History
19th century
20th century
The glassworks initially established itself as one of the industrial jewels of Northern France before, over the years, becoming an international group and world leader in tableware. Development began in earnest after the First World War in 1927, when Georges Durand's second son, Jacques, joined the company. In 1930, Jacques Durand went to the United States to study American glassworks, which were already equipped with tank furnaces and automatic machines. He decided to develop new manufacturing techniques and gradually equipped the company with new machines which allowed for improved production while preserving the creativity of glassmaking. The first tank furnace was constructed and the first presses were installed in 1934. After the Second World War, the Verrerie Cristallerie d’Arques continued its industrial expansion under the leadership of Jacques Durand, who was the sole co-owner of the company with his father in 1946. Jacques Durand benefited from the low interests rates for loans under the21st century
In the 2000s, the Verrerie Cristallerie d’Arques changed its name, becoming Arc International, and its international locations grew in number: one production facility was created in Nanjing in China in 2003, another being acquired in 2004 in the emirate of Ras al Khaimah, and a third in Gous-Khroustalny in Russia in 2011. This international development coincided with the difficulties faced by the group from the beginning of the 2000s. In 2004, losses exceeded €100 million. An initial employment protection plan let to almost 3,000 voluntary departures from the historic Arques site between 2004 and 2008. Two other voluntary departure plans were carried out in the following years and at the end of December 2012, the workforce at the site had halved from its number in 2004, decreasing from 12,000 employees to 6,000. In 2014, the group was in need of money and sold its subsidiary which produces Pyrex products, Arc International Cookware (AIC) to the American investment fund Aurora Capital Group, and looked for new shareholders. On 29 August 2014, HIG Capital France and Arc International announced they had signed an agreement for the acquisition of the majority of Arc International's capital by HIG. This project would not be successful. On 27 January 2015, following new economic difficulties, an employment protection plan was presented to the unions. This plan expected just under 200 redundancies. On 16 March 2015, the Boulogne-sur-Mer commercial tribunal approved the takeover of Arc International presented by the American company Peaked Hill Partners (PHP) following agreement between the historical shareholders, the banks, the state and the investors. Creditors agreed to reduce the group's debt, which had risen to 280 million euros, to 62 million euros. The buyers were to pay 58 million euros to recapitalize the company in exchange for a new employment protection plan which, following negotiations with the unions, led to 195 redundancies and the creation of 233 new jobs at the historic Arques site. This recapitalization allowed for the group's financial situation to be remedied. In 2019, after two years of research, Arc created two new types of glass: culinary opal and colored opal, which allowed for the sale of collections of through-colored opal glass. In early February 2021, the leadership of Arc announced the hiring of 225 on open-ended (CDI) contracts as a result of the partial operations agreement signed at the end of 2020.Research & Development
More than 100 people, including several dozen engineers, work on multiple projects from basic research to product development and the development of new processes. Alongside the R&D teams, the Marketing teams participate in the development of new products or new lines of research according to the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy set out by the Group's management.Brands
Consumer Goods brands
Luminarc : Created in 1948. First brand of the Arc group, Luminarc proposes tableware and glassware in clear or decorated glass for everyday use. Arcopal : Launched in 1958. Arcopal proposes tableware in opal glass (fluosilicate) with vintage design. Cristal d’Arques Paris : Created in 1968.Food Service brands
Arcoroc : Established in 1958. Arcoroc offers glassware and crockery designed for intensive use to bars, hotels, restaurants and communities. Chef&Sommelier : Created in 2008. Chef&Sommelier offers high-end glassware, tableware and cutlery for the hotel-restaurant industry as well as for retailers and tasting enthusiasts.Division Business to Business
This division offers bespoke glass for professional clients: factories, manufacturers of semi-finished and finished products, distributors and service providers...Production
Figures
The Group produces more than 4.3 million items per day in its four factories: on the historic Arques site but also in the United States (since 1979), in China (since 2003), and in the United Arab Emirates (since 2004).Production sites
* Arques, France : 4 400 employees * Millville, USA (since 1979) : 900 employees * Nankin, China (since 2003) : 1 100 employees * : United Arab Emirates (since 2004) : 1 100 employeesKey competitors
*References
{{Authority control Companies established in 1825 Glassmaking companies of France Glass trademarks and brands Kitchenware brands French brands