A visit to the Delta

In all my years of successful collaboration with Delta, I had never been to Naples to visit the offices and factory.
Finally, invited and urged several times by Nino Marino, I took the plane and went.
The trip was definitely worthwhile: in addition to the personal knowledge and overview of the machinery, I'll now tell you what I took away.

Naturally, a very warm welcome, in the truest Neapolitan style.
As soon as we landed, we were picked up at the airport by Nino Marino himself, who took us to a famous pastry shop—my only regret is that I didn't take a photo of the selection of sfogliatelle, babà, zeppole, pastries, and brioches of every type and, most importantly, every size!—because obviously, you can't go to Naples and not drink a good coffee right away!

The Delta plant is beautiful.
Large, bright, tidy and clean, it doesn't even seem like there are any processes that by their nature make a mess: dust, metals, resin shavings, industrial oils, and yet everything is in order.
The entrance hall is luxurious, all in black, white, and orange, with illuminated display cases showcasing the glories of Delta production from 1982 to its closure in 2017. Plenty of space upstairs, a large open space, and countless desks evoke memories of times gone by, when so many people worked there. There's less staff now, but much greater efficiency; we'll see why.

Factory and warehouse

Nino Marino closed Delta's doors in 2017; and after five years of closure, he reopened it under new management. They had to do some work, of course, to restore it to the state I saw it in; and there's still a lot to do, to verify and inventory the warehouse of semi-finished products, small metal parts, resin bars, and celluloid.

The quantity and variety are impressive.
They're also finding the boxes, the Markiaro leather goods, the warranties, and the shopping bags. It's a huge job.

Also because in the meantime production is continuing at full speed, with many new products in each of the company's 4 brands: Delta, Maiora, Nettuno 1911 and NinoMarino Signature .

This is possible thanks to the ultra-modern and ultra-efficient technology the plant is equipped with: automatic lathes, automatic bar feeders, manual lathes, 3D printing, and laser engraving.
A big change from the “normal” production of the old Delta or almost all the pen factories currently on the market.

When a pen comes off the lathe, however, it bears the marks of the workmanship. First, they need to be sanded, then cleaned and degreased, and finally polished.
In this video we see brushing, with organic blue soap.

Of course, technology does not exclude manual skills.
Some particular shapes, such as the Maiora Golden Age – which Nino Marino defined as “Ultra Ogiva” – need to be finished by hand.

The pens

I've seen all the new products that will be released soon: from the Dune , beautiful and new, and also reasonably priced, considering they have a piston filling system; to the Alessandro Manzoni in various versions (and I still didn't know which one would be chosen), to the Write Balance in many resin colors.

And the Nettuno Superba ! Which are truly magnificent, all of them: from the highly polished black one (thanks to the special brushing/polishing?), to the marbled mother-of-pearl one, in shades of green-brown, and the limited edition in green-grey celluloid, with those arched veins that recall the vintage style of the 1930s model.

The exclusives

As you already know, I have been offered some NOS (new old stock) parts.
On the Giardino Italiano website you can find them identified by the logo

One was the Gallery (who doesn't remember it?), yellow with highly variegated colored veins; a forerunner of the variegated pen trend that has been so successful in the last 2-3 years.
There were only 20 pieces available, including those with silver and gold finishes; they all sold out within days.

And the Blue Moon , from the same family but in shades of blue and red, very varied, with piston filling and inspection window, which mounts a 14kt nib.

The parts are all original , except the nib which is new, from Jowo, available in many nibs: EF, F, M, B, Stub, Flex F and Flex EF.
The pens are all numbered, and after their discovery they were all dismantled, overhauled, and tested.

Could I resist? Obviously not, so I took them all.
Those subscribed to my mailing list already received the offer a few weeks ago (because there's a sale, since they're NOS pieces) and may have already ordered them. There are only a few left, so anyone thinking about it should be careful, as the offer is only valid while supplies last.

The protagonists

And here we are for the group photo in the office:

From left: Maiora's technical director and partner, Gianfranco Raimo ; Nino Marino ; me ; Corinna Marino , his eldest daughter, who patiently tests each nib one by one before shipping; Oksana Kit , his partner, the right-hand woman who knows and recognizes every tiny component of each model. Because we all know how to recognize a pen when it's whole: but I challenge you to confidently and skillfully put together the puzzle from hundreds of different pieces.

However, NOS is not finished.
I don't want to spoil the surprise, but it's going to be a great one, you know. Here's a hint:

Those who subscribe to my mailing list and receive my newsletters will be the first to read the news. It goes without saying that subscribers will receive a free gift with every purchase, right? As always.
Those who are not yet subscribed to the mailing list can do so from the footer of any page on the site.

My visit to Delta was both an exciting and educational experience. Seeing the production facilities and speaking with Delta's leaders immersed me in the spirit of quality and attention to detail that makes Italy one of the most renowned and recognized international manufacturing players in the world.
I thank Delta for their availability and for their valuable collaboration with Giardino Italiano!

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Susanna Buffo
Italian Garden