A Visit to the Fournier Factory in Spain

[Trident Cards]

Hello everyone,

I just returned from Spain, where I traveled to meet with the good folks at Fournier. I am summarizing my visit to the factory as it may be of interest to you and others in the online communities in which we participate.

Fournier is located in the Basque Country, the industrious region in the north of Spain. The company is headquartered in the ancient and charming city of Vitoria, about a 45 minute drive inland from the port of Bilbao. On Friday morning I visited the factory, which is in a large steel building in an industrial park on the outskirts of the city. Shortly after I arrived at the factory, I was taken down to the production floor. If there was something that Fournier wanted me to take away from the visit was a sense of how important quality is to them. Here are some examples of how this was conveyed:

1. Each sheet of casino cards is inspected by hand because Fournier believes that the trained human eye can still do a better job than the video inspection machines at spotting any printing imperfections. And I watched the inspectors peer into each sheet of printed cards, one by one. By the way, the Fournier poker cards that we sell – such as the Vision series – undergo the same quality control procedures as casino cards.

2. I received long, detailed explanations by the various machine operators of their job functions. The employees at Fournier were obviously proud of their work and a high percentage appeared to have worked there for decades. The factory floor was spotless and on the line the workers quickly, but quietly, moved about in their blue smocks.

3. Fournier has designed machines that they believe meet higher tolerances than off-the-shelf technology. For example, the cutting machines cut the entire card out of the sheet in one piece (rather than in strips). The managers showed me processes that they believe other manufacturers do not take in the production process. The formulas for the paper and plastic cardstock are proprietary.
 
I unfortunately forgot my camera (and probably wouldn’t have been allowed to take pictures anyway), but hopefully you will get a sense of what I saw. Fournier cards are expensive for us to buy, relative to other brands, but the money seems to go into quality materials and processes, perhaps because so much of their business is casino-oriented. In fact, you leave the factory with the impression that Fournier really is a powerhouse in the casino business – the secure, automated “bunkers” filled with casino orders are a case in point.

Well, in Spain all business and no play is not the way to go. So late in the afternoon Javier and Roberto, who manage our account, drove me to La Rioja, the famous wine making region. It is only about a 45 minute drive though the mountains on the other side of the valley where Vitoria lies. La Rioja, is not green like the valley that we just had left or the timbered mountains that I traversed on the way from Bilbao. It is dry and brown, but even in winter the hill towns overlooking the vineyards looked heavenly. We enjoyed a long lunch of croquettes, bean soup and grilled lambchops at a beautiful stone and wood restaurant next a winery. I am ashamed to admit that we drank beer instead of wine, but it was unseasonably warm, and we were having a good time. Then we toured the nearby Marques del Riscal winery, which is topped with a gleaming Frank Gehry-designed hotel clad in steel and titanium, and is a first class destination. I mention all this simply to say that the Basque Country (and the rest of Spain) is well worth visiting, even in February.

Although it is not a sacrifice to travel to a gracious country like Spain, it is important for us in the long term to skew towards quality and be able to report that we have seen it with our own eyes. I expect that Fournier will remain our partner for many years. Thank you.

Best,


Alex Ferrate
Casa Antigua LLC

P.S. Rose, I had a stop-over in Madrid. I almost slipped on the wet cobblestones when I walked by what looked liked a fancy new restaurant called "Midnight Rose" somewhere off a street called Calle del Prado.

[Wedge Rock]

Wow --  very interesting!  Thanks for the insight.

[Midnight Rose]

Hello everyone,

I just returned from Spain, where I traveled to meet with the good folks at Fournier. I am summarizing my visit to the factory as it may be of interest to you and others in the online communities in which we participate.

Just as a heads-up: yes, I am available to travel at a moment's notice.  You won't even need to send me first-class.  Business-class will do just fine in a pinch.  No, no, not a problem at all.  I am willing to make this ultimate sacrifice.  No need to thank me.  It's what I do.

P.S. Rose, I had a stop-over in Madrid. I almost slipped on the wet cobblestones when I walked by what looked liked a fancy new restaurant called "Midnight Rose" somewhere off a street called Calle del Prado.

And yet, you didn't get me any fancy new restaurant swag.  You don't love me anymore.   

[TheMighty0z]

Alex,

Thanks for posting this story.  I love the Fournier Poker Visions, as well as the No.2525 bridge set up that I bought from you back in December.  These cards are very nice, and worth the price.  I'd recommend them to anyone.

Ben

P.S. They were a big hit as gifts for my business associates also.

[Trident Cards]

No, Rose, it's just that I've never seen swag sold out a restaurant in Spain. I did see, however, the mounted head of fighting bull in the tavern where I ate dinner in Bilbao. His name was "Langostito."

Forget to mention that we'll be shipping European Poker Tour cut cards with each order of Fournier EPT decks - one per deck while supplies last.

Thanks OZ - glad they worked out.

aF

[TheMighty0z]

Forget to mention that we'll be shipping European Poker Tour cut cards with each order of Fournier EPT decks - one per deck while supplies last.

That's useful information!  Do you have those cut cards now, or are you expecting them?  Would I need to ask to get the cut card with my order?

Thanks

[Jambine]

Great post Alex.  You know our members love to get this kind of first hand information.

Thanks!

[Trident Cards]

Oz - you don't need to do anything. We'll just add them to the EPT orders until we run out. Thanks.

[LuckyDog Poker Art]

Very nice post, Alex.  You certainly painted a wonderful picture and illustrate a great experience. Pride in quality and craftsmanship is extremely important and it's nice to read the measures Fournier takes to achieve that quality . It is also evident you and your company offer quality products and take the time to personally view the products you sell.  Well done.

[ky70]

Great Report Alex.

[Trident Cards]

Thanks everyone. You are right – we feel it is important for us to develop first-hand knowledge about our products. I was reviewing my trip and thought I would share some additional Fournier details, which you may find interesting:

1. Fournier will only print one deck of cards per sheet for casino/poker cards (compared to two decks per sheet). They believe this facilitates quality control.

2. Fournier actually is the largest casino/poker playing card manufacturer in Europe.

3. Fournier supplies the most playing cards to casinos in Europe, including the famous casino in Monaco (for you James Bond fans).
 
As you know, Fournier produces the playing cards used in the European Poker Tour – expect to see some interesting new EPT themed products in the near future. I know all this makes Fournier sound very European-centric, but we also expect some superfly new cards that will be very different.

Best,

Alex Ferrate
Casa Antigua LLC

[TheMighty0z]

As you know, Fournier produces the playing cards used in the European Poker Tour – expect to see some interesting new EPT themed products in the near future. I know all this makes Fournier sound very European-centric, but we also expect some superfly new cards that will be very different.

One thing that I would LOVE Fournier to offer is Fournier or EPT themed leather card pouches (with either the Fournier or EPT logo burnished on the outside), as can be seen on the Fournier web site in the Promotional Range>Leather Box link.  I've been wishing that they would offer the leather pouches seen on the lower right of the pic seen at this link:

http://www.nhfournier.es/publicitario.php?category=27&family=93

[Trident Cards]

OK, we'll take a look at those. We have a really nice case coming from the good folks at Fournier.

aF

[Midnight Rose]

OK, we'll take a look at those. We have a really nice case coming from the good folks at Fournier.

aF

Darn you, sir.  Darn you to heck.


/Midnight "Preparing my wallet for inevitability" Rose

[Trident Cards]

I had an hour earlier today to catch up with HPT . . . until the accountant called. Plus I need to review a contract tonight. So I'll try again later. What's in those little cases is very nice, though. Thanks.

------------E

[TheMighty0z]

I had an hour earlier today to catch up with HPT . . . until the accountant called. Plus I need to review a contract tonight. So I'll try again later. What's in those little cases is very nice, though. Thanks.

------------E

I can't wait to find out what this is!  Post here to let us all know when it's in.

[Trident Cards]

Fournier won't let us show it to you until it's on our loading dock. (Yes, you'll see it first on HPT.)

[Midnight Rose]

I had an hour earlier today to catch up with HPT . . . until the accountant called. Plus I need to review a contract tonight. So I'll try again later. What's in those little cases is very nice, though. Thanks.

------------E

Alex, if you're married, your wife must be very, very happy.

Unless she doesn't like the tease...

[Trident Cards]

My wife is very, very happy.

aF

[TheMighty0z]

Fournier won't let us show it to you until it's on our loading dock. (Yes, you'll see it first on HPT.)

Any word on this . . .

[Trident Cards]

End of month at the earliest . . . but probably next month depending on the wims of the shipping gods. Thanks.

aF