Steel generations VIII: Meet Vivier Noiret

“I come from the south of Belgium, from a region named Couvin, with a long steelmaking tradition. It is located at the north of the Ardennes, and at the west of the Lorraine steel basin. Even my surname Noiret is related to steelmaking…

The steel history of the region where I was born started, as often happens, with the local exploitation of iron ore and the installation of blast furnaces.

They were nurtured at the time by charcoal, as coke did not exist yet. In the Ardennes there are many forests, so it was easy to find wood to transform into charcoal.

Regarding my family… I’m getting there: they were dedicated to producing charcoal by stacking up wood and igniting it without air (I believe this technique is still being used in the south of France). My patronymic probably originated during that period, as people were usually given nicknames based on their physical appearance, a possible anomaly, a tic, etc.

My family name is Noiret (from ‘noir’, which means ‘black’ in French). Why? Hazard a guess…it is because after a long working day, the charcoal manufacturers came home black with soot and coal! This explains nicknames such as “noirot” and “noiret”. In fact, many unrelated families are still living in the Couvin region today.

My father started his career in a Couvin-based company which at the time made the enamels on the cast iron stoves. As for me, I began working in steel in 1974. Today, I work in Safety and Environment in ArcelorMittal La Praye, in Belgium.”