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| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Glass |
| Founded | 1945; 80 years ago (1945) |
| Headquarters | , |
Key people | Antoine Ioannidès |
| Products | Tempered glass tableware and kitchenware |
| Revenue | 30.097M€ (2013)[1] |
| Owner | International Cookware Group |
Number of employees | 220 (2013)[2] |
| Website | duralex |
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Duralex is a Frenchtempered glasstableware andkitchenware manufacturer located inLa Chapelle-Saint-Mesmin inLoiret,France.[3] Using a technique developed in the 1930s bySaint-Gobain, moulded glass is heated to 600 degrees Celsius then cooled very quickly, giving it twice the impact resistance of normal glass.[4]
ThePicardie tumbler and the Gigogne glass are two of the company's best-known products.[3] The "Gigogne" glass is in the permanent collection of theMusée des Arts Décoratifs inParis.[5]
The brand name is derived from the Latin mottodura lex, sed lex ("the law is harsh, but it is the law").[6]
In January 2021, Duralex was acquired by International Cookware group, the owner (outside the USA) of the rivalPYREX brand, for 3.5 million euros ($4.2m).[7] International Cookware promised to maintain the majority of jobs, create a turnaround plan through investment of several tens of millions of euros (including modernization of the antiquated Orléans plant) and create commercial synergies with Pyrex, especially in sales and purchasing.[8][9][10] The company's expertise in high strength tempered glass was of interest to the American brand, even though its production facilities were outdated. The company's vintage image, with its two best-sellers, the Gigogne and the Picardie, more than half a century after their creation, is also an obstacle to change, as Duralex's reputation does not extend beyond these two models: the company is working towards a more modern image.
In 2022, the International Cookware group changed its name toLa Maison française du verre.[11]
In November 2022, following the rise in energy prices, the company was forced to cease operations and put its furnaces on standby. The 250 employees were placed on short-time working.[12]
The furnaces were restarted on April 17, 2023, five months later. During this period, the company benefited from 15 million euros in state aid to cope with the crisis.[13]
Duralex was placed intoreceivership in April 2024 for the fourth time in 20 years, which created a six month observation period during which a buyer for the company will be sought.[14] In July, the Commercial Court of Orléans accepted a proposal supported by 60% of employees to transition the company to cooperative ownership, with all jobs to be retained.[15]
The magazineThis Old House called Duralex's OvenChef glass baking dishes one of the best new home products of 2014, citing the dishes' ability to withstand wide temperature swings without shattering.[16][17]
Media related toDuralex at Wikimedia Commons