Our Factory

Our skills

Established in the Val d'Ajol in the Vosges for more than 180 years, Buyer's company, proud of its roots, defends and claims "Made in France".

Generations of workers, men and women succeeded and adapted to the new technologies in order to keep at the cutting-edge of the requirements of the craft. With their rich, rare know-how and their sincere corporate culture they represent an indispensable and precious manual craftsmanship, and they are the pride and the reputation of the company De Buyer. In the workshops of the factory, equipped with a permanently evolving machine park with ancient machines as well as with numerical systems, each pan, saucepan or small equipment is machined by stamping, cutting, bending, welding, polishing, ...

The company employs more than 170 people which are distributed over the different departments and workshops.

Here is paid tribute to the crafts and to the know-how which are proper to the manufacturing of our over two thousand cooking and bakery utensils.

The blacksmith

The forger is shaping the metal on the lever press by applying strong pressures. The part takes shape, by a skillful dose of strike and the positioning of the metal on the tool: with each strike it is thinning, winding and twisting. The forger guides its position, reverses it, and in the end the piece of raw metal has become an authentic component of our cooking utensils.

Worked material : Aluminum, stainless steel, brass

De Buyer products : Roasting pan handle, bowl handle, lid handle

The shearer

The shearer is the first person to work on the metal sheets which are delivered by the steelworks. Using large thin sheets he cuts the material according to precise dimensions into strips, squares or disks which shall be stamped or bent in order to form the products.

Worked material : Steel, stainless steel, multi-layer stainless steel, aluminum, copper&stainless steel, copper.

De Buyer products: Any kind of metallic utensil for cooking, preparation and pastry-making.

The stamper

On the oldest press of the factory, the stamper adjusts the pressure of 250 tons with a precision of 1/10 millimeter, and adapts lubrication according to the used material, forming, in a mastered sliding process, hollow parts which are drawn by transformation of the metal disks. Each form has its own tool, and each tool has its parameters.

Worked material : Steel, stainless steel, multi-layer stainless steel, copper&stainless steel, copper.

De Buyer products : Saucepan, pan, stewpan, sauté-pan, stockpot, bowl, charlotte mould, lining of isothermal container etc.

The cutter

From stamped raw parts (body of pans, saucepans, stockpots, ...) the cutter is machining the cutting edges in order to make them even, and he finishes the parts by a deburring for softening the edges.

Worked material : Steel, stainless steel, multi-layer stainless steel, copper & stainless steel, copper.

De Buyer products : Saucepan, pan, stewpan, sauté-pan, stockpot, bowl, charlotte mould, lining of isothermal container, etc.

The hammerer

With a precise movement  the hammerer strikes the welding in order to make the stamped sheets perfectly smooth before the polishing of the material. He strikes also angles with edges for making them smooth and rounded.

Worked material : Steel, stainless steel

De Buyer products : Lining of isothermal containers, angles of roasting pan

The miller

In the same way as a sculptor, the miller will transform a block of raw material based on the plans provided by the engineering department into a part which will be a component of a tooling or of a machine. According to the complexity of the part to be realized, the miller uses a traditional manual machine or a digital milling center, always with the same target: precision and compliance with the plan.

Worked material : Special steels, stainless steel, aluminum, timber, composite materials

De Buyer products : Tooling, prototype, support, template.

The turner

The turner produces cylindrical parts which are components of tools and machines of the works, by removing chips from the raw material. Based on the plans of the engineering department, the turner forms the part with a precision of 1/10 millimeter with cutting tools in carbide or high speed steel, he handles these  verniers*  to obtain the wanted profile.

Worked material : Special steels, stainless steel, aluminum

De Buyer products : Tooling, prototype, support, template.

* vernier: graduated scale which is fixed on the sliding feet or other measuring instruments, permitting to improve the precision of analogue reading.

The adjuster

The adjuster assembles new and repaired tools or modifies existing worn or altered tools. He combines the different parts which were machined on site with standard parts (screws, punches, ...) and adjusts the different elements in order to obtain a functional and precise tool.

Worked material : Special steels, stainless steel, aluminum, timber, composite materials

De Buyer products : Stamping tool, cutting tool, pitch tool

The groover

The groover transforms the interior raw structure of a stamped product in order to provide it with a structure which is not only aesthetic but also functional: the microgrooves formed by abrasion permit the homogeneous spread of grease during the cooking processes. For the high-end products, after a digital grooving the groover finishes the product manually by applying a piece of emery inside the rotating product.

Worked material : Copper & stainless steel, stainless steel, multi-layer stainless steel

De Buyer products : Saucepan, stewpan, pan, sauté-pan, ...

The polisher

The art of the polisher is bringing out the beauty of the raw material. It is the craft of a goldsmith, requiring patience, precision and know-how. After the application of the polishing paste on a cotton disk, the polisher adjusts his movement and his force in order to provide the material with a mirror finish. Manual polish is reserved to the noblest products of our assortment.

Worked material : Copper, stainless steel, multi-layer stainless steel, brass

De Buyer products :  A wide range of utensils for cooking preparation and pastry-making, knife handle

The welder

This art metal fusion has multiple facets: according to the diversity of forms and the requirement of each material the welder adapts his technique and his process. The welding process, whether by TIG*, point welding or disk welding,  always requires  a steady hand, a precise movement and long hours of practical experience.

Worked material : Steel, stainless steel

De Buyer products : Baking tray, blued iron pan, pastry rings, long moulds, pastry moulds, lining of isothermal chest, piston funnel, ...

* TIG welding: Tungsten Inert Gas = arc welding process with one non-fusible electrode. "Tungsten" is the electrode, and "inert gas" is the used gas type.

The riveter

Riveting is a technique which is used in aeronautics for the construction of planes and also for the construction of the Eiffel Tower. It is the guarantee for a robust and long-lasting assembly. The riveter adapts the material of the rivet to the material of the manufactured utensil. He positions the parts in perfect alignment and applies a pressure which is heading* the rivet by deformation. The riveting is the last assembly operation for the polished part. For this reason, during the boring and the heading stage the riveter must operate with high precision in order not to alter the product.

Worked material : Aluminum, steel and stainless steel rivets

De Buyer products: Handles of cooking utensils made of steel sheet, copper&stainless steel, stainless steel and multi-layer steel, LE TUBE, mandolines, ...

Boilermaker and bender

The boilermaker and bender will use side plates which are cut at a precision of 1/10 mm, and with common tools he will work out a product in successive stages. The metal may be manually bent, rolled or formed on a template in order to get a simple form such as a square or a complex form like the outline of the map of France. The bender is assisted today by digital controls and may concatenate various bending tasks in order to form more and more complex products.

Worked material : Steel, stainless steel, aluminum

De Buyer products : Baking tray, pastry ring and frame, straight "Génoise" mould, roasting pan, parts for piston funnel, tart rings, ...

The shear-former

The shear-forming is a highly specialized and rare industrial process which pushes the limits of the material. The shear-former uses a simple metal disk and pushes the material with a roller against a counter-form (mandrel). Under the pressure, the sheet deforms, gets thinner and sticks to the mandrel, forming a hollow body. The parameters of the operation require a precision of 1/100 mm; the slightest temperature variation alters the adjustment, and the shear-former must permanently adapt. The operation is finished by edging, and a finished raw product comes out of the machine.

Worked material : Steel, stainless steel, copper

De Buyer products : Flat bottom bowl, Chinese strainer, piston funel

The programmer

With the modernization of the works and the integration of robots, new professions have been created.  The programmer must know the technique of the craft (polishing, brushing, cutting, ...) as well as the digital language of the machine. Where robots are substituting the hand of man, man must program the movement precisely. Robotics is in permanent evolution and requires training hours and constant adaptation.

Worked material : Steel, stainless steel, multi-layer stainless steel, aluminum, copper&stainless steel

De Buyer products : CHOC aluminum pan, kitchen utensils, miscellaneous preparation utensils

The marker

Since its invention the laser is finding permanently new applications. Today the marker is using it by focusing its beam in order to engrave the products. He uses an illustration, an appropriate selection of lenses as well as well-mastered parameters, and he may choose between vaporizing the material or burning it into the surface. The marker is making the last manufacturing task on the product before the packaging. He provides it with a customization and a signature.

Worked material : Stainless steel, multi-layer stainless steel, copper&stainless steel

De Buyer products : Stewpan, saucepan, straight sauté-pan, knives, pastry rings, spatulas, ...

The injector

The machine for the manufacturing of silicone moulds transforming a liquid material in a flexible mould is the result of the technical development unique to De Buyer. The controlling injector operates on an impressive number of parameters in order to get an optimized circulation of the material inside the tool, avoiding air bubbles and other imperfections in the final mould. The injector practices a bit of chemistry, because he is in charge of the preparation and the mixing of the material.

Worked material : Silicone

De Buyer products : Elastomoule

The draper

A new material arrived with a new activity in the workshops - the manufacturing of knives. The carbon cloth requires a new craft: the draper. A bit of a tailor, a bit of chemistry, the draper cuts pieces of carbon cloth, coats them with resin and then, layer by layer, gives a shape to the profiles which are becoming - after assembly and sanding - components of the knives.

Worked material : Carbon fiber, epoxy resin

De Buyer products : Knives

The assembler

The most technical products developed by De Buyer may consist of about 20 parts. The assembler proceeds step by step, meticulously assemblying and inserting the screws, the clipping, lubrication etc. Afterwards he has to check the correct function of the finished product.

Worked material : Parts made of stainless steel, steel, plastic, silicone

De Buyer products : Piston funnel, Le Tube, mandolines, enrobing system, smoker, Corers, spatulas, tomato slicer.

Conditioner

This profession has always existed in the company. Formerly, a simple sheet of paper was folded skillfully in order to wrap the product coming out of the production chain. Today the conditioner must manage a variety of configurations: Labels, sheathes, bags, boxes, wedges and protections, user's instructions. The packaging shall not only present the product, but also protect and inform. The conditioner is the last operator before shipping, and thus he also warrants the quality of the product.

Worked material : Cardboard, paper, plastic

De Buyer products : All de Buyer products