New top tableware customer for SACMI-SAMA technology. The historic French manufacturer chooses DUO to glaze its earthenware products, focusing on quality, flexibility and process repeatability.
Founded in 1821 in the heart of the Loire Valley, Faïencerie de Gien has been a symbol of high quality French ceramic art for more than two centuries. The company continues to flourish in today’s challenging global tableware market and recently chose to invest in SACMI technology, focusing on quality and versatility to meet growing demand.
The beginning of this new collaboration was sealed when Gien chose to invest in DUO; the dip-glazing machine developed by SAMA which is ideal for flexible management of small batches of high added value products. Designed for hollow pieces such as bowls, teapots and coffee pots, DUO represents a significant leap in technology compared to manual glazing and guarantees repeatability, precision and consistent quality, even when glazing unique pieces and complex forms.
The first meeting between SAMA and Faïencerie de Gien took place at the Ambiente international trade fair in Frankfurt, international reference point for design and innovation in the tableware sector. There followed a testing period in SAMA confirming that DUO is perfect for glazing the specific earthenware products (faïence) made by Gien, which differ from traditional porcelain and Vitreous China as regards characteristics such as body density and surface behaviour during glazing.
All preliminary testing on real products was successfully completed at SAMA’s pilot plant achieving excellent glaze absorption, adhesion and uniformity, even on unusual or complex earthenware pieces. DUO was therefore set up to operate in synergy with Gien’s approach which concentrates on refined, hand-decorated products and on consolidating its strong identity recognized throughout the world.
Thanks to the programs which can be set up directly from the control panel, DUO is easy-to-use and is perfectly adaptable to both highly automated plants with elevated production volumes as well as smaller outputs of carefully crafted tableware such as that at Gien, where every stage of the work process – from casting to decoration – is carried out with expert skill as a result of two centuries of know-how.
For SACMI this project meant partnership with a new prestigious customer renowned in the field of artistic and decorated ceramic tableware. The use of DUO for this application reaffirmed the suitability of this solution even for unconventional ceramic materials of extremely high quality.