Swiss manufacturer of steel kitchens – made in Arbon from powder-coated steel using sandwich technology.
Forster Manufaktur AG
Arbon (headquarters, production) · Basel · Bern · Chur · Ebikon · Winterthur · Zurich · Geneva (specialist partner) · Crissier (specialist partner)New on Amplifa
About Forster Manufaktur
At its Arbon site on Lake Constance, Forster Manufaktur AG manufactures kitchens made almost entirely of high-quality steel. Founded in 1874 by Franz-Josef Forster, the company emerged from a coppersmith's workshop and has been producing kitchens industrially since 1953. The core of production is an industrial steel processing operation with finely punched, bent and welded components to within a tenth of a millimetre; the steel surfaces are powder-coated. The kitchen carcasses are built using the company's own sandwich technology: a metal shell with a load-bearing honeycomb structure inside, which enables thin material thicknesses at low weight. In addition to production in Arbon, the company offers planning, delivery, installation, repair, conversion and spare parts supply from a single source. With 85 employees and its own kitchen studios throughout Switzerland, Forster serves private households as well as the object and project business, for example in multi-family residential buildings.
- Site
- Arbon
- Processes
- Punching (finely punched components), Bending, Welding (welded components), Powder coating, Sandwich technology (metal shell with load-bearing honeycomb structure), Kitchen installation (installation teams, installation, conversion, repair), Kitchen planning and configuration, Inspection of the manufactured elements (carefully inspected before delivery)
- Materials
- Steel (high quality), Stainless steel, Copper (historical, coppersmith's workshop 1874), Granite, Mineral material (Corian, Hi-Macs), Quartz material (Silestone, Zodiaq), Synthetic resin, Solid wood
- Certificates
- Inspected elements before delivery
- Founded
- 1874
- Employees
- 85
- Industries
- Private households (kitchens), Object and project construction (multi-family residential buildings), Architecture, Object/project construction (multi-family residential buildings)
- 01
Planning and consulting
- 02
Punching and sheet metal processing (steel)
- 03
Bending
- 04
Welding
- 05
Sandwich technology (metal shell with honeycomb structure)
- 06
Powder coating
- 07
Inspection of the manufactured elements
- 08
Delivery and installation
- 09
Service, repair and spare parts supply
Materials and processes
Steel
The heart of the kitchen construction; made almost entirely of metal, durable, hygienic and protected against corrosion by powder coating.
Sandwich technology
A metal shell with a load-bearing honeycomb structure inside enables thin material thicknesses at low weight.
Powder coating
Used since 1986 instead of wet paint; permanently protects the steel surfaces against corrosion and makes them easy to care for.
Copper
Historical material of the coppersmith's workshop founded in 1874 (pans, containers, copper laundry stoves).
Stainless steel
Used for sinks and worktops of Forster kitchens.
Mineral material (Corian, Hi-Macs)
Material for sinks and worktops, cared for with a damp microfibre cloth.
Quartz material (Silestone, Zodiaq)
Worktop material for matte and polished surfaces.
Granite
Material for work surfaces and covers.
Synthetic resin
Surface material for kitchen elements, easy to clean with mild cleaning agents.
Solid wood
Wooden covers for kitchen elements depending on the surface finish.
Locations
Arbon
CHHeadquarters, production and showroom
- Lot size
- Single-unit production to plan
- Materials
- Steel
- Sheet metal processing (punching, bending)
- Welding systems
- Powder coating
Basel
CHKitchen studio
Bern
CHKitchen studio
Chur
CHKitchen studio
Ebikon
CHKitchen studio
Winterthur
CHKitchen studio
Zürich
CHKitchen studio
Genf
CHSpecialist partner (Amann Cuisines)
Crissier
CHSpecialist partner (JJh Cuisines)
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Punching (finely punched components)Forming | Tenth-of-a-millimetre range | – | – | – | Steel |
| BendingForming | Tenth-of-a-millimetre range | – | – | – | Steel |
| Welding (welded components)Joining | Tenth-of-a-millimetre range | – | – | – | Steel |
| Powder coatingSurface | – | – | – | – | Steel |
| Sandwich technology (metal shell with load-bearing honeycomb structure)Joining | – | – | – | – | Steel, Metal |
| Kitchen installation (installation teams, installation, conversion, repair)Assembly | – | – | – | – | Steel |
| Kitchen planning and configurationEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Inspection of the manufactured elements (carefully inspected before delivery)Testing | – | – | – | – | Steel |
Additional services
Reference customers
Quality
Every manufactured element is carefully inspected at the Swiss manufactory before delivery. The industrial steel production is carried out to within a tenth of a millimetre, so that all elements fit together permanently, precisely, robustly and dimensionally stable.
| Evidence | Arbon |
|---|---|
| Inspected elements before delivery |
History
- 1874
Founded by Franz-Josef Forster as a coppersmith's workshop in Arbon
- 1953
Start of industrial kitchen production
- 1960
Introduction of the modular system
- 1967
Sandwich system from kitchen model 67 onwards
- 1986
Changeover from wet paint to powder coating
- 1991
Start of production of Küche91
- 2004
New elements and accessories for utility rooms
- 2007
Introduction of Metallic Line as an addition to the 30 existing colours
- 2011
Start of production of Küche Pur 11