Ober in images

Fleeing the German invasion in 1870, the Ober family from Alsace crossed the Vosges in 1871 to settle in the Meuse, a few kilometres from Bar-le-Duc. It was here that they launched their sawmill, specialising in wood slicing. A highly technical activity that Ober eventually abandoned in the early 2000s, to devote itself to what had made its reputation around the world: wood laminating. While the group has diversified considerably with its five distinct brands ranging from joinery (Marotte) to concrete panels (Concrete LCDA), the Oberflex entity still operates at its original site in Lorraine, laminating wood panels from more than 80 species of wood of varying rarity.

Ober opened the doors of its original factory to IDEAT.fr. This is an opportunity to discover a complex manufacturing process that relies above all on the precision of the various trades, which work with a raw material that remains alive. More than a million square metres of panels leave the factory every year to decorate interiors all over the world. And if the French group, recently awarded the EPV (Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant) label, has resisted foreign competition, it's because it took a design turn back in 2007 by teaming up with studio 5.5 to create a collection of acoustic panels called 'Obersound'. Patrick Norguet, Christian Lacroix, Rodolphe Parente and Patrick Jouin have followed suit, collaborating with Ober's various brands. A positioning that the group intends to reaffirm in the years to come and - who knows? - celebrate another centenary...