Faber-Castell is one of the world's largest manufacturers of pens, pencils, other office supplies (e.g., staplers, slide rules, erasers, rulers) and art supplies, as well as high-end writing instruments and luxury leather goods. It operates 14 factories and 20 sales units (six in Europe, four in Asia, three in North America, five in South America, and one each in Australia and New Zealand). The Faber-Castell Group employs a staff of approximately 7,000 and does business in more than 100 countries.