The Iron Workshop: Precision Manufacturing

While foundation work proceeded, the Levallois-Perret workshop operated at unprecedented capacity. The factory, expanded to cover 15,000 square meters, employed over 300 workers in two shifts. Here, each of the tower's 18,038 pieces was manufactured to exacting specifications.

The workshop represented a United Nations of metalworking. Italian riveters, known for their speed and precision, worked alongside German forge masters. Polish immigrants operated the new steam hammers. Belgian pattern makers created the wooden templates from which iron pieces were shaped. Spanish workers, fleeing economic hardship at home, manned the furnaces.

Each piece was first drawn at full size on the workshop floor—the traceurs (tracers) translated Koechlin's calculations into physical patterns. The precision required was extraordinary; holes for rivets were positioned within 1/10 of a millimeter tolerance. Any greater variance and pieces manufactured months apart wouldn't fit together on site.

Quality control was rigorous. Gustav Jansen, a Danish engineer Eiffel hired specifically for this role, inspected every piece. Those that failed even minor specifications were melted down and recast. "Better to waste iron than risk a life," was Jansen's motto, painted on the workshop wall.