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DURALEX
Famous for Toughened Glassware
Duralex International France
Originally founded by Dessaux, the French Duralex Company first began to manufacture glassware in 1927. In 1930 Dessaux sold the factory to the perfumer Coty. The company was then bought by Saint-Gobain in 1934, making toughened glassware in two factories: one at La Chapelle-Saint-Mesmin near Orléans, Loiret, the other at Rive-de-Gier, Loire.
From 1939 Duralex introduced a tempering and pressing process specially developed by the Saint-Gobain company. The process is based on the principle of thermal shock, with the glass heated to 600°C then cooled very quickly, giving both excellent transparency and impact resistance of well over twice that of normal glass (some say 5 times). The original tempered (toughened) Picardie glasses are still in production in France, and have set a style for many inferior imitators elsewhere.
(Illustration: Duralex sticker from 'vintage' Picardie glasses)
According to Le Figaro newspaper, the Rive-de-Gier factory was later owned by Danone, not Saint-Gobain. The company - or the two factories - was bought by Bormioli Rocco E Figlio, a large glass group in Italy, in 1997 (Le Figaro reports that Rive-de-Gier was bought from Danone in 1996 and La Chapelle-Saint-Mesmin from Saint Gobain in 1997).
Bormioli had apparently intended to close the Rive-de-Gier factory in 2003, but following protests from the workers there was a management buy-out. Pierre-André Froger, one of the original Duralex management and who had transferred to Bormioli, bought both factories in November 2004.
In June 2005 the commercial court in Orléans placed the company into court-supervised administration. It had apparently been suffering from a lack of capital and poor sales. A six-month observation period was set, with a meeting in September 2005 to review the group's progress.
In the autumn of 2005 Sinan Solmaz, a Turkish businessman and shareholder in Duralex, presented the magistrates with a three year plan involving injections of capital during 2006. The rescue package, aiming to maintain production at both French factories, was approved by the court in December 2005.
Once again an independent company, during 2006 Duralex rationalised all its production into the factory at La Chapelle-Saint-Mesmin and introduced other measures aimed at regaining its global markets, whilst always remaining a true French manufacturer of glassware products 'Made in France'. The company remains optimistic about its future.
Note: I am not responsible for the above information. It has been gleaned from other sources, including the French press. Some of the early dates may also be inaccurate - see glass worship »
A selected range of genuine French Duralex glassware made in France is available on this website (see menus).
Other Duralex glassware
Duralex doesn't only make the Picardie range of glasses. There's also the Gigogne, Provence, Prisme, Mistral, Bistro, Universal, Saboya (Savoie), Largos, and Conical, and Duralex is also known for a variety of other (often ornate) items in toughened glass: nesting bowls, cups and saucers, and dinnerware.
Read more about toughened glass »
