RIKON PRODUCTION
HIGH-PRECISION MANUFACTURING METHODS
We’ve been manufacturing cookware at our headquarters in Rikon since 1926. Today, our Swiss made products are available for sale all around the world. Thanks to state-of-the-art machines and a reliable team, we’re able to offer our customers impeccable quality.
HOW MANY EMPLOYEES WORK AT THE PRODUCTION SITE IN SWITZERLAND?
Around 180 employees work at our site in Rikon. More than 30 of these work directly in production. To ensure everything runs smoothly and reliably, we have various departments that provide technical support:
- Work preparation
- Maintenance
- Tool construction
- Engineering
- Production planning
HOW ARE PANS MADE?
We have two production lines: one for lids, the other for the pans themselves. Both lines begin with round metal blanks.
- DEEP DRAWING: In a first step, the metal blank is radially drawn in a deep drawing press into the basic shape of either a lid or a pan. A die cutter then trims away any excess material.
- WELDING THE BASE: Next, the base is welded to the body of the pan using molten metal.
- GRINDING & POLISHING: In the next step, the lid and the pan are sanded down and polished until the metal gleams.
- QUALITY CONTROL: Each product is now examined individually by an employee to ensure the quality is impeccable.
- LASERING: Once a product has passed our stringent quality control, we laser our logo onto the outside surface. We also laser product information on the base and add a scale on the inside of the pan where applicable.
- ASSEMBLY: In a final step, we attach the handles to the lids and pans, assemble the finished product and box it up.
HOW DO WE ENSURE HIGH QUALITY STANDARDS?
Thanks to decades of experience and expertise, we’ve totally mastered the complex technological processes we use. Quality plays a key role in our company, which is why we check each and every pan before we package it. This 100% end control system enables us to ensure we consistently meet the expectations our customers associate with “Swiss quality”.
DID YOU KNOW...
- … that our production halls extend over approx. 6000 m3?
- ... that we polish between 10,000 and 24,000 lids and 20,000 pans every month?
- … that we manufacture between 10,000 and 20,000 pans every month?
- … that we use 320 tonnes of metal every year in our production?
VOICES FROM PRODUCTION
Maria Horvath works in the assembly team at our production site in Rikon. In an interview, she tells us what her day-to-day work looks like and what she likes most about her job.
Rolf Lehmann has been working for Kuhn Rikon in tool construction since 1992. In an interview, he tells us about the various tasks that fall to the responsibility of his team.
Juana Schedler works in production at Kuhn Rikon. In an interview, she tells us about her daily work and what she most likes cooking in her HOTPAN®.
MORE DESIGN FROM RIKON
Like all our products, our new product line “Locarno” was also designed and developed here in Rikon. In doing so, our industrial design team worked hand in hand with colleagues from engineering and production.
WE ALSO HAVE A PRODUCTION SITE IN RHEINFELDEN
Kuhn Rikon acquired the reputable and well-established Rheinfelder Ceramics company in 2017. Here we manufacture fondue pots, fondue plates, children’s plates and mugs to high standards of craftsmanship. The finished items are then painted by hand. We’re extremely proud to be operating one of the last ceramics factories in Switzerland.
WHICH PRODUCTS ARE MADE IN RHEINFELDEN?
WHICH PRODUCTS ARE MADE IN RIKON?
In addition to manufacturing many of our frying pans, pressure cookers and cookware product lines in Rikon, we also manufacture various accessories such as the sieve insert for the DUROMATIC® and smaller kitchen aids such as our Swiss Metallic Peeler.
OUR CLASSICS
DUROMATIC®
The first DUROMATIC® pressure cooker was invented by Jacques Kuhn in 1949, and has remained one of Kuhn Rikon’s most popular Swiss made products through to the present day. Cooking with a pressure cooker not only saves time, but also a significant amount of energy.
DUROTHERM®
The DUROTHERM® has a double-wall design which allows you to cook food very gently – a process we’ve christened “soft cooking”. Moreover, it uses up to 69% less electricity or gas as well as keeping food warm for up to two hours.
HOTPAN®
Like the DUROTHERM®, the HOTPAN® can also be used for the soft cooking method. Besides adding a splash of colour to your kitchen, the insulated bowl keeps food warm for up to two hours.
NEW LIFE
NEW LIFE products are made of 100% recycled aluminium. Using recycled aluminium reduces emissions and uses up to 95% less energy. What’s more, the material is even stronger and more durable than new aluminium! In other words, being mindful of our planet doesn’t always mean making compromises.
