechanism, feed, and cap construction were not visible (Pelikan: Ein Unternehmen schreibt Geschichte), each of them was in its ultimate perfection.

• Nib unit: Like the first version of original 400, the nib unit was friction fit: the collar was reinforced with a metal ring, which was not threaded (Fig.3-3,3-4). After a while, it reverted to a traditional screw-in fit. Initially, the nib was a monochrome 14 carat gold (Fig.3-1). The feed has large-capacity compensation chambers consisting of numerous fins (Fig.3-2). This multi-finned feed format has been in use since 1971 and was further modified for model 400. Numerous fins serve as a "thermic-regulator" to prevent ink leakage even with changes in temperature and air pressure. The feed has a complex air channel independent of an ink channel (Fig.3-2).

• Cap: the cap unit consists of four parts: a cap tube, an inner cap with a cap top, a clip, and a crown that holds these three parts in place. The cap tube was decorated with a wide metal ring, which was engraved "W-GERMANY PELIKAN". The clip resembles the head and beak of a pelican, as in original 400 (Fig.2-4). The end of the cap tube has protrusions inside (Fig.2-2), and the end of the inner cap has notches (Fig.2-1). When the inner cap is inserted into the cap tube, they engage to hold the inner cap in place. Also, there is a protrusion on the outside of the tip of the cap tube (Fig.2-2). When the clip is placed on the cap tube, the protrusion engages with the base of the clip, and the clip does not rotate around the cap tube. Finally, the cap tube, inner cap, and clip are firmly secured by the crown. When in the correct position, the clip comes just below the Pelikan logo.

• Body: Like original 400, the body consists of two parts: the section and the barrel. The barrel further consists of two layers: an inner transparent tube (made of acrylic resin) and a outer translucent green striped tube (made of cellulose acetate)(Pelikan’s Perch, Collectors Weekly) (Fig.4-2). 

• Filling system: the spindle and turning knob are not fixed, but are separate parts (Fig.5-3), which may contribute to serviceability and productivity. Such a method has been adopted from M400. The filling mechanism is friction-fit to the barrel (Fig.5-1).

 

This model has been the backbone of the Pelikan fountain pen business. The variants M600, M800, and M000 were developed on its basis (Pelikan: Ein Unternehmen schreibt Geschichte).

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By the way, when the M400 was first imported to Japan, the 400NN (Merz & Krell) was still on the market as the "400", although it had already fallen out of the catalog. To avoid confusion, the M400 was sold as the "500" in Japan (万年筆評価の部屋). So, "500" was a Japanese-only designation and was actually the same as M400.

 

Note;⁽¹⁾The adventures of TKKG, which were published by the company's own Pelikan-Verlag and presented at the 31st International Frankfurt Book Fair in 1979, became a success. In 1980, the first five titles in the youth book series were published and became bestsellers. 

⁽²⁾At the end of the 1970s, there was a slight upswing in the fountain pen business for adults. Pelikan started a new initiative in 1979 with model Signum. This slim pens had an open nib. But, Signum was not so successful as Pelikan expected. With the reintroduction of model 400, Pelikan was finally able to return to its former greatness in the fountain pen business (Pelikan: Ein Unternehmen schreibt Geschichte).

⁽³⁾In 1984, however, the company itself was taken over by the Swiss Condorpart AG, a member of the Metro Group (German wholesale and retail group offering food and non-food products). Pelikan not only had to part with a number of unprofitable products, but also with 30% of its employees. The German Pelikan AG was now one of 40 companies of the Pelikan Holding/Switzerland, whose majority shares were held in 1996 by the Malaysian multimillionaire Hooi Keat Loo with his company GOODACE SDN BHD (Pelikan: Ein Unternehmen schreibt Geschichte).