In 1891, engineer Alphonse Cytère took over the management of  S.A.P.C.R. whose main activity was the manufacture of glazed drainpipes. In 1903, he set up an art workshop within the establishment and produced pieces (vases, decorative objects, architectural elements) supplied by a number of École de Nancy artists, including Jacques Gruber, Eugène Vallin, Ernest Bussière, Louis Majorelle, Pierre Claudin and René Jeandelle. These flamed stoneware objects were available from catalogues and regularly exhibited at the salons organised by the Société lorraine des Amis des Arts and the École de Nancy.

Although Alphonse Cytère was not a member of the École de Nancy's steering committee, he adhered to its principles and contributed to its educational efforts, in particular through the creation in 1906 of an École de Nancy competition for young designers whose pieces were subsequently produced and published by the manufacture.