Tile International 1/2013

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Mosbuild & Coverings

2013

Entrepreneurial culture and sense of responsibility Casalgrande Padana has produced porcelain stoneware slabs since 1960 and we have always worked to foster the integration between the culture of products and the entrepreneurial culture, to be interpreted as a sense of responsibility and sharing.

We feel responsible for the environment, for those who work with us and for customers, to whom we guarantee products striking the perfect balance between ethics and aesthetics, for example in the Bios* line, the complete line of patented antibacte*

rial porcelain stoneware. Sharing because we produce culture and enhance design and wish to share this with the community, starting from the assumption that the sense of beauty should be experienced as a resource available to all and not as a privilege for the happy few.

This is the meaning attached by Casalgrande Padana to its entrepreneurial spirit today.

This means placing human beings and the environment always al the heart of all corporate strategies.

www. biosinside. com

Casalgrande Padana SPA - Via Statale 467, 73 - 42013 Casalgrande (RE) - Italia T. +39.0522.9901 - F. +39.0522.841010 www.casalgrandepadana.com - marketing@casalgrandepadana.it

claudiomancinistudio.com

Casalgrande Ceramic Cloud The first work by Kengo Kuma in Italy was ordered by Casalgrande Padana, constructed with porcelain stoneware slabs and donated to the local community.

Schlüter ®-Systems Innovations for limitless shower enjoyment Innovationen für grenzenloses Duschvergnügen

 Schlüter -KerdI-LIne ®

Linear drainage channels & grate / frame combinations and frameless covering support Linienentwässerung & Rost- / Rahmenkombinationen sowie rahmenlose Rinnenabdeckung für alle Belagstärken

 Schlüter -KerdI-Shower ®

Sloped trays and levelling boards Gefälle- und Ausgleichsboards

Low assembly height · Geringe Aufbauhöhe

just 60 mm · nur 60 mm Ideally suited for restoration and modernization projects Besonders geeignet für Sanierung und Modernisierung

 Schlüter -ShowerprofILe ®

Wall transition and sloped profile Wand-Anschluss- und Gefälleprofil

Schlüter®-profILe Technical & design with stainless steel Technik & Design mit Edelstahl

 finishing profiles for floor coverings Belagsabschlüsse am Boden

 wall corners and finishing profiles Wandecken und Abschlüsse

 Stair nosing profiles Treppenprofile

joint and  Movement stress relieving profiles Bewegungsfugen- und Entspannungsprofile

Schlüter-Systems KG · Schmölestraße 7 · D-58640 Iserlohn · Tel.: +49 2371 971-0 · Fax: +49 2371 971-111 · www.schlueter-systems.com

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Contents 9 - Editorial

Contrasting signals from the market

by Chiara Bruzzichelli

PHOTOnews 10 - Lea Ceramiche@Space for Life, by Marco Piva 12 - Listone Giordano: Two new showrooms in South Africa 14 - Coop Imola transforms curtain wall into work of art 16 - Piscine Castiglione in partnership with Alex Turco

Mosbuild & Coverings

18 - Tilefax In the Spotlight 40 - Tagina, 40 years of Italian research… for a new renaissance 46 - New US plant for innovation-led Del Conca Group 52 - Trends

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Economic&Market 56 - Mohawk acquires Marazzi Group 58 - Laticrete expands in India 60 - Growth in world sanitaryware exports 62 - Scenarios and trends in world building 66 - Iraq, reconstruction and investments Statistics 68 - Spanish tile sales buoyed by exports 72 - Italian tiles experience slowdown in 2012 74 - Signs of recovery in the United States 78 - Russia’s construction market: 9% growth forecast for 2013 84 - Project

Moonstone: an eco-sustainable gem

88 - ECO-Innovations

Eco-innovations, building upgrades and showrooms

102 - Exhibition Calendar Cover picture by: CERAMICA VIVA - www.cerviva.it

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Mosbuild & Coverings

2013 2013

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Coverings 2013 April 29 - May 2, 2013 Hall B, Booth # 4604 The Georgia World Congress Center. Atlanta, Georgia U.S.A.

BOOTH #7431 MACHINES AND TOOLS FOR THE TILE & STONE PROFESSIONALS

r a i m o n d i u t e n s i l i . i t

300 CM / 10’ SLABS? THE COMPLETE LINE OF EQUIPMENT FOR CUTTING, FINISHING, HANDLING AND INSTALLATION. Professional cutting-guide for porcelain slabs up to 3 meters length (10’).

Dismountable in two bars of 1.5 meters each (5’) for the ease of transport and when cutting slabs up to 1.5 meters (5’).

Supplied with case for squares, pliers and cutting-unit storage and transport.

FREE-CUT

PRO-CUTTING-OF PLIERS Extra cutting-of pliers for material of thickness from 6 up to 12 mm (¼” – ½”).

Usefull also when very precision cut-off is needed.

They apply progressive and balanced pressure.

For easy handling of huge tiles up to 300 cm lenght (10’). Disassembable in two bars of 1.5 meters (5’) each for easy transport. Use one bar only to handle tiles up to 1.5 meter (5’).

EASY-MOVE CUTTING UNIT WITH ANGLE GRINDER Complete cutting unit with angle grinder. Insert it into the “Free-Cut” guide and cut. For troubleshooting really difficult cuts. For cutting high/standard thickness materials even in thin strips. Provided with power tool. Dry cut. Provided with hole fitting for dust extraction devices.

Rubber anti-bouncing tile beater to improve adhesive bounding and to expel air from underneath the slabs/tiles. Rubber bottom to prevent tiles/slabs damages.

RUBBER TILE BEATER

FINISHING DIAMOND PADS To fine-finish the edge after cut when needed. Grit from 100 to 3500.

Dry use.

Editorial

by Chiara Bruzzichelli

Contrasting signals from the market

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The publication of Tile International 1/2013, which is distributed worldwide, is timed to coincide with the international trade fairs Mosbuild-Cersanex (Moscow, 16-19 April) and Coverings (Atlanta, Georgia, USA, 29 April – 2 May). As such it devotes plenty of space to the ceramic markets of the United States and of Russia and Eastern Europe.

For both regions, we have analysed general market performance and commented on the available data.

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Russia, which has coped with the crisis much better than other countries, sees construction as one of the main drivers of its recovery. The construction industry is still receiving a boost from substantial public investment programmes and, according to a report published by PMR Publications, is expected to grow by around 9% in 2013. Russia’s economy as a whole is still setting a brisk pace too, with GDP growth reaching 3.5% year-onyear in 2012. These figures were announced by the Russian prime minster, Dmitry Medvedev, on the opening day of the World Economic Forum in Davos on 23 January.

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The new version, which is much faster and features new graphic design, is already available.

Signs of recovery are also appearing in the United States: For the third year running, there was a rise in the number

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of new homes coming under construction in 2012, with both detached houses and apartment complexes recording good performance. Also in 2012, according to figures released by the National Association of Realtors, sales of existing housing reached their highest levels since 2007, on the back of a 9% increase in transactions (from 3.8 million units in 2011 to 4.1 million in 2012).

Overall investments in construction – encompassing residential, non-residential, private and public projects alike – reached a seasonally-adjusted rate of 850 billion dollars in 2012, representing a rise of 9.2% on 2011.

As for Italian ceramic tiles, 2012 saw a drop in overall sales by volume (-7.3%), which was partially offset by an increase in average selling price (+5.3%), but still represented a fall in total turnover of 2.2% as against 2011.

The Italian market was particularly hard hit by the severe decline in demand in the construction industry, but exports also slowed: while many markets reported growth in 2012, such as Russia (+13%), the Baltic States (+15%), Africa (+18%) and the United States, their overall value was not enough to absorb the downturn in Western Europe (-6%).

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LEA CERAMICHE@SPACE FOR LIFE, BY MARCO PIVA Lea Ceramiche recently took part in the Space for Life installation, designed by the architect Marco Piva, within the framework of the Green Home Design exhibition held during the course of MADE Expo 2012.

Marco Piva used Lea Slimtech laminated porcelain tile (3 mm thick) to tile the CeraVent surface insulation system and customise the design of the facade*. For the interior wall coverings, Studio Piva used Lea’s latest antibacterial collections, Metropolis Microban®, Bio Plank Microban® and Arenaria Microban®.

Piva’s project incorporated a series of top-level interior design solutions, obtained using construction materials and technologies specifically developed to minimise energy consumption and harmful emissions.

- The ceramics used are totally eco-sustainable because they are made with natural raw materials (clays, quartz minerals and feldspars), using a fully optimised production cycle (heat recovery, selfTile International 1/2013

generation of electricity, emissions reduction, re-use of waste water and re-integration of all waste materials), and they conform with Ecolabel and EMAS protocols and LEED international environmental criteria.

- The construction technologies are equally innovative, with particular reference to the CeraVent surface insulation system clad with Lea Slimtech ultra-slim ceramic sheet (3 mm thick), and make a major contribution to reducing energy

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consumption and thereby enhancing the value of the building. *In creating the Space for Life installation, a pattern specifically designed for the purpose by Studio Marco Piva was reproduced on the Slimtech sheets, in the Shade Milk version. The finished result is an example of how building envelopes can still make a distinctive architectural statement, without compromising on bio-sustainability and energy-efficiency.

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LISTONE GIORDANO: TWO NEW SHOWROOMS IN SOUTH AFRICA Listone Giordano has announced the opening of two new sales outlets in South Africa, in Johannesburg and Cape Town, in partnership with Oggie Flooring.

Oggie Flooring, a recognised leader in terms of quality, service and its special relationship with the world of professional architecture, chose Listone Giordano to represent the best of Italian wood flooring.

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COOP IMOLA TRANSFORMS CURTAIN WALL INTO WORK OF ART Technology and aesthetics.

Care for the environment and a love of art.

Urban renewal and energy saving.

These are the hallmarks of the project undertaken by Cooperativa Ceramica d’Imola in Vitry-sur-Seine, just outside Paris, in the Val de Marne department (94), within the framework of an extensive redevelopment programme launched by the municipal council.

The works involved the construction of a new curtain wall for one of the largest buildings in Vitry, for a total of over 8000 square metres.

In order to achieve a substantial upgrade to the building’s energy-efficiency, the architects opted for the use of a curtain wall. Cooperativa Ceramica d’Imola then built the curtain wall using tiles from the Tinte Unite collection of through-body porcelain in sizes 30x60 cm and 60x60 cm.

Cooperativa Ceramica d’Imola made full use of its know-how to reproduce the work of Federica Matta on a curtain wall measuring over 24 metres high and with a total area of 250 square metres. First and foremost, the company had to replicate exactly the colours provided by the artist and make them suitable for exposure to weather and sunlight. The installation of the tiles was also a highly complex task, which was performed in accordance with specific instructions aimed at ensuring the harmony of the finished work, while taking account of the necessary joints between each piece.

The finished result is so striking that Vitry-sur-Seine’s residential building department is already engaged in the decoration of other facades with the works of other artists.

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PISCINE CASTIGLIONE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH ALEX TURCO The partnership between Piscine Castiglione, a leading producer of swimming pools for residential and public applications, and Alex Turco, a young Italian art designer, has given rise to Deep Art, a line of products that brings art into the swimming pool.

Thanks to the power of Alex Turco’s digital images, and the high level of customisation and technological know-how offered by Piscine Castiglione, art can now play a starring role in swimming pools.

Works featuring striking colours, unique styling and free forms testify once again to the creativity of Italian craftsmanship and the successful integration of expertise from two distinct fields.

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plays host to several examples of the products spawned by the partnership, including the unmistakeable Myrtha® swimming pool, which is brought to life by a swirling shoal of translucent jellyfish.

Alex Turco, a young Italian art designer and the creator of the ALEXTURCO ART DESIGNER brand, has set up two companies, one in Italy and one in the United States, to cover the international market on which he sells his ART PANELS. Starting out as a photographer and graphic designer, he developed an unprecedented artistic technique that enabled him to transfer art to furnishing complements and wall coverings, by printing images on a vast range of surfaces with the aid of acrylic colours, metal powders and gloss resins.

Tile International 1/2013

Tilefax

Companies, News & Markets NEW VERSION OF TABLET APP

best products of 2012, at a venue designed by SHoP Architects.

Sophisticated simplicity: these are the keywords that sum up Stefano Giovannoni’s design, which transforms a conventional steel radiator into a radiant “fabric”, in which the tubular elements are treated as coloured threads of different diameters (14, 20 and 28 mm), which intermingle in a delicate play of solids and voids, to amplify the reflective properties of the metal and create soft, three-dimensional, iridescent effects.

Spawned by research, and formal and technical innovation,Trame represents a free, unobtrusive approach, that gives rise to a completely new concept of the traditional radiator.

Trame is available in electric, water and mixed versions, and can be specified with either vertical or horizontal tubes.

The product is available in no less than 279 permutations, for maximum freedom of design and ease of location within the host environment, thus allowing everyone to choose just how they want to furnish their own living space.

Readers are reminded that the old version of the tablet app of Tile Italia, Tile International, Ceramic World Review and Brick World Review, published by Tile Edizioni, was de-activated on 29 January. The new version, which is much faster and features new graphic design, is already available.

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TRAME BY TUBES: BEST OF THE YEAR AWARD 2012 Selected as best product of the year in the bathroom category, Trame has won wide acclaim in the United States, and consolidated the success it has achieved since its public unveiling at the last Salone del Mobile in Milan.

An impressive line-up personalities from the worlds of design, art and culture were invited to New York to celebrate the

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Tilefax

ITALIAN CERAMIC INDUSTRY IN MOURNING FOR FILIPPO MARAZZI

Filippo Marazzi, President of Marazzi Group and a holder of the honour of “Cavaliere del Lavoro” for his services to industry since the age of 45, died on 28 November last year.

His death means the loss of one of the greatest figures in Italy’s ceramic industry, who transformed the company founded by his grandfather in Sassuolo in 1935, into a world-leader in the manufacture and sale of ceramic tiles, with production facilities in Italy, the United States, Russia, France and Spain.

Today, Marazzi Group has over 6000 employees and produces around 100 million square metres of ceramic tile per year in five different countries.

Born in Sassuolo in 1949, Filippo Marazzi took over the family business in 1978, at the age of just 29, following the sudden death of his father, Pietro, in a road accident. Just four years previously, Marazzi had patented “rapid single-fired tile”, which significantly reduced production times and costs, giving rise to the tile

boom that brought Italy’s entire ceramic industry into the top ranks worldwide.

Filippo Marazzi took the second vital step in the development of his company in the 1980s, when he blazed a trail in the internationalisation of production by setting up manufacturing facilities in Spain and the USA, under the names of Marazzi Iberia, in Castellon de la Plana, and American Marazzi Tile, in Dallas.

His last adventure was in 2006, when he floated the company on the Italian stock exchange, before de-listing it just two years later. Since then 51% of Marazzi Group’s share capital has been in the hands of the Marazzi family, and 49% in the hands of Permira and Private Equity Partners, who oversaw the de-listing. In recent weeks, rumours have been circulating that negotiations are in progress for the sale of the entire shareholding to Mohawk, an American stock-market-listed company.

News of Filippo Marazzi’s death spread immediately both within and outside the ceramic district of Sassuolo, and elicited the profound condolences of the entire business community: “The sudden loss of Filippo Marazzi”, announced Franco Manfredini, Chairman of Confindustria Ceramica, “is a major blow to Italy’s entire ceramic industry. His company is one of the sector’s flagships, in terms of its history and the international dimension it achieved under his enthusiastic leadership.”

Mohawk Industries Inc., recently announced a definitive agreement for the acquisition of Marazzi Group for 1.5 billion dollars.

The transaction makes Mohawk Industries the world’s leading manufacturer of ceramic tiles.

Marazzi Group enjoys a substantial presence in all the major world markets, including Russia, the USA, Italy, France and Spain, and reported consolidated revenues of 833 million euros in 2011 (approximately 1.16 billion dollars), with EBITDA of around 15.5% (IFRS). 51% of Marazzi Group’s share capital is owned by the Marazzi family, while 49% is in the hands of two private equity funds, Permira and Private Equity Partners. Mohawk appointed the merchant arm of Barclays Bank to oversee the acquisition, which is expected to be completed by the end of March.

Rumours of a possible agreement between the two companies date back to late November 2012.

Ceramic is the world’s most widely used floor and wall covering, with estimated sales of some 11 billion square metres per year, and an annual growth rate of between 5 and 6%. Marazzi currently sells its products in over 100 countries, through a solid and densely distributed international sales network, which will enable Mohawk to achieve further worldwide growth.

21-12-2012: MOHAWK INDUSTRIES ANNOUNCES ACQUISITION OF MARAZZI GROUP The American tile-manufacturing group,

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Tilefax

FAKRO WINS DOBRY WZOR AWARD 2012 The FGH‐V Galeria balcony window by FAKRO won the 2012 Dobry Wzor (“Good Design”) award promoted by the Warsaw Institute of Industrial Design, which has been the benchmark for design in Poland for 60 years.

The jury picked FGH‐V Galeria on the grounds that it represents “... An innovative conception of a balcony that folds into the pitch of the roof. FAKRO and its Research & Development department has created a modern product, demonstrating that a roof-balcony is not just a possible solution, but a very practical one.” The members of the jury particularly appreciated the design solutions, which ensure high-quality design, and include a number of interesting technological innovations, not only in aesthetic terms, but also in terms of ergonomics, usability and functionality.

The Good Design Award 2012 in the “home” category was collected by Henryk Musiał, Head of Fakro Research & Development.

Tile International 1/2013

EXPO 2015: VIVAIO ITALIA AN INCUBATOR OF ITALIAN INNOVATION At the end of November, Diana Bracco Commissioner General for the Italian Pavilion - visited the Palazzo della Triennale in Milan to present the “Vivaio Italia” concept, which underpins the architectural project formulated by Marco Balich (pictured) for the Italian Pavilion for EXPO 2015 in Milan.

The Pavilion will be conceived as a “protected space” designed to help young Italian talent germinate, by providing it with fertile ground for development and promotion.

The icon of the Pavilion is the Tree of Life, as a symbol of nature, femininity and regenerative forces. The tree’s roots will spread horizontally, thereby connecting the various exhibition areas, including those dedicated to the regions.

In keeping with these guidelines, the Italy Pavilion will be conceived as an innovative, unprecedented, striking and unique space. It will also be a “transparent” space, capable of interacting with the surrounding environment, changing its appearance during the course of the day, and regenerating itself, almost like a living organism. The area is intended as a point of reference for entrepreneurs and researchers, aimed at renewing the concept of Italian excellence, knowhow and production. It also represents the new pact between the nation and its territory, not merely in the sense of the landscape, but as a lever for transformation and growth.

The five key elements of the initiative, which form part of a sustainable vision of economic and cultural development, and with which designers, artists and

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creative professionals are called upon to interact freely, are as follows: 1. TRANSPARENCY - Glass, crystal and photosensitive materials. Materials of metaphorical and conceptual value (looking beyond their own environment, communicating with the world and being transparent...).

2. ENERGY - Energy as life, a medium, an instrument, a driver of change and a beacon in the darkness. All in line with compatibility and care for the environment.

3. WATER - Water is an element strongly connected with the identity of Milan and the themes of the Expo; it is a symbol of existence, birth, regeneration, the earth’s resources and the ability to reflect the sky.

4. NATURE - The element at the centre of our future. The scenario from which we originate and with which we need to converge.

5. TECHNOLOGY - A look at where progress is taking us. An expression of the identity of the host country. A challenge. An opportunity.

Tilefax

TEK ARREDAMENTI AT COVERING 2013 To meet the varying needs of space and product presentation in showrooms, Tek Arredamenti is presenting the “Jolly Girevole” series at Coverings.

It’s a highly practical system, which is ideal for displaying different variants of ceramic collections, because it rotates through 360°.

"Jolly" is available in a rotating, pull-out

version with 6 or 10 two-sided panels for the display of a total of 12 or 20 products; the usable dimensions for each panel are 100xH200; the panels are easily interchangeable.

The “Jolly” line also comes in the “Jolly Basic” models with 3, 6 or 10 pull-out panels for the display of 6, 12 or 20 products on a usable area of 100xH200 cm.

To find out more, go to www.tekarredamenti.it.

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PANARIAGROUP: STABLE RESULTS IN Q3 OF 2012 PanariaGroup’s results for the third quarter of 2012 confirm the predominant trends that emerged over the course of the year: despite a fall in sales on some of its main, established markets, the Group managed to limit the downturn in revenues by making substantial progress in areas such as Asia and America. Profit margins have been adversely affected by the rise in energy costs in Italy and by the lower production levels, largely caused by the earthquake that hit the Finale Emilia plant.

Net earnings on sales amounted to 216.5 million euros, representing a drop of 1.7% on the 220.3 million euros reported at 30 September 2011.

Performance on the Group’s various markets differed widely: while North America and Asia reported solid growth, the European markets contracted by 13% (accounting for 36% of total turnover). Of the latter, Portugal was worst hit, but France, Belgium and the Netherlands also saw a sharp downturn. Eastern Europe remained buoyant, however, and positive results were also recorded in Spain. Italy, which accounts for 26% of total revenues, suffered a drop of about 15% (as against an overall fall in the market of approximately 17%).

With growth of over 25%, the United States became the Group’s top market, on the back of the results achieved by Florida Tile, which consolidated the positive trend that had emerged over previous quarters. North American markets accounted for 29% of total revenues.

Asia, Oceania and Africa (representing 9% of total turnover) kept up growth rates in excess of 20%, with the best per-

Tile International 1/2013

formances coming from the Middle East, Singapore, Japan and South Africa.

Earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) amounted to 14.4 million euros, equating to 6.6% of the value of production, which fell compared with the 19.6 million euros reported on 30 September 2011. Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) amounted to 0.1 million euros (as against 4.9 million euros at 30 September 2011). Net consolidated profit for the period was 0.4 million euros, which is more or less in line with the figures for 30 September 2011.

In the wake of substantial investments in production facilities, the Group’s indebtedness reached 92.5 million euros, representing an improvement of some 3 million euros on 30 June 2012. Net group assets stood at 153.6 million euros as at 30 September 2012.

In the coming months, the Group’s initiatives will be aimed at maximising opportunities in those areas offering the highest potential for development, and optimising the resources channelled into maintaining market share in those countries with less attractive prospects.

YOURS AFFECTIONATELY – GLOBO’S “AFFETTO” IN ADI DESIGN INDEX 2012 Globo has again made it into the ADI Design Index: last year’s entrant was the Olivia urinal by Giulio Iacchetti, and this year’s is the Affetto bathroom collection

by Luca Nichetto.

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Globo’s latest design is one of the 111 products selected for publication in the ADI Design Index 2012 and therefore shortlisted for the 23rd ADI Golden Compass Award.

Appearing in the “design for dwelling” section of the book, which publishes photographs of the best Italian products each year, Affetto was inspired by the idea of resizing the elements of bathroom furnishing, which are often excessive, by highlighting the natural shape of the sanitaryware and designing the furniture as versatile units that can be re-deployed in different ways over the years: “Affetto,” explained Luca Nichetto, “meets several key needs by creating sanitaryware in essential forms, which don’t indulge in decoration for its own sake, and a set of furniture that adapts to different spaces and volumes.

My inspiration for the design was the modernist movement of the 1950s: nothing is superfluous and everything is rationally arranged.”

The Affetto sanitaryware is characterised by a single, continuous surface from base to summit, while the various washbasins, available with an integrated top, for wall-hung, drop-on or built-in installation, feature streamlined edges. The line of washbasins is completed by a freestanding, one-piece unit, with a deliberately asymmetrical shape and a compact base to facilitate use.

Tilefax

NEW WEBSITES FOR FINCIBEC GROUP BRANDS Fincibec Group, a major producer of ceramic floor and wall tiles, has launched new websites for its three brands Monocibec, Century and Naxos.

The renewal of the three sites is an important step in the process of enhancing the company’s interaction with private and professional customers, by making full use of the potential of the web.

The most striking features of the new sites are their attractive graphics, intuitive navigation systems and the extensive space dedicated to photos of the best construction projects completed using Fincibec brand products. The heart of the upgrade, however, lies in the search engines, which enable users to run intelligent searches for specific information and for a general introduction to the products of Monocibec (www.monocibec.it), Century (www.century-ceramica.it) and Naxos (www.naxos-cera mica.it). The extensive catalogues of the three brands can be navigated by cross-referencing various parameters, for quick, effective results. The site provides all the essential data for professionals, such as sizes, surface finishes and applications, while at the same time offering an invaluable source of inspiration in terms of colour schemes and aesthetics. The “Company News” section has also been extended, so as to provide visitors with prompt updates on the latest product releases, upcoming trade fairs of interest and the events and initiatives organised by the Fincibec Group. Lastly, the “Project and Design” section hosts a selection of the most interesting projects undertaken

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worldwide using Monocibec, Century and Naxos products. The company collected the projects from the first two editions of the international Quinquennial Tile Award, of which the third edition is now in progress (www.tileaward.org).

TEKNO ARMOUR-PLATED DOOR BY OIKOS IN ADI DESIGN INDEX 2012 Another prestigious accolade was awarded to Oikos, which has been producing stylish, innovative armour-plated doors for over 20 years: with Tekno, the Venice-based company has repeated

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the 2011 success of Synua Vela, the sliding armour-plated door selected for the ADI Design Index 2010, which subsequently won an honourable mention in the ADI Golden Compass Awards.

The Tekno armour-plated door included in the 2012 ADI Design Index is distinctly innovative: deriving from a partnership between Oikos and the designers Adriani&Rossi, it stands out for its exceptionally high performance and versatility. Firstly, it has no visible hinges, so can be mounted totally flush with the wall or door frame. What’s more, it can be clad in a wide range of materials, colours and finishes, and can be made with single or multiple panels, or combined with an armour-plated glass side panel without compromising security in any way.

By offering outstandingly high fire-resistance, certified to class EI90, Tekno can be installed in buildings that require compliance with stringent fire regulations, and can take the place of unsightly fire doors in corridors and stairwells.

Tekno also offers excellent intrusion protection (Class 3), acoustic insulation (43 dB), thermal insulation (U=1.6 upgradeable to 0.92 on request), water-tightness (up to 5A), air-tightness (4) and draught exclusion (up to C5).

ADVERTORIAL

DURABASE CI++ at Coverings 2013 Multi-purpose and extremely quick to lay. It is the DURABASE CI++ decoupling mat, with shear-stop action for decoupling, sealing, crack bridging and footfall sound insulation under tiled flooring in both indoor and outdoor areas.

Whether for domestic buildings or commercial premises, public buildings, offices or hotels, the three-layer structure is up to the job every time and has many strong selling points.

Particularly resilient The three-layer sandwiched structure of the polypropylene mats with a lower fleece layer, deep-drawn dimpled mid core layer and a mesh fabric in the surface layer is a tough performer.

With an increased thickness and the specific raised structure on its lower surface, the fleece layer achieves a stronger bond to the substrate, ensuring a force-locked connection and particularly large bonding area.

The mat's waterproof mid layer is welded to its reinforcing fabric surface layer by coextrusion. This is responsible in part for the high tensile bond strength of the decoupling mats and their extreme resilience.

The surface loads which DURABASE CI++ is capable of bearing are based

on DIN 1055-3 and reach 5.0 kN = 500 kg/sqm (compared to 2.0 kN of other fibreboards, expanded plastics and fibre fleeces).

It is available in rolls 1 metre wide for 5, 10 or 30 sq.m.

Highly effective: Shear-stop action, decoupling, sealing and footfall sound reduction With its shear stress protection, the DURABASE CI++ absorbs and removes stress in the substrate.

Small cracks in the substrate are bridged by the decoupling mats before they can wreak damage on the tiled surface. Footfall sound can also be reduced by about 7 to 8 dB. Quicker use on fresh substrates Both customers and tradesmen profit from the considerable saving in time achieved by using DURABASE CI++.

As a decoupler and bonding sealant for tiled surfaces on fresh screeds or concrete, the mat can be laid immediately after the floor walk on time thanks to improved equalisation of water vapour pressure, such as in wooden subfloors.

This means it can be laid after only a few days in the case of fresh cement

screeds and anhydrite screeds (as opposed to the usual four to five weeks), and after only about two months in the case of semi-cured concrete (as opposed to the usual six months).

The fold edge also aids decoupling and provides a waterproof connection between the floor and the wall or skirting board. Along with the decoupling mat, Dural can also supply CI tape for connecting butt joints.

Significantly reduced material usage and costs By using less adhesive due to the optimized dimple geometry of the mats, it provides considerable cost-saving opportunities depending on the size of the project: a reduction of about 20% in material usage saves time too for the floorer or tile layer.

Finally, DURABASE CI++ is ideal even for difficult substrates, recently laid mineral substrates, plastically deformable substrates, flooring systems and large-format tiles with a sufficient thickness (not slim tiles).

Dural @ Coverings 2013: Booth 7957, Hall C TCNA Pavillion Dural GmbH & Co. KG S端dring 11 56412 Ruppach-Goldhausen T. + 49 (0) 26 02 / 92 61-0 info@dural.com www.dural.com

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GRANITIFIANDRE IN FINALS OF EUROPEAN BUSINESS AWARDS GranitiFiandre has been selected as one of the eight National Champions 2012-2013 for the European Business Awards. The prestigious competition, run by an independent organisation based in London since 2006, selects businesses adhering to the highest standards of sustainable growth from the various sectors of industry within the European Union. For this edition, it received entries from over 15,000 companies.

GranitiFiandre, picked as one of Italy’s eight National Champions (www.businessawardseurope.com/nationalchampion/2012), now goes through to the final round, in which entrants are judged by an authoritative jury of entrepreneurs, politicians and academics.

mum benefit: two jets are directed at the legs, two take care of the feet and a further two rotating jets massage the back.

“Energy” offers all the top-flight features that you would expect of Jacuzzi®, such as high-visibility touch controls on the side of the tub; compact taps with mixer and secondary showerhead; an ergonomic EVA head-rest; a courtesy light, and the Cromodream® system for combining hydromassage with chromotherapy. Last but not least, the Dry-Run protection system prevents the bath from operating without water, thereby ensuring reliable, long-term performance, and the sanitisation system ensures that you enjoy your hydromassage with the utmost hygiene.

Available in two versions (170x70 and 180x80),“Energy” is a highly versatile tub, which is easy to install either built-in, corner-mounted, against a single wall or in a recess.

ENERGY BY JACUZZI®: REAL HYDROMASSAGE AT AFFORDABLE PRICE The latest addition to the Jacuzzi® stable is “Energy”, a hydromassage tub created by Emo Design, which offers top quality, contemporary design, low maintenance, unrivalled comfort and affordable prices.

The full power of Jacuzzi® technology finds expression in a deep, health-giving massage, courtesy of a set of jets with an adjustment range of 30°, for maxi-

Tile International 1/2013

LOUVRE CHOOSES TREND The Paris-based management of the Louvre has awarded the Trend Group a prestigious contract for the supply and installation of mosaics for the foyer of the auditorium in the Louvre Lens, a new satellite museum due to open by the

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end of the year.

The contract was awarded to Trend for several important reasons, such as its use of state-of-the-art digital technologies for the production and customisation of decorative pieces, its entirely inhouse management of the production process and the environmental credentials of Trend mosaics, which are made with a high percentage of post-consumer recycled glass (up to 70%).

Low environmental impact is one of the key criteria of the fascinating project produced by SANAA, a Tokyo-based firm of architects (run by Kazuyo Seijima and Ryue Nishizawa), in association with Catherine Mosbach, a Parisian landscape architect, and consisting in a complex floral pattern created by Yayoi Kusama, a charismatic character from the world of contemporary art.

This prestigious project turned into a major challenge, because translating the plans of Yayoi Kusama, who is already renowned for his partnerships with Lancôme, Marc Jacobs and Louis Vuitton, into reality necessitated the creation of a series of one-off colours and fluorescent tones from scratch.

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LITOKOL AND THE MASTERS IN INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS STUDIES Litokol is one of the partners of the 27th edition of the Masters in International Business Studies, run by CIS – the Reggio Emilia School of Business Management – which got underway on 10 December.

The Masters course provides unemployed recent graduates with an opportunity to train for managerial roles in business administration, human resources, production and marketing.

The course, which is certified by Asfor, consists of a total of 1350 hours, including 650 hours of work placements with the sponsor companies in Italy and abroad. In addition to the conventional teaching hours, the Masters offers ample scope for direct contact with practising managers and entrepreneurs. No less than 20 bursaries are available for participants, thanks to the generous contribution of the sponsor companies.

LEONARDOCERAMICA OBTAINS NCS®© CERTIFICATION

NCS code. The NCS system is based on over 70 years of colour research and is currently the most widely used colour system in the world.

Adopting the NCS system will enable LeonardoCeramica to analyse, choose, communicate, produce and control colours, and thus deliver even more striking results to meet the needs of architecture. LeonardoCeramica’s Core, Color and Icon projects have already received NCS®© certification.

DEVON&DEVON OPENS IN LONDON Devon&Devon has opened its first UKbased single-brand store in London at 77 Westbourne Grove, in the heart of the famous Notting Hill district. The outstandingly elegant, 200-square-metre display space showcases all of the Florentine brand’s best products. “This is the first

Leonardo Ceramica, a Cooperativa Ceramica d'Imola brand, has adopted the NCS - Natural Colour System®© to determine the colours of its ceramic tiles.

NCS is a logical mechanism for sorting colours on the basis of how each is perceived. Using the Natural Colour System, every possible surface colour can be described and identified with a specific

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new store we have opened in 2013 and it is very important for us,” explained Gianni Tanini, Managing Director of Devon&Devon, “because it will raise the profile of our brand on the international market, which currently accounts for 70% of our turnover.”

PIEMME UNVEILS NEW 80X80 CM LARGE FORMAT Following the complete renovation of the production plant in Solignano di Modena, at a cost of some 25 million euros (the company’s most substantial investment in Italy in recent years), Piemme and Piemmegres are now launching a number of new product developments on the world market. These take the form of upgraded aesthetic effects, produced with the new high-resolution digital decoration systems, and updated formats, produced with the new presses and complete production lines for polishing and edge-grinding.

This major new business initiative, undertaken entirely in Italy with the cooperation of Italian suppliers, has enabled Piemme and Piemmegres to launch products in a new size of 80x80 cm, which will soon be followed by other large formats such as 60x120 and above. Piemme will be at Coverings 2013, both 2423.

Tilefax

PROGETTO 300

BY MONTOLIT Large-format porcelain tiles with dimensions of up to 300x150 cm and thicknesses ranging from 3 to 6 mm have been on the market for several years.

Since their first launch amid much clamour from the media, these materials have gained market share only slowly, largely because of the difficulties associated with their installation.

Thanks to its long-established relationships with the best-known ceramic manufacturers, Brevetti Montolit has had the opportunity to study first-hand all the issues relating to the installation of these new maxi-formats, and to supply manufacturers with the necessary technical support and appropriate professional equipment.

Providing valid solutions for tile fitters as well as manufacturers meant focusing on safe handling and positioning, as well as cutting. The resulting research spawned a series of specific articles presented in a dedicated catalogue called Progetto 300.

The heart of the project is the most professional tile cutter that Brevetti Montolit has ever designed, namely the Monster 300. The Monster 300 consists of a linear rail in aluminium alloy, which acts as a

track for the sliding carriage, complete with scoring system and lever-operated, progressive, double splitting system; a base frame and four support tables.

All quick to assemble and disassemble (approximately 5 minutes).

The machine is simple to use because it features an innovative scoring wheel pre-load system, which means that all the tiler needs to do is push the toolholder head. T his done, he separates the two parts of the tile by turning a knob that progressively transmits to the surface of the tile the necessary pressure to split it.

This ensures the utmost safety and and control in the decisive phase of the cutting operation.

As well as supporting the tile firmly, the four generously sized, spring-loaded tables serve as a measuring reference, because each is marked with a millimetric ruler. Brevetti Montolit has thus responded to the changing needs of the market, and shown that the scepticism regarding the workability of these products was unfounded.

Brevetti Montolit has also developed a number of other specific items for maxiformat tiles: the Superstick modular frame, which is perfect for handling outsize tiles, from the moment you remove them from the

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crate to the time of installation, and the Goal Trolley, for moving the tiles to the Superstick frame.

You can see the entire range of products specifically designed for large formats at www.montolit.com, including video clips of the equipment in use.

INTERNATIONAL EXPANSION FOR KEDIL BY ADRIA Kedil, a new brand belonging to Abrasivi Adria, a major international producer of abrasives for the processing of natural stone and agglomerates, operates in the field of chemicals for the construction industry, and is firmly committed to the research and development of new products.

Until now, Kedil’s presence has been chiefly confined to the Italian market, but for 2013, the company has set itself the target of raising its profile on export markets too.

Despite the adverse economic climate, Kedil succeeded in strengthening its relations with customers in 2012, and is now preparing to consolidate and extend its sales force by appointing new partners with the necessary technical knowledge and contacts in the industry.

Without seeking to downplay the severity of the current recession, Andrea Zaniboni, Kedil’s head of sales, is firmly convinced that: “Crises bring out the best in people. If we do nothing but talk about crisis, we’ll just make it worse: what we all need to do now is roll up our sleeves and fight our way out of it.”

Tile International 1/2013

Tilefax

FIVE GOOD DESIGN AWARDS FOR GROHE Grohe Blue® Mono, Grohe Concetto, Grohe Parkfield, Grohe Power & Soul and Grohe Eurocube have all won awards recently.

Grohe Blue® Mono and Grohe Parkfield are not on sale in Italy yet, but Grohe Power & Soul, Grohe Concetto and Grohe Eurocube are already available in the Bel Paese and represent the flagship of the German company’s fleet.

All the award-winning products are representative of the key features of Grohe design and production, namely intrinsic harmony of expression, functionality, comfort and elegance.

The Grohe Blue® Mono water filtration system provides top-quality drinking water, both still and sparkling, directly from the tap.

Grohe Concetto is a specific bathroom line, featuring clean, ergonomic contours based on cylindrical elements that lend emphasis to the modern, minimalist design. The new Parkfield™ line features soft, broad lines and a mixer tap whose styling draws inspiration from the arched shape of drinking fountains.

The innovatively styled Power&Soul™ shower line incorporates the exclusive jet selector, which provides fingertip control of no less than 11 different types of jet.

The final member of the winning quintet is Eurocube (pictured), a range of taps characterised by parallel lines, elegant surface finishes and perfectly proportioned cubic forms.

The prestigious Good Design Award has been held annually by the Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design and the European Centre

Tile International 1/2013

for Architecture, Art, Design and Urban Studies since 1950. The judges select innovative products that show a perfect balance between concept, sustainability, form and function.

At this year’s edition, Grohe was one of several companies selected for awards for the fifth year running.

DELTACALOR TO SPONSOR MAJOR FRENCH ATLANTIC REGATTAS IN 2013 To mark the launch of its “Dryer” multipurpose, three-in-one, electric towel rail, which also converts into a handy clothes dryer, Deltacalor, a manufacturer of decorative radiators, has decided to associate itself with French sailsport by sponsoring the skipper Lionel Régnier, who won the 2005 OSTAR (Original Single-handed Transatlantic Race).

The sponsorship initiative goes by the name of Deltacalor Challenge, and derives from the values that the company shares with the world of sailing: sailing, after all, has always been synonymous with the search for technical perfection, quality, environmental compatibility, technology and progress. Sailing also

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represents freedom, exploration and the world’s most historic means of renewable-powered transport. All these values are shared in full by Deltacalor, which will invite its partners, on various occasions, to experience the thrill of sailing, come together as a team and feel a new sense of team spirit.

The boat sponsored by Deltacalor is called “400 MilleSabords”, an AKILARIA RC2 CLASS 40 latest-generation sailing yacht. Powerful and reliable, it measures 12.19 m in length and reaches a top speed of 28/29 knots. A yacht of this type won the Class 40 Round the World race. The boat sponsored by Deltacalor is moored at Les Sables d’Olonne, in the same port as the Vendée Globe, which is a strategic location that enjoys an extremely high profile.

The Deltacalor Challenge will take part in the following regattas in 2013: • Grand Prix Guyader – 2-5 May 2013, Douarnenez • Record SNSM – 23-25 June 2013, Saint Nazaire • Les Sables Horta Les Sables – July 2013 • Transat Jaque Vabre – October/November 2013, Le Havre (to be confirmed).

www.progressprofiles.com

Our glance always at the future

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Proskirting Flat and Proskirting Channel are two of the latest skirting boards designed with an integrated system for plasterboards and devised to create a skirting flush to the wall with decorative inner grooves, with or without cable channel.

They are available in stainless steel, anodized aluminium, polished, brushed or varnished in several colours, in order to create the desired effect of contemporary touch.

Proskirting Flat

Proleveling System Lippage is a huge issue It’s our turn to help Proleveling System is a revolutionary and innovative system that facilitates and quicken the laying process with only two elements: (leveler and cap).

A complete range of levelers of 1, 2 and 3 mm for floorings and coverings from 2 to 40 mm thick. Thanks to the pressure applied vertically and not transversally, the exclusive removal system allows to avoid the movement of the tiles and the widening of the joints.

Lay

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PATE NT P EN Multi ple s diNg olutio ns

remove Kicking the clip in the direction of the joint.

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GOOD DESIGN AWARD FOR CERAMICA CIELO Ceramica Cielo won a Good Design Award 2012 for its Le Giare series of sanitaryware and its Amedeo round, freestanding washbasin.

This is a major, new, international endorsement for the design, innovation, technology and 100% Italian craftsmanship that are the hallmark of Civita Castellana-based company.

This Good Design Award comes in the wake of three other international awards recently assigned to the Le Giare collection, namely the German Design Award 2013, the ADI Design Index 2012 and a “Red Dot Award: Product Design” 2012.

Designed by the architect Claudio Silvestrin, Le Giare is the result of painstaking stylistic exploration and an innovative approach not only to the choice of forms and materials but also to the production processes. Made up of wallhung and freestanding washbasins and wall-hung and floor-mounted sanitaryware, all made with the best Italian ceramic, the collection was recently extended with an exclusive, new, extra large, oval bathtub and a mirror.

The other awardwinner was Amedeo in a round version (ø45 cm), designed by Karim Rashid. This high-

Tile International 1/2013

ly original and elegant, freestanding pedestal washbasin is also available in an oval version (45x65xH90 cm). The unique element is the basin fitted in the pedestal, which can be installed either freestanding or partially built-in, with the utmost ease.

LEA CERAMICHE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH LAGO Imm Cologne, the first trade fair of the year dedicated to interior furnishing, was held from 15 to 20 January, and provided the ideal showcase for unveiling three new products originating from a partnership between Lea Ceramiche and Lago.

Designed by Daniele Lago, the new N.O.W. Line, Drunk and 36e8 collections are intended to extend Lago’s exploration of the domestic habitat and enhance its dwelling system, by means of furnishing compositions that combine with floor and wall tiles to deliver the maximum scope for customisation.

Ongoing research into the aesthetics of living space has always been a priority for Lea Ceramiche too, and has resulted in the company introducing unconventional applications for ceramic, including as a furnishing complement in its own right.

By starting with Slimtech RE-Evolution by Lea Ceramiche (laminated porcelain tile in oversize formats with a thickness of just 3 mm), Daniele Lago worked on the use of cuts, and perfectly adapted the ceramic coverings to Lago’s iconic storage systems. Such was the case with the N.O.W. Line series, which takes its name from the characteristic non-wardrobe made by the Veneto-based company, in which the vertical strips of the

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doors are replicated on the floor and wall to create an environment where space and furnishings blend into a seamless unit.

The second collection, called Drunk, uses smaller modules (36.5x36.5cm and 18.1x18.1cm) to generate an optical illusion of height differences (see photo).

Once again, the compositions of 25 or 9 pieces blend perfectly with the Lago furnishings.

Lastly, the 36e8 series returns to the basic 36.8x36.8 cm module from the iconic Lago System, with which the company made its debut on the Italian design scene, and Daniele Lago “assembled” a floor with a wide variety of formats, all of which are multiples of the basic size, to create a sense of continuity between furniture and surface coverings.

The colour palette of the three new products includes neutrals, which combine easily with the shades of mud and almond of the Lago furnishings to create a harmonious, balanced colour scheme. The three new collections are available from LAGOStores worldwide and from a limited number of multibrand stores, with immediate effect.

The sustainable lightness of matter Porcelain stoneware greatness conquers lightness and exibility.

3x1.5 mt slabs in only 3 and 6 mm

Tilefax

CERSAIE UNVEILS 2013 POSTER The unveiling of the 2013 poster for Cersaie kicks off the process of organising this year’s edition of the world’s most important international trade fair for the ceramic and bathroom furnishing industry.

The designer of the 2013 poster is Luigi Capraro, a student at ISIA in Bologna, who won the third edition of Beautiful Ideas, a competition organised by Confindustria Ceramica and Edi.Cer, with a view to providing students at universities and design institutes with an opportunity to create a new motif for each successive edition of the event.

The theme of the third edition of the competition was “Cersaie and the eulogy to normality”: an invitation to take a detached look at the world as it is, and ceramic and bathroom furnishing as elements that belong to everyday life, both historically and in terms of their expressive and functional potential.

120 students entered the competition, from 10 design schools from all over Italy, submitting a total of 150 sketches between them. After assessing all the entries, the jury, made up of Michele De Lucchi, Beppe Finessi, Franco Origoni

Tile International 1/2013

and Lia Piano, selected Luigi Capraro as the winner.

The theme of next edition of the competition will be “Ceramic Relationships”.

CERAMICA SANT'AGOSTINO DELIVERS ON PROMISES Of the eight ceramic manufacturers struck by the earthquake that hit the Emilia Romagna region of Italy last spring, Ceramica Sant’Agostino undoubtedly suffered the worst damage.

The material damage was substantial, but as nothing compared with the death of two employees, who lost their lives when the hangar they were working in collapsed during the night shift.

The company’s firm commitment to rising from its own ashes found tangible expression on 23 July, when it re-started the kiln for double-fired tile, which was soon back operating continuous shifts for output of 3500 square metres of tile per day for a total of some 100,000 square metres per month.

The return to full productivity was confirmed by the unveiling of several product lines at Cersaie 2012 designed by Philippe Starck, the international archistar with whom Ceramica Sant'Agostino has embarked on a partnership that is looking very promising.

Following the resumption of double-fired tile production last July, 7 January saw a return to internal production of porcelain floor and wall tile too, when the final extraordinary maintenance operations were completed on the most advanced lines – all of which incorporate digital technology – used for the manufacture of the most premium products.

Filippo Manuzzi, the company’s Brand

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Manager (pictured), was proud to announce: “Ceramica Sant'Agostino has delivered on its promises, and is committed to adhering to its research programme, with a view to consolidating its position on international markets and providing new stimuli and setting new trends within the Italian ceramic industry.”

SECOND EDITION OF FONDAZIONE RENZO PIANO AWARD GETS UNDER WAY The Fondazione Renzo Piano has recently announced the second edition of its Fondazione Renzo Piano Award for talented young architects and designers.

The closing date for entries is 10 March 2013, entry is free of charge and the competition is open to Italian designers under the age of 40 operating either individually or as firms.

Firms are considered to be Italian if at least one of the partners is Italian, whereas the firm's headquarters may be either in Italy or elsewhere. All members of the firm must be born after 01/01/1973.

Entries are accepted only from owners, partners and associates of firms, not

Tilefax

their external contractors or consultants.

Temporary associations of designers are considered on the same basis as firms. All entries compete in a single category. The competition is divided into two phases. In the first phase, a jury selects 12 finalists. In the second, they pick the overall winner.

The jury for the first phase is made up of Anna Baldini (presS/Tletter), Diego Barbarelli (presS/Tletter), Paolo Colonna (RPBW Paris), Kendall Doerr (RPBW New

York), Shunji Ishida (RPBW Genoa), Zaira Magliozzi (presS/Tletter), Giulia Mura (presS/Tletter) and Paul Vincent (RPBW Paris).

The second phase will be judged by Renzo Piano himself.

Closing date: all material must be sent by email to premioarch40@gmail.com, by 12.00 noon on 10 March 2013. The subject of the email must be marked: Premioarch40. For further information: www.fondazionerenzopiano.org

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GROWTH FOR PROGRESS PROFILES Progress Profiles, a leading company in the design, manufacture and sale of interior trim profiles, closed 2012 on a positive note, with a further rise in turnover.

The company, based in Asolo (in the province of Treviso, Italy), is a firmly established business with solid roots in the present and a close eye on the future and on achieving new goals. With 60 employees, over 100 external contractors and a network of 120 agents, Progress Profiles is pursuing its policy of internationalisation, and adhering to its commitment to promoting the high quality of Italian products on world markets. As borne out by the recent opening of a new site in the United States, Progress Profiles America Inc., Progress Profiles exports and sells its products in over 50 countries, on the strength of a range of over 12,500 profiles in stainless steel, aluminium, brass, PVC and real wood, in addition to a range of waterproofing and de-coupling membranes for the installation of any type of floor or wall covering. Every Progress Profiles product combines refined aesthetics with high technology, and represents the best of Italian manufacturing. Quality, in fact, is certified as 100% original Italian: every production phase takes place in Italy, using Italian semifinished products and exclusive designs. This provides an absolute guarantee of reliability, as does the company’s policy of using top-grade, non-toxic materials only.

Tile International 1/2013

FERRARI&CIGARINI SUPPLIES CUTTING LINE FOR LARGE FORMATS UP TO 210 CM Ferrari & Cigarini is continuing its collaboration with the Vignola-based company Garavini Srl, whose business focuses on the processing of porcelain tile and natural stone, in conjunction with architects and interior designers, and which had already installed several F&C cutting lines in recent years.

The new line, the installation of which was completed in January 2013, is made up of an MTP 2200/3, capable of cutting formats of up to 210 cm, and a special roller-bed infeed conveyor that facilitates the handling of large formats.

MTP 2200/3 is equipped with an extended infeed section to facilitate the infeed, support and alignment of large-format tiles, including by means of the special Autocentring Fast System (A.F.S). The automatic guard opening system and the 180° Easy Open hood give the operator easy access to the shafts and belt.

To maximise the speed and precision of adjustment, thereby saving time and optimising the final quality of the cut, the MTP 2200/3 is equipped with an Automatic Disc Alignment System, a position display and an Automatic Pressure System.

The new MTP 2200/3 has been designed to meet the requirements of quality, speed and high productivity when working with large formats such as 120, 150, 180 and 210 cm.

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25 YEARS OF SUSTAINABLE INNOVATION FOR NOVABELL Founded in 1988 by Silvio Bellei, on the strength of a pioneering career in the ceramic industry since 1950, NovaBell is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.

From the outset, the company’s guiding principles have always been innovation, efficiency, respect for the environment and the workforce and attention to the needs of the market.

Novabell now presents the Avant collection, a series of porcelain floor and wall tiles featuring digital graphics and the typically variegated tones of natural stone. Available in a soft-touch version, known as IN, the collection is ideal for all types of floor and wall tiling, in private and public environments like. The OUT version, by contrast, has a textured, nonslip finish (thickness 10 mm). Another new development is the extra thick version (20 mm), which is suitable for heavy traffic and can be installed dry, on gravel, on grass and on raised flooring mounted on feet. The all-new product in this collection is the three-dimensional Brick, which is perfect for tiling vertical surfaces and edges in an entirely original way. The Avant collection is certified

by Bureau Veritas to conform with the LEED® criteria established by the United States Green Building Council.

The collection is available in four shades of Silver, Basalt, Desert and Bone, in sizes 60x60, 30x60, 15x60, 30x30, 15x30 and 15x15.

Tilefax

ADA LOUISE HUXTABLE, FIRST ARCHITECTURE CRITIC TO WIN PULITZER PRIZE, DIES IN NEW YORK Ada Louise Huxtable, a regular columnist and commentator on the New York Times since the 1960s, died in Manhattan on Monday 7 January.

America bade farewell to the first and most influential architecture critic that the press has ever known.

As well as being the first critic of her kind ever to be employed full time by a newspaper, Huxtable was also the first winner of a Pulitzer prize for her analysis of contemporary architecture.

In recent years, she also wrote for the Wall Street Journal. A long tribute published in the New York Times highlighted how her analysis and vision made a major contribution to urban development in the boom years in New York City and well beyond. A passionate devotee of Italian architecture, Huxtable wrote innumerable books on architecture, the last of which discussed the architectural changes that took place over the course of the 20th Century and is entitled “On architecture: Collected Reflections on a Century of Change.”

GRAZIANO VERDI LEAVES GRANITIFIANDRE - IRIS CERAMICA GROUP By mutual agreement, Graziano Verdi, President and CEO of GranitiFiandre – Iris Ceramica, has revoked his contract with the ceramic Group founded by Romano Minozzi.

The news came as a complete surprise and opens the door to various possibili-

ties. Some years ago, Graziano Verdi had already quit GranitiFiandre to go to Technogym, but on that occasion he remained on the board of directors of the ceramic group, and returned to the fold in full a year later. The official announcement released yesterday by GranitiFiandre-IRIS Ceramica Group has a different tone this time, however, and explains that the Company and Graziano Verdi have reached a mutual agreement “to go their separate ways.”

GranitiFiandre thanked Graziano Verdi for his many years of valuable and highprofile collaboration, for his key contribution to the stock-market flotation, his excellent work as an investor relator and for the delisting he undertook in the interests of all the shareholders, at a price of over 50% higher than the market value at the time the decision to de-list was reached. GranitiFiandre Group and Romano Minozzi thanked Graziano Verdi for the major contribution he made over the years to enhancing the image of the GranitiFiandre brand. For his part, Graziano Verdi thanked Romano Minozzi and the Company for the opportunity they gave him to acquire invaluable experience and the highest levels of professionalism – qualities for which he is universally recognised, not just within the company but also by the world of business and finance and by the media.

perfield for the excellent results achieved by the 13th International Architecture Exhibition, the Board appointed Rem Koolhaas to oversee the 14th edition scheduled for 2014. “The Venice Biennial’s Architecture Exhibitions have grown in stature over the years and earned worldwide recognition. This is borne out by the fact that the next edition will be directed by no less a figure than Rem Koolhaas, one of the greatest and most high-profile architects of our time, whose entire output is based on intense research, and who is now taking up the challenge of another exercise in research and maybe even reconsideration”, explained Baratta. “We want to cast a new light on the most basic elements of architecture – used by all architects, everywhere, all the time – to see if we can find out something new about architecture”, added Rem Koolhaas. The newly appointed director won a Golden Lion lifetime achievement award at the 2010 Architecture Biennial and the Pritzker Prize in 2000. He founded OMA (Office for Metropolitan Architecture) in 1975 with Elia and Zoe Zenghelis and Madelon Vriesendorp. As well as designing buildings all over the world with OMA, Koolhaas is active in non-architectural disciplines such as politics, publishing, media, fashion and sociology, through AMO, his research unit and think tank.

REM KOOLHAAS APPOINTED DIRECTOR OF ARCHITECTURE BIENNIAL The Board of Directors of the Venice Biennial, chaired by Paolo Baratta, recently met at the organisation’s headquarters in Ca' Giustinian. After thanking David Chip-

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Tilefax

NEGEV, READY TO OPEN THE NEW PORCELAIN TILE FACTORY The Negev porcelain tile factory (Yeruham, Israel) is expanding this year with the building of a new plant which will increase its yearly porcelain tile production capability to 7 millions sq.m. and will serve as the cutting edge technology in the field of digitally printed porcelain tiles.The inauguration will take place in the coming summer of 2013.The plant will be environmentally friendly, energy efficient and will recycle all the raw materials used in the production process.

The quality products manufactured have been awarded the ISO 2000 standard by the Standards Institution of Israel and the European standards (certificate 314 and 176). Moreover, Negev was awarded platinum status by the Israeli Council for Green Construction, received the Green Standard Label from the Standards Institution of Israel and is a candidate for the European Eco Label.

Last year the Negev Group has signed a strategic contract for a 5-year period with the Canadian Olympia Tile Company, owned by the Reichmann family, one of the world's largest tile distribution companies: Olympia Tiles will purchase Novo Porcelain tiles, which will be distributed to stores, contractors and directly to projects across North America and Canada.

The Novo Collection produced in the Negev plant and designed in Negev Studio features smooth concrete-like, parquet-like and Terrazzo designs, which look like "real" stone, marble, smoothed concrete, parquet, wood, or terrazzo, thanks to the innovative digital printing

Tile International 1/2013

enabling to obtain the colors, textures and variances between the tiles, which were impossible until now. An example is Decostone, whose style has been marked as a classic Israeli look for years and which is now turning into an innovative and exciting collection with a wide range of shades and finishes to choose from.

Digital technology even allows for nonidentical surfaces, a brushed look, stucco and non-smooth finishing, in matte or glossy finishing.

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MOSBUILD 2013 Everything is ready for Russia’s largest and best-known exhibition for ceramics, technologies, bathrooms, stone and related industries, MosBuild Cersanex, taking place on 16 - 19 April at Moscow’s Expocentre venue.

This specialised trade exhibition promises to be a significant event in 2013, featuring the latest products and technologies from over 600 companies who will represent around 30 countries worldwide.

Furthermore, National Group Stands from Italy, Spain and China have been allocated an important place at the exhibition. The Italian tile manufacturers (approximately 35 companies) will be exhibit inside the “Ceramic of Italy” national pavilion.

MosBuild Cersanex features some of the world’s biggest and best-known brands, presented on the most stylish and spectacular exhibition stands.

The impressive displays, innovative new designs and technologies annually attract thousands of builders, bathroom fitters, interior designers and architects, as well as specialist retailers, wholesalers and distributors. The fair is divided into 5 individual events: Bathrooms, Ceramics, Technoceramica, Stonex and, for the first time, Pool, Sauna and Spa. Amongst regular exhibitors at are leading industry players such as: Kerama Marazzi, Roca Group, AtlasConcorde Group, Italon, Estima, Kohler, Vitra, Villeroy&Boch, Lineatre, Nicolazzi, Granitifiandre, NewForm, Gustavsberg, Herbovital, TOTO, Keramin, Nefrit Keramica, Domoff Group, Archystyle, Harvia and many others.

The exhibitors at MosBuild Cersanex re-

Tilefax

port significant business growth rates from Russia, many of whom see the Russian market as one of the most important in the world, due to its existing demand, as well as future growth potential.

Now is the ideal time for international companies to take advantage of this market.

BIEN AT MOSBUILD CERSANEX 2013 The Turkish company Bien Seramik will

Tulle

exhibit at Mosbuild Cersanex 2013 (Moscow, 16-19 April), showing its latest tile collections, Fracture, Cemento and Tulle. Reflecting the mesmerizing effect of broken glass with its free geometric form and extraordinary lines, the “Fracture” series brings deco-constructivist minimalism to the bathroom.

It consists of black and white 30x80 cm tiles. The ceramic WC and sink that complement this magnificent series were awarded with the Gold A' Design Award by the Como Department of Culture, one of the most prestigious institutions in the world.

“Cemento”, the series named after the Italian word for “Cement”, offers an elegant and exquisite alternative that decorates spaces with serenity and simplicity with 40x60 cm tiles produced with grey and bone shades and equal-sized rose patterns. The glazed-porcelain series can be used both on walls and floors. Inspired by traditional tulle patterns, the “Tulle” series offers a graceful and elegant approach to living spaces with 30x60 cm mink and white tiles.

In addition to brightening up spaces with flower patterns, the series also offer versatility as it can be used in different living spaces.

Fracture

COTTO AT COVERINGS 2013 Following its huge success from the debut at the Milan 2012 FuoriSalone, Cotto, a world-class tiles and sanitaryware brand, continues to enrich its innovative Marmo Granito collection at Coverings 2013 (Hall B Booth # 4604) with two new series.

Marmo Granito Collection reinterprets the beauty and uniqueness of natural stone look, made through a patented mold process modeling and the use of other innovative production techniques, with the advantage of being much more durable and sustainable.

Characterized by exceptionally realistic veining in all its parts, Marmo Granito Collection ensure water resistance as well as load and shock constraint, made by full colored body porcelain stoneware.

The two new series will definitely be the main spotlight of the exhibition.

Firstly, Palizza Series is the interpretation of the character of fine-grained, veined white marble found in the Dolomites which are commonly used in industrial and religious architecture in Europe.

It shines incredibly beautiful resembling character of natural material called Palissandro stone.

The next series is Eramo Series, which is inspired by unique Canadian brown Limestone which was one of the most important materials of architecture and interior design in the late nineteenth century which is back in design trends.

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In the spotlight

Tagina, 40 years of Italian research… for a new renaissance

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Tagina, founded in Gualdo Tadino in 1973, celebrates its 40th anniversary this year and remains one of the liveliest industrial companies in Umbria. Despite the continuing recession, the company is still reporting good turnover, chiefly thanks to its export markets.

The Tagina Group now represents a blend of state-of-theart production facilities (the group operates three production sites and employs about

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Mario Moricone 270 people including in-house staff and external contractors), a unique research laboratory and the latest knowhow, combined with the instinct to preserve the ancient ceramic tradition of its home city, which has been known worldwide for centuries for the majolica it produces with distinctively metallic highlights.

Tagina thus has a dual spirit, because while creating porcelain tiles that adhere to the

latest industrial standards, it also preserves such ancient techniques as cast forming: a laborious process involving the use of a shaped plaster mould, into which clay is cast.

The clay then forms layers, as the water in it is gradually absorbed by the walls of the mould. This technique is still used to shape the most complex trim pieces and decorative reliefs that give Tagina’s coverings a unique place in the world market.

We asked Mario Moriconi, who co-founded the Group with Angelo Barberini, and has been its Managing Director since 2003, for his views on product research and the market outlook.

Tile International: How does it feel to have 40 years of corporate history behind you?

Mario Moriconi: “Considering the extent to which the ceramic industry has been devastated by the economic crises of recent years, we have man-

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aged to keep the downturn in sales compared with 2011 within acceptable limits, thanks to the buoyancy of our foreign markets. That is quite an achievement, especially when you bear in mind that the markets sneezed again in June 2011 and the world economy, with particular reference to Italy, has been suffering from a cold ever since.

Now we are getting ready for the Saloni again and we have decided to use the event to showcase the potential of our latest creations.

In its 40th anniversary year, Tagina is reasserting its loyalty to tradition, while adding a more contemporary flavour to its new collections, in the form of products that more closely reflect current tastes in terms of edge and surface finishes, formats, accents, combinations, motifs and colours.”

Tile International: Has the recession forced you to reduce the level of product research that your Group has always

In the spotlight

traditionally invested in?

M. Moriconi: “Changes in patterns of consumption at a

global level in these recent years of economic stagnation have undoubtedly affected

us, because we operate in the top segment of our industry.

Even wealthy consumers

these days pay close attention to value for money. But that is all the more reason to invest even more intensively in design and quality. So rather than cut back on the work of our internal research laboratory, we have actually stepped it up.

WIRE -thickness 12/20 mmwhich we launched in 2010 as the antithesis of industry trends at the time, is now be-

ing imitated by many companies, who have realised how important it is to provoke and challenge designers, by multiplying the uses of traditional ceramic tiles. But that was by no means the first time that Tagina chose to go against the grain. In fact, you could say that it is the originality and characteristic uniqueness of the Tagina style, that has brought us

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worldwide recognition.”

Tile International: And you also recently invested in latestgeneration production technologies, didn’t you?

M. Moriconi: “Certainly, but we take care not to let technology standardise what we do: we harness its benefits, but we always inject our own autonomous input. The investments we made in recent years, after the financial crisis had already hit, related to the

installation of new production lines aimed at technological updating and at the recovery and recycling of 90% of waste materials. And then we installed a series of machines for digital decoration. But we use this new technology in a way that does not compromise the uniqueness of our products, and we leave room for our own natural creativity, which is an essential ingredient in our mix. This commit-

ment to ploughing our own furrow is another factor in our decision not to experiment with the trend for slim-gauge products: it would be impossible, for example, to reproduce the richness of the Minera Liqua or Fucina collections – our two best-selling products in recent years – in a tile just 4 mm thick.”

Tile International: Tagina still dedicates a lot of attention to the world of architects, doesn’t

it?

M. Moriconi: “Absolutely. Even our latest collection, Woodays, confirms Tagina’s special ability to provide architects and designers with ceramic collections that are produced to perfection and suitable for use in complex architectural works, such as large hotels, conference centres, retail areas and office complexes. We offer a customisable contract, because we can provide cor-

Woodays

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In the spotlight

porate customers with industrial solutions borrowed from the other side of our company’s character, namely its spirit of craftsmanship, which creates made-to-measure functional solutions, thanks in part to the production of trim pieces. With Woodays, for example, where wood blends with the most advanced ceramic technology, Tagina’s designers and technicians studied and took extremely high-definition pho-

Warmstones Woodays

Faetano "Amarcord"

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Tile International 1/2013

In the spotlight

tographs of some of the most highly valued species of wood.

Their texture was then reproduced on the various modules in the collection, giving rise to as many as 20 different grain patterns for each wood and thus generating a product with the external appearance of wood flooring, and the hard-wearing core of ceramic.

Available in an indoor version, with the traditional thickness of 12mm, and an outdoor version, with the Compact 20 format, Woodays is also ideal for tiling porticos, terraces and poolsides. Thanks to Compact 20 technology, Tagina’s new collections are suitable for traditional installation, floating in-

stallation, and installation on sand, gravel or directly on grass. They are also ideal for use on raised flooring.”

Tile International: What is happening on the export market?

M. Moriconi: “The general trend on our export markets is towards significant growth, especially in Europe and Russia, and that is what has enabled us to offset a substantial part of the fall in sales on our home market.

But our main focus at the moment is on the emerging markets: we have achieved particularly good results in China, where we have sold our products for many years, and where, since February 2009,

we have been present in over 30 showrooms across the country’s major cities, such as Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, thanks to an agreement with a well-known importer, with whom we are stepping up our commercial presence.

Our next step is the Indian market, where our products are currently on display in two luxury showrooms in Bangalore and New Delhi, dedicated to the leading brands that represent the best of Italian interior design products. We were also preparing to launch our brand in North Africa, with a particular focus on Libya, but those plans are on hold at the moment, in view of the un-

Warmstones

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certain political situation.”

Tile International: How important are Italian interior design products on the world market?

M. Moriconi: “In many ways, Italian taste and style and the richness of our landscape and art history, represent our only raw material, but it’s a raw material that can never be replicated elsewhere.

We have to nurture it carefully, though, and encourage its growth. We are so convinced of this, at Tagina, that we use the term “Supermade in Italy”, which involves four key ingredients: our place in the great history of ceramic, because the roots of Tagina’s experience lie in the Italian Renaissance; Research & Development, to convert this ancient know-how into a modern product that combines tradition with design and state-ofthe-art technology; exclusively Italian production, because everything is made at Gualdo Tadino; and the sustainability of the entire production cycle, because operating with care for the environment and respect for people’s work is a sign of civility, which makes us the legitimate heirs to the great Italian Renaissance.

As we celebrate our 40th anniversary year, that is the wish that I would like to extend to the whole of Italy: let us reclaim the best of our roots and build upon them to generate a new Italian Renaissance.”

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In the spotlight

New US plant for innovation-led Del Conca Group

planned, involving further investments of 20 million dollars and 78 additional employees.

We asked Enzo Donald Mularoni, Del Conca Group CEO, to tell us about the philosophy that underpins this important decision to internationalise production.

Enzo Donald Mularoni

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The Del Conca Group has announced plans to build a new production facility in Loudon County, Tennessee, USA. The new site, covering an area of over 30,000 square metres, is due for completion by late 2013, and porcelain tile production will come on-stream early in 2014.

The initial investment amounts to 50 million dollars and the plant will employ about 100 people when it opens, but a second phase is already

Tile International 1/2013

Tile International: Why have you decided to make this major investment in the United States?

Enzo Donald Mularoni: “The new plant is being built at the initiative of Del Conca USA, the Group’s American subsidiary, which already has a logistics centre in Chicago, and the project will increase the company’s market share in the United States. Exports account for 75% of Del Conca Group’s turnover, half of which is generated in the US market. The decision to launch production directly in America is therefore dictated by the need to respond to orders quickly and

flexibly.”

Tile International: The announcement was made just a few days before Christmas: how long had you been working on it prior to that?

E. D. Mularoni: “In the United States, it doesn’t take a long to set up a new business; just the time needed to get the necessary authorisations. What did take a long time, however, was finding the right location. We chose Loudon County because the authorities there were very helpful and made the whole process as smooth as possible. Together with the Loudon County Economic Development Agency, Bill Haslam, County Governor, officially welcomed Del Conca USA and thanked the company for this initiative, which will make a major contribution to the local community. What’s more, there are plenty of quarries in Tennessee and the neighbouring states, which can supply the raw materials

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we need for the production of porcelain tile. Another of the benefits of Tennessee is that it is a major hub for the country’s main road arteries.”

Tile International: What type of tiles do you plan to produce at Loudon and what will the new plant’s production capacity be?

E. D. Mularoni: “The new plant will come on-stream with production of 3 million square metres of exceptionally highquality porcelain tile. Once production is fully ramped up, however, capacity will reach 6 million square metres.”

Tile International: Is the production technology to be installed at the plant all Italian?

E. D. Mularoni: “Italian technology is undoubtedly the best when it comes to ceramic production, and we have chosen suppliers who can also offer a high standard of international services, in terms of providing the best overseas technical support.”

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Tile International: What technological solutions will be used at the new plant to enhance energy-saving and environmental sustainability?

E. D. Mularoni: “The Loudon plant will use the best technology on the market, in terms of both the production process (high-pressure presses, digital decoration, etc.) and environmental credentials. All emissions will be captured and purified, and all dust, water and processing waste, whether

raw or fired, will be recycled.

The latest-generation production plants will ensure unrivalled levels of energy recovery and efficiency.”

Tile International: Am I right in thinking that the Del Conca Group is investing heavily in Italy too?

E. D. Mularoni: “Yes, the Group’s Italian plants are also receiving major investments, amounting to over 4 million euros. In Italy, we're investing in the production of goods of

the highest technical and aesthetic quality, aimed at maintaining and increasing our market share both in Italy and abroad. A substantial slice of our expenditure in Italy has been allocated to increasing production of the new Del Conca Fast system, which is currently in considerable demand in the United States. We have also had to set up new lines in Italy for the production of Due, a series with a thickness of 2 cm, which

is perfect for raised flooring.”

Tile International: Del Conca Fast is the innovative new drytiling system that you unveiled at Cersaie 2012, isn’t it?

E. D. Mularoni: “That’s right, Fast is an innovative, patented system for the dry installation of ceramic flooring, without the use of grout or adhesive, which can also be laid over existing floor coverings. It really is a revolutionary way of laying ceramic floor tiles, and that’s why we were overwhelmed by

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In the spotlight

Faetano "Amarcord" the number of visitors we received at Cersaie.

With the Fast system, you can lay a new ceramic floor in just a few hours; so you don’t have to move out, all you need to do is move the furniture.The resulting covering is stable, continuous, joint-free and ready to be walked on straight away. If you then leave your property, you can take up the entire floor or parts of it, reuse the tiles elsewhere and restore the previous flooring.”

Tile International: So the Group is still putting lots of effort into the research and development of new products and systems, then?

E. D. Mularoni: “It took our Research & Development laboratories two years to optimise the Fast system. Just two years before that, we presented the Thermatile system, which uses a revolutionary carbon coil, based on Formula One technology, to produce a floor covering and underfloor heating

system in a thickness of about 12 mm, without demolishing the existing flooring. Not only does this system offer higher efficiency than conventional radiant heating systems, but it also means you don’t need to install boilers or use water, other fluids and fuels. Thermatile also runs extremely well on solar-generated power.”

Tile International: So Research & Development are still the cornerstone of Del Conca’s philosophy?

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E. D. Mularoni: “The key to our development still lies in innovation and trendsetting. We still believe that these are the two essential factors in tackling this difficult moment for the market. However, when I speak of innovation I am not referring exclusively to technology and production. I refer also to the design-centred focus that allows us to expand the traditional application and functional characteristics of our products: today we

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In the spotlight

need to move beyond the simple concept of “products”, and embark on a more challenging but ultimately rewarding path towards “systems”. It is precisely this corporate development strategy – the only one that makes it possible to edge ahead in a competitive stalemate in which manufacturers are getting engulfed in an endless price war – that is exemplified by Del Conca’s Thermatile system and the innovative Del Conca Fast dry tiling system.

Tile International: And what about aesthetic trends?

E. D. Mularoni: “Despite the negative economic background we have spent several million euros on digital printing machines. However, there are no plans to employ this technology to obtain carbon copy reproductions of natural stone surfaces: I have always been extremely proud to be involved in the production of ceramic products and I have never been keen on copying natural stone, but rather seeking new forms of expression.

An example? The new “Amarcord” collection, sold under the Ceramica Faetano brand, which was also unveiled at Cersaie 2012. The inspiration for Amarcord comes from the best Italian tradition, with an extremely varied range of majolicas on a surface that replicates the evocative effect of encaustic tiles.”

Tile International: What were your final results for 2012 and

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what are your hopes for the new year for the various markets you serve?

E. D. Mularoni: “The good performance we achieved on certain markets in 2012 confirms that innovation and investment in technology, which have always underpinned our corporate strategy, give us a strong competitive edge. We are confident that DUE, the through-body porcelain tile with a thickness of 20 mm (size 60x60), which is ideal for raised flooring both indoors and outdoors, and the revolutionary, new, patented Del Conca FAST system, will be winning products in these times of recession.

The Del Conca Group produces some 12 million square metres of tile each year, 75% of which is exported, and consistently spends 6% of its annual turnover on research and development. Its best results in 2012 came from Eastern Europe, headed by Russia, and from the French- and Germanspeaking countries.”

Tile International: What plans do you have in the pipeline for the Russian market?

E. D. Mularoni: “The Russian market is always a central focus of our thinking, so we are working on the production of collections specifically designed to meet with acclaim on those increasingly demanding markets, and we will be in Moscow again this year for Mosbuild.”

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Trends

Welcome back colour!



In the closing days of 2012, Pantone, the world-renowned authority on colour, revealed its colour of the year 2013.

According to the company’s forecast, emerald green, designated PANTONE 17-5641 Emerald, will dominate the year’s colour trends.

Fashion designers had scented the tendency already: the catwalks of Milan, Paris and New York saw an explosion of emerald-coloured garments of all types for Spring/Summer 2013.

And the months to come are expected to see an exponential rise in the use of this colour, including in the worlds of beauty, interior design, publishing and advertising.

Anyone familiar with Pantone, a provider of professional colour standards for design applications and an undisputed authority on colour, knows that "green" means more than just "green". In presenting its annual Fashion Colour Report for Spring 2013, a painstakingly researched forecast of colour trends, Pantone has produced a palette of greens that might be mere details for some people, but constitute crucial information for others.

In the game of names and nuances, green, according to Pantone, will be next Spring’s predominant colour trend. But

Tile International 1/2013

if you’re a dedicated follower of fashion, you’ll be able to choose between Tender Shoots, a vibrant, joyful, greenish yellow, and Grayed Jade, which looks like a matt tone of jade, delicately sprinkled with dust. Emerald, meanwhile, is a vivid, verdant green.

But if green is not your thing, 2013 will see a strong showing of African Violet, a pale, powdered violet, in the best pastel tradition. There's always a place for Poppy Red too, an intense scarlet red like a field of poppies.

And Nectarine, meanwhile, is an orange with a hint of coral, that looks very different from the acidic orange that was in vogue in the Spring of 2012, while Lemon Zest, a vibrant yellow, completes the palette of bright colours.

In keeping with the “balance and harmony” described in the report, the bold colours are offset by neutral or understated tones such as Dusk Blue, a blue version of the above-mentioned jade green; Linen, the perennial classic neutral that comes back year after year under a different name, and Monaco Blue, which the uninitiated would happily call old-fashioned indigo.

Even hair-styling will adopt yellow, red, blue and green accents, as it embraces bold col-

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Eva Soto Lady Gaga - picture from web

Trends

Pantone Trends 2013: EMERALD GREEN, not to mention pale violet, scarlet red, bright yellow and indigo‌ Guillermina Baeza

Burberry Prorsum Louboutin

Nanette Lepore

Leyre Valiente 53

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Trends Flaviker

Pameaa

Cerasarda

Florim

Ragno Lea Ceamiche

ours with contrasting red or blue roots. We’ll also see the use of orange, white and black extensions to generate stark contrasts with natural hair colours. Amaya Arzuega, the Spanish fashion designer, has opted for pony tails with a rainbow effect around the band. Tsumori Chisato, meanwhile, has enhanced the hairstyles of his models with multicoloured yellow and orange effects around the temples. As for Haider Ackermann, his collection has been juxtaposed with hair-styles featuring copper mèches.

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Trends

Appiani

Cotto Etrusco

Fogazza

Mutina

Durstone

ABK

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Sant'Agostino

Tile International 1/2013

Economy & markets

Mohawk acquires Marazzi Group



On 20 December 2012, the US firm Mohawk Industries Inc. (Calhoun, Georgia), a world leading producer of a full range of flooring products listed on the NYSE, announced that it had entered into a agreement to acquire the Marazzi Group, owned 51% by the Marazzi family and 49% by the two private equity funds Permira and Private Equity Partners. The transaction is expected to be completed by March 2013 pending customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals. The value of the operation, which will allow the US giant to acquire the world leadership in ceramic tile production, is approximately $1.5 billion (€1.17 billion euro) with a combination of cash and equity, 8 times the estimated 2012 EBITDA (€145 million).

Mohawk, a multinational with operations in Australia, Brazil, China, Europe, Malaysia, Mexico and Russia, supplies a wide range of flooring materials to the international market.

These include carpet, ceramic tile, laminate, wood, stone, vinyl and rugs, which are marketed under the premier brands in the industry including Mohawk, Karastan, Lees, Bigelow, Durkan, Mohawk Home, Daltile, American Olean, Unilin and Quick-step.

Mohawk anticipates that the transaction will be accretive in 2013. The acquisition of the

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Italian group offers clear additional value for Mohawk Inc. Marazzi Group is the world’s largest producer of ceramic tiles with a substantial manufacturing presence in Italy, Russia, USA, France and Spain.

Marazzi’s 2011 revenues were about €833 million, with EBITDA of approximately 15.5% (IFRS).

It employs around 6,300 people and distributes ceramic tile in more than 100 countries through a strong international sales force.

Jeff Lorberbaum, Mohawk’s chairman and chief executive officer, stated, “This acquisition represents the next step in the expansion of Mohawk’s glob-

al business and will make Mohawk a stronger company. We found Marazzi attractive because of its solid management team and leadership positions in the USA, Russia and Europe. Marazzi’s differentiated products, leading-edge design, efficient manufacturing and exemplary service have created one of the most valued brands in the industry.

We have many opportunities to improve results by leveraging best practices, operational expertise, product innovation and manufacturing assets.”

In the U.S., Marazzi’s products are sold through independent

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distributors, home centers and 13 company service centers.

The total residential and commercial offerings of Marazzi and Mohawk complement each other and can satisfy every requirement in the market.

“We will also be able to provide additional products from our facilities in Mexico, China and Europe to compete directly with the large quantity of imported ceramic tile,” added Lorberbaum.

Marazzi has the number one position in the Russian ceramic market, which is similar in size to the United States. Maraz-

Economy & markets

Hatria "Sliding Wood System"

zi operates a unique model that optimizes its total supply chain from manufacturing to distribution to retail. Marazzi operates two manufacturing sites (Malino and Orel) and 21 regional distribution centers. It owns and franchises more than 300 retail stores that carry only Marazzi products.

About 50% of the Marazzi Russian business is sold directly to end users. Mohawk expects to continue the growth in Russia by expanding companyowned and franchised stores and other distribution channels.

contraction of the European flooring market, where it has leading positions in Italy, France and Spain, by rationalizing its capacity to align with the market and by implementing new strategies to enhance its sales in the region and adjacent countries. Improvements have been made that enhanced the manufacturing efficiency, quality and sales effectiveness. “We are also planning investments in Italy to further improve our efficiency, increase sales and develop our design potential,” Lorberbaum confirmed.

Marazzi has responded to the

Marazzi Group’s managing di-

Marazzi “Evolution Marble”

rector Andrea Sasso likewise expressed his satisfaction with the agreement. “The alliance with Mohawk is a major development opportunity for Marazzi,” he said. “The operation creates a world leading group that combines the strength of the Marazzi brand, renowned for its design and technological innovation, with Mohawk’s leadership position in the flooring industry and its strength in the distribution sector. Mohawk’s decision is a recognition of the excellent work that has been done by Marazzi and its staff to exploit the company’s Italian origins and become a world model for the

57

ceramic sector.”

The Marazzi family remain a key shareholder with the Mohawk group, confirming the opportunities offered by the transaction. They noted that Filippo Marazzi himself, who died suddenly on 28 November, “had worked hard to ensure that this operation reached a successful conclusion. Always forward-looking, he saw the alliance with Mohawk as an extraordinary opportunity to guarantee further future growth and international development for the Group.”

Del Conca "Fast"

5

Tile International 1/2013

Economy & markets

Laticrete expands in India



MYK Laticrete India officially inaugurated its new Dry Mortar Plant, Research & Development Centre and Technical Training Facility in Hyderabad,

lous country fits in perfectly with the group’s expansion plans for developing markets.

“Continued growth in India is an important part of our international expansion pro-

grammes, a third factory is currently under construction in Perundarai, Tamil Nadu state, which should be completed in the first quarter of 2013.

Laticrete has always acknowledged the significance of the Indian economy and the positive impact it has at a global level.

“We have long-term plans with

Andra Pradesh on 11 October in the presence of the US Consul-General to Hyderabad, Katerine Dhanani.

A solid showing of the US multinational’s top management were on hand for the events, including David A. Rothberg, CEO/Chairman, Erno de Bruijn, President International Division, and Faisal Saleem, Senior Director of International Business Development.

Laticrete was one of the first international companies to establish a presence in India, and continued growth in the world’s second most popu-

gramme,” said Erno de Bruijn.

“Our successful experiences in China, India, Singapore and the Arabian Gulf, where we already have leading positions, have helped to better develop business plans for additional markets in Southeast Asia, Latin America and Africa.”

MYK Laticrete India employs over 500 people and has two manufacturing facilities in Hyderabad (Andhra Pradesh state) and Sotanala (Rajasthan state), as well as 21 offices and warehouses throughout the nation. As part of the group’s development pro-

Plans are also on the drawing board to build additional factories over the next five years.

“Laticrete enjoys a strong presence in India,” said Faisal Saleem. “Ever since it was founded, the company has been growing. We have always stayed true to the core foundations of Laticrete, which consist of strong, ongoing programmes of education and training that will continue in the future.”

David A. Rothberg, who cut the ribbon for the grand opening of the new Technical Training Centre, added that

our Indian business partners; together we are committed to mutual respect, fair dealing, and making the world a better place,” he said.

Tile International 1/2013

58

MYK Laticrete India is ISO 9001:2000 certified and is one of the most technologicallyadvanced factories in India. It has a fully automated dosing and mixing system and a production capacity of more than 170,000 metric tons per year. The new plant consists of two mixing lines: one for the production of tile adhesives and grouts, the other for light

Economy & markets

coloured plaster.

Laticrete International Inc. was founded in Connecticut in 1956 by Henry M. Rothberg and is now amongst the world

leaders in the sector of adhesives, glues and complete solutions for the installation of building materials. Along with the facilities in the United States, it also has production

plants in China, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates and India and sells its products in 75 different countries.

5

Del Conca "Fast" 59

Tile International 1/2013

Statistics

by Luca Baraldi

Growth in world sanitaryware exports



In 2011, world ceramic sanitaryware export flows maintained the positive trend registered in 2010. Total export volumes amounted to 2.37 million tons (6.9% up on 2010), of which 75% was attributable to the top 10 exporter countries and 89% to the top 20 countries. World exports by value showed a very similar increase, up 6.4% on 2010 to a total of 4.3 billion dollars, of which 65% was generated by the top 10 exporter countries and 85% by the top 20.

China remained at the top of both rankings with 958,000 tons of exports (6.3% up on 2010) to a value of 845 million dollars (+8.6%). T he large Asian exporter countries show a strong disparity between their export percentages by volume (40.4% of world sanitaryware exports) and by value (19.8% of the world total).

The opposite applies to at least two European countries, Germany and Italy, whose percentages of world exports by value are far higher than those by volume. Germany is the sixth largest exporter by volume (7.2% up in 2011 on 2010) but second in value (13.4% up on 2010), with respectively 2.9% and 9.5% shares of world exports. Italy is the tenth largest exporter by volume (2.8% up on 2010) and the fourth in value (10.9% up on 2010), with respectively 2.3% and 7.2% shares of the

Tile International 1/2013

world total. Spain and France rank 6th and 10th in the world by value and 13th and 20th by volume.

Export destinations An analysis of export destinations reveals a strong trend towards geographical proximity.

This certainly applies to Germany, for which nine of its top ten destination markets are in Europe: France, Holland, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Poland, UK and Luxemburg, in that order. Italian exports show a similar trend with the top 11 export markets in the European Union.

The Turkish ceramic sanitaryware industry likewise has its

top four markets in Europe (UK, Germany, Italy and France, 56% of the total), followed by Iraq, the USA, Israel, Spain, Bulgaria and Azerbaijan.

Mexico, the world’s second largest exporter by volume and third largest in value, ships its products overwhelmingly to two markets, the USA (91%) and Canada (6%).

China and India are exceptions to the rule. While China has a strong presence in all continents, its main market is the United States, which accounts for 23.2% of its total exports, followed by South Korea (10.9%), the UK (4.2%), Canada (4%) and Nigeria (3.8%).

India’s exports are split between Asia, the Middle East

60

and Africa. Its largest market, the United Arab Emirates, accounts for 17% of its exports, followed by Iraq (9.5%), Saudi Arabia (8.9%), Kenya (4.1%) and Ghana (3.6%).

The trend during 2007-2011 As expected, an analysis of the export trends of the top exporter countries over the fiveyear period 2007-2011 shows a difference between emerging nations and other producer countries.

On the one hand, China’s exports have increased by 267% in volume (but just 15% in value), India’s exports have effectively doubled and in 2011

Statistics

Tab. 1. Ceramic Sanitaryware: Top exporting countries in quantity 2008 Tons

2009 Tons

2010 Tons

2011 Tons

China

260,832

244,770

768,125

901,966

958,540

6.3

40.4

Mexico

245,540

227,737

223,710

226,569

245,964

8.6

10.4

Turkey

120,381

103,772

85,970

94,494

101,643

7.6

4.3

India

47,356

82,512

70,354

N.A.

90,615

N.A.

3.8

Poland

84,088

85,171

59,327

67,580

70,344

4.1

3.0

Germany

63,550

66,051

58,719

63,734

68,294

7.2

2.9

Portugal

108,977

85,533

78,299

75,069

65,551

-12.7

2.8

Thailand

73,090

71,953

52,862

57,189

58,714

2.7

2.5

USA

49,661

43,454

38,096

40,285

55,658

38.2

2.3

Italy

89,931

79,010

57,212

53,182

54,677

2.8

2.3

Total top 10

1,143,406

1,089,963

1,492,674

1,580,068

1,770,000

12.0

74.6

TOTAL WORLD

1,899,170

1,749,817

2,019,417

2,219,512

2,372,678

6.9

100

Source: ITC International Trade Centre

pictured: Hatria Mexico returned to the same export volumes as 2007.

On the other hand, the exports of countries such as Turkey, Poland, Portugal, Thailand and Italy still fall far short of pre-crisis levels in spite of the widespread recovery in 20102011.

One exception is Germany, which experienced a single downturn in 2009 and has achieved positive results over the last two years to close 2011 with 7.5% higher export volumes (and a 10.5% greater value) than five years earlier.

The USA has performed strongly, marking up 38% year-onyear export growth in 2011 to surpass 2007 levels.

5

Var% 2011/2010

2011 Share on total world exports

2007 Tons

Exporters

Tab. 2. Ceramic Sanitaryware: Top exporting countries in value 2007 USD x 1000

2008 USD x 1000

2009 USD x 1000

2010 USD x 1000

2011 USD x 1000

Var% 2011/2010

China

735,275

818,177

667,628

778,974

845,721

8.6%

19.8%

Germany

369,820

439,162

354,560

360,451

408,653

13.4%

9.5%

Mexico

394,530

405,788

352,823

399,219

374,662

-6.2%

8.8%

Italy

399,663

429,453

287,880

277,985

308,368

10.9%

7.2%

Turkey

198,889

176,516

139,036

156,909

178,537

13.8%

4.2%

Spain

172,587

170,830

127,216

126,887

146,492

15.5%

3.4%

Poland

157,064

175,686

116,227

125,738

137,507

9.4%

3.2%

Thailand

149,925

137,819

100,529

117,176

134,242

14.6%

3.1%

Portugal

193,441

174,354

146,551

141,275

130,382

-7.7%

3.0%

Exporters

France

2011 Share on total world exports

169,412

160,538

122,037

131,212

128,384

-2.2%

3.0%

Total top 10

2,940,606

3,088,323

2,414,487

2,615,826

2,792,948

6.8%

65.3%

TOTAL WORLD

4,544,342

4,735,194

3,708,630

4,023,148

4,280,129

6.4%

100.0%

Source: ITC International Trade Centre 61

Tile International 1/2013

Statistics

by Paola Giacomini

Scenarios and trends in world building

ď ‘

A fascinating conference designed to take stock of the changes in progress in the world construction industry was hosted in the Rimini exhibition centre during the week

Tile International 1/2013

of Tecnargilla. The event outlined current and future scenarios and identified strategies to help companies respond to the new market challenges.

The complete report is avail-

able at www.tecnargilla.it and can be downloaded to tablet devices.

Changes in the global map of investments In recent years, the world

62

construction industry has experienced an alarming downturn and the global map of investments has been redrawn. Whereas in 2000 advanced countries made up 77% of the world

Statistics

CONSTRUCTION IN THE BRICs Various drivers of investments - breakdown of construction investments by segments (2011 shares)

Residential

China and Russia

Non-residential

India and China

Civil engineering

Brazil and Russia

12 potential niches

market, by 2011 this figure had fallen to 61%. Following a 7% decline over the three-year period 2007-2010, world investments resumed growth in 2011 due to the contribution of emerging markets, where investments have continued to grow in spite of the real estate crisis (up by approximately 60% in 2000-2007 and by 15% in 2008-2011). Of particular note are the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China), which currently account for a quarter of the global market in construction investments. The corresponding figure for 2000 was just 10%.

The Next-11 countries (Mexico,

Egypt, Iran, Philippines, Indonesia, South Korea, Turkey (+Vietnam, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nigeria) have seen less conspicuous growth, their share of world investments rising from 6% to 7% over the 11year period.

In 2011, the lion’s share of investments in BRIC countries was held by the civil engineering sector (Brazil 55%, Russia 50%), although non-residential building also performed strongly, particularly in India (45%) and China (30%). The residential sector also secured a significant share, accounting for 33% of total investments in China and 30% in Russia.

AN OVERVIEW - PROSPECTS FOR 2012/14 investments in construction, total (and residential) average annual % var. 2012/2014

63

Tile International 1/2013

Statistics

THE PLAYERS IN BUILDING INVESTMENTS,

THE AGE OF BRICS ‌ but the changes also benefit demand for Italian products

BRICS and other countries, investments in residential building ($ 1995) - position in world rankings

2012, comparison between GDP and consumption

The short-term outlook for investments in construction in BRIC countries is unlikely to see major changes, apart from China where a slowdown is already in progress. The situation in advanced countries is rather different and, with very few exceptions, macroscopic factors (such as resources for growth and fiscal policies) and specific factors (unsold stock, housing prices) are expected to curb investments in construction.

Some medium-term projections can be made for the three-year period 2012-2014.

The most advanced economies may see a market recovery, including the US (which remains close to its all-time low) and Germany, where the favourable loan conditions and income growth are boosting

Tile International 1/2013

housing demand. In China the housing bubble may begin to deflate.

The Chinese residential building sector reached 11% growth rates over the period 2007-2011 but may experience a 4-point fall in the threeyear period 2012-2014.

Brazil and India are expected to maintain the growth rates of the previous four years, and Russia is likely to experience acceleration.

By 2014 new growth countries may emerge in the building industry, offering new opportunities in the private commercial building sector.

The demographic projections point to a population increase of 500 million in five countries by 2025 (China +252%, India +163%, Indonesia +44%, Brazil +25% and Turkey +17%).

Millions of individuals who will reach an income of $ 30,000 PPP for the first time in the period 2012-2017

Source: Confindustria-Prometeia

Population growth, together with ease of credit access in growth markets and higher available income, will push up demand for new housing and create new opportunities in the commercial building sector.

64

Over the next five years, growth in the number of potential new consumers will come from emerging markets and there will be 100 million new rich in China, India and Brazil alone.

5

Economy & markets

by Milena Bernardi

Iraq, reconstruction and investments



Since the end of the war in December 2011 and the handover of power to the local authorities, Iraq has begun its slow journey towards reconstruction.

The expansion of the economy (GDP up 11% in 2011 and estimated to grow by 14% annually in 2012 and following years) is largely attributable to the resumption of oil production, although several non-oil sectors are also showing growth. These consist primarily of construction, agriculture and allied activities, including construction materials such as ceramics and cement and food processing and packaging.

The construction industry clearly has very strong growth potential. The country needs to build millions of new homes (an estimated 2 million homes will be required by 2015 to cope with population growth

Tile International 1/2013

alone), as well as refurbish existing houses and renew its infrastructures, from water treatment and distribution systems through to transport (roads, airports, railways and ports), public buildings, hospitals and schools.

The budget allocated by the Iraqi government for infrastructures in 2012 amounted to US $15 billion, while the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) estimates that a total investment of $150 billion has been made to date. The main driver of construction industry growth will be residential building, with projects worth $25 billion currently underway and an estimated $100 billion needed to meet overall demand.

The following figures give an idea of the growth potential: • 3.5 million new homes to be built over the next 10 years;

• $30 billion to be spent by the government on the residential sector in Baghdad in coming years; • 78 residential building projects in the Autonomous Region of Kurdistan with a value of $5.8 billion; • $1 billion for the national ten-year plan for the aviation sector; • $8 billion investment on the road network; • $3 billion for renovation of the railway in the capital; • $4 billion allocated to hospitals in 2011; • $20 billion on real-estate projects in the Baghdad suburbs; • $1 billion for the new project for a 500,000 sq.m tourist city near the city of Kut. The reconstruction process is currently most advanced in the Autonomous Region of Kurdistan, where the local authorities are promoting the

66

construction of residential complexes, schools and hospitals.

In general, most of the projects planned or already in progress will require enormous quantities of construction materials as well as expertise and professionalism in the building materials industry and real-estate sector. Small private manufacturing firms are starting up production, alongside large state-owned industrial complexes which are receiving funding from the Ministry of the Economy with a view to reducing the country’s current total dependence on imports of industrial goods.

In the building materials sector in particular (cement and ceramics), this mostly involves resuming activities that were brought to a standstill by the war but in which the country already has experience and a manufacturing tradition.

5

NEW

A

approach

to learning

Industry online training

www.iiea-school.it

Statistics

Spanish tile sales buoyed by exports



The 2012 figures for the Spanish ceramic tile industry announced by Ascer chairman Joaquín Piñón during Cevisama confirm the trend already observed in 2010 and 2011.

While the domestic market is continuing to experience severe difficulties (domestic sales are estimated to have experienced a further fall in value of around 19.6% following the 12% decline between 2011 and 2010), exports are continuing to recover.

Following growth of 4.4% in 2010 and 8.3% in 2011, Spanish tile exports are estimated to have risen by a further 10% in 2011, bringing turnover to 2,082 million euro.

The sector’s export share has therefore reached 80% of its total 2012 sales, estimated at 2,645 million euro (2.9% up on 2011).

According to the initial estimates released by Ascer, the

country’s tile production has also increased slightly to around 400 million sq.m.

The export figures for the first 11 months of the year show a positive trend in all geographical areas with the exception of Europe, which suffered a 0.5% fall over the same period in 2011, although it remained the largest export destination with 50% of total exports.

Sales grew strongly in Eastern Europe (+13.4%), a region that accounts for 12.6% of the sector’s exports.

In particular Russia, the Spanish tile industry’s third largest foreign market, reported 29% growth.

Sales in France, the larg-est export market, fell slightly (-1.3%), offset by a rise in exports to Great Britain (+6.9%) and Germany (+2.2%), respectively the Spanish industry’s 4th and 5th largest export markets.

Amongst non-European markets, Asia marked up 19.4% growth in sales and remained the second largest destination region for Spanish products with a 25.5% share of total exports.

Growth was even stronger in the Middle East (+23.1%) due to an excellent performance in Saudi Arabia (+41.5%), Israel (+3.8%) and Jordan (+63.8%), countries that rank amongst the top 10 export mar-kets for Spanish tiles.

Sales also performed strongly in Africa (+48%), accounting for 13.6% of the industry’s total ex-ports.

In particular, Algeria marked up a 24.7% increase in sales and rose in the rankings to become the Spanish tile industry’s sixth largest market.

North America also saw 16.1% growth with sales to the United States up by 22.5%, boosting the country’s position in the export market rankings for Spanish tiles.

Spanish ceramic tile sales in value (million Euros) 2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012*

% var 12/11

Exports

2,183

2,295

2,211

1,673

1,747

1,892

2,082

+10.0%

Domestic sales

1,799

1,871

1,460

918

801

700

563

-19.6%

Total sales

3,982

4,166

3,671

2,591

2,548

2,570

2,645

+2.9%

Source: Ascer - *Estimates/Stime Tile International 1/2013

68

Statistics

Main exports markets for the Spanish ceramic tiles (values in million Euros)

Spanish exports by geographical area (values in million Euros) Areas

JanNov 2011

JanNov 2012

12/11 (%)

Share (% on total exports)

Europe

974.4

969.3

-0.5

50.1

European Union-UE27

726.8

693.9

-4.5

35.8

- EU15

619.8

593.2

-4.3

30.6

- Eurozone

548.1

514.2

-6.2

26.6

- EU New members

107.0

100.7

-5.9

5.2

Eastern Europe

215.6

244.5

13.4

12.6

Middle East

348.7

429.2

23.1

22.2

96.3

111.8

16.1

5.8

- of which USA

59.9

73.3

22.5

3.8

Central America

33.7

34.9

3.4

1.8

South America

39.6

49.9

26.1

413.1

493.5

50.5

North America

Asia Far East & South Asia Africa - of which Magreb Oceania World Total

Country

Jan-Nov 2011

Jan-Nov 2012

12/11 (%)

France

224.3

221.5

-1.3

Saudi Arabia

108.3

153.2

41.5

Russia

116.0

149.6

29.0

United Kingdom

87.5

93.6

6.9

Germany

77.4

79.1

2.2

Algeria

60.4

75.3

24.7

USA

59.9

73.3

22.5

2.6

Israel

68.6

71.2

3.8

19.4

25.5

Italy

65.6

55.1

-16.0

54.2

7.2

2.8

178.5

264.2

48.0

13.6

Jordan

26.0

42.7

63.8

108.0

171.9

59.1

8.9

10.7

12.4

15.6

0.6

1.746.4

1.935.9

10.9

100.0

Source: Ascer and Department of Customs and Taxes

Note: The total export figure given is not the sum of the totals by zone Source: Ascer and Department of Customs and Taxes 69

Tile International 1/2013

Statistics

Increases were also reported in Central America (+3.4%), South America (+26.1%), the Far East and Southern Asia (+7.2%), and Oceania (+15.6%).

Imports fell by 25.4% in the period January-November 2012, corresponding to a value of 55.5 mil-lion euro, including a severe slump in imports from China (-54.1%).

5

Tile International 1/2013

CEVISAMA 2013 SEES ALFA DE ORO AWARDS PRESENTED FOR PROCESS INNOVATION The 37th Alfa de Oro awards presented by the Spanish Ceramic and Glass Society (SECV) have once again gone to innovative technologies developed in the Castellón ceramic district. The prestig-ious awards were granted to Zschimmer&Schwarz, Vernís and Torrecid.

Zschimmer&Schwarz España received the honour for developing Eco2inkjet, new eco-friendly chemical additives for digital tile decoration that help to significantly reduce printing defects.

Vernis won the award for its product Oro Cerámico, capable of producing vivid gold surfaces in the single firing process without using metallic gold. This significantly reduces production costs while at the same time improving the aesthetic qualities of the finished product.

Last but not least, Torrecid won a new Alfa de Oro for adapting the digital decoration system to allow for the production of a wide range of entirely digitally glazed and decorated products.

70

Statistics

Italian tiles experience slowdown in 2012



Confindustria Ceramica chairman Franco Manfredini painted a gloomy picture of the Italian ceramic tile industry’s performance in 2012,

Tile International 1/2013

which saw a general worsening of its results following two years of recovery. The euro zone’s “second crisis” hit the construction industry badly, especially in Southern Euro-

pean countries, and this had strongly negative effects for the Italian ceramic tile industry, he explained.

Total tile sales volumes dropped to around 382 mil-

72

lion sq.m (7.3% down on 2011) in one of the biggest falls ever recorded in the industry’s history.

It was only partially offset by higher average selling prices

Statistics

The Italian ceramic tile industry 2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

Var % 2012/2011

Production

589

570

569

559

512

368

387

400

376

-6.0%

TOTAL SALES

584

560

566

547

506

408

413

413

382

-7.3%

Domestic market

171

170

170

168

151

127

124

115

95

-17.4%

Exports

412

390

396

379

355

281

289

298

287

-3.7%

Values in million sq.m - Source: Confindustria Ceramica (up 5.3% in just 12 months) which enabled the drop in turnover with respect to 2011 to be limited to just 2.2%.

The Italian market was particularly affected by the crisis in the construction market, with sales dropping 17% in volume to 95 million square metres, 20 million sq.m below 2011 levels.

Exports also fell, returning to 2010 levels of around 287 million sq.m (-3.7%) after the growth reported in 2011.

The fall in sales in Western Europe (-6%) had a big impact in spite of growth in a number of markets including Russia (+13%), the Baltic Republics (+15%), Africa (+18%) and the United States.

During the first 10 months of 2012, the growth in housing starts in the United States was accompanied by stronger demand for tiles, met by both local products (+8%) and imports (+6%).

The Italian tile industry closed 2012 with a 6% fall in output volumes, which totalled 376 million sq.m compared to the 400 million sq.m produced in 2011.

The outlook for 2013 is more optimistic amidst signs of growth in exports to the NAFTA area (+5.5%), the Gulf states (+6.6%), North Africa (+4.4%) and Latin America (+3.6%).

Lower levels of growth are forecast in the Far East (+2.9%) and Western Europe (+0.4%), while a further 2% fall in sales with respect to 2012 levels is expected in Italy.

In this situation, the Italian ceramic tile industry will be focusing even more strongly on exports, although to achieve growth Italy needs to become more competitive as a nation, Manfredini explained. It is to be hoped that the government will adopt appropriate measures to address three different issues: a reduction in energy costs, which account for one third of the

sector’s industrial costs; a reduction in taxation on companies and real estate; and a reduction in the tax burden on the cost of labour.

5

Franco Manfredini 73

Tile International 1/2013

Economy & markets

by Andrew Whitmire, Tile Council of North America

Signs of recovery in the United States

ď ‘

After enduring another very difficult year in 2011, there are numerous encouraging signs the U.S. economy and U.S. ceramic tile industry turned a corner last year and are on the road to recovery.

The U.S. residential market continued to expand in 2012, as new home starts increased for the third consecutive year.

New home starts rose from 609,000 units in 2011 to 780,000 units in 2012, a 28.1% increase.

This total includes a 24.4% increase in single family starts and a 37.2% increase in multi-family unit construction.

Even more promising was that new housing starts ended the year on a high note.

The 954,000 unit annual rate in Dec. 2012 represented a

36.9% increase vs. Dec. 2011 and was at the highest monthly level since June 2008 (fig.1).

Existing home sales were at their highest level since 2007, jumping 9.0% from 3.8 million units in 2011 to 4.1 million units in 2012 (source Nation-

TAB. 1 - U.S. ceramic tile shipments, sales and consumption Year

U.S. shipment

Imports

Exports

U.S. Consumption

% var. in consumption from previous year

2012 (Jan-Sept)

53.4

106.8

3.3

156.9

5.8*

2011

66.7

131.1

4.2

193.6

4.0

2010

60.3

129.6

3.9

186.0

7.7

2009

53.1

123.9

4.2

172.8

- 18.1

2008

58.9

156.6

4.7

210.9

- 15.2

2007

50.6

202.4

4.4

248.7

-19.3

2006

58.5

253.8

4.2

308.1

1.8

2005

61.1

245.1

3.4

302.8

3.5

2004

64.6

231.2

3.2

292.6

11.8

2003

57.1

207.2

2.7

261.7

6.6

2002

60.3

189.0

3.1

245.5

16.2

2001

54.9

159.5

3.1

211.3

0.5

Values in million sq.m *% change from 3Q 2010 YTD Source: U.S. Dept. of Commerce & TCNA statistics

Fig. 1: U.S.A.: New Housing Starts

Fig. 2: U.S.A.: New single family home sales

Source : US Census Bureau

Source : US Census Bureau Tile International 1/2013

74

Economy & markets

TAB. 2 - USA: Ceramic tile imports by country in volume (Jan-Sept.)

Country

2009 Sq.m/mq

2010 Sq.m/mq

2011 Sq.m/mq

% Var. 2011/2010

2012 Sq.m/mq

% Var. 2012/2011

% on total ‘11-’12 imports

34,111,980

10.4%

30.6 - 31.9

14.2%

28,894,337

8.4%

26.4 – 27.1

-5.0%

18,256,526

5.0%

17.2 – 17.1

3.7%

5,751,432

9.3%

5.2 – 5.4

6,441,573

3.7%

5,376,852

-16.5%

6.4 – 5.0

2,075,011

-7.8%

3,323,447

60.2%

2.1 – 3.1

2,611,785

2,611,282

0.0%

2,823,566

8.1%

2.6 – 2.6

3,801,518

4,373,126

3,109,396

-28.9%

2,156,997

-30.6%

3.1 – 2.0

4,931,750

4,913,542

2,023,573

-58.8%

1,447,758

-28.5%

2.0 – 1.4

-

-

1,025,066

100.5%

877,675

-14.4%

1.0 - 0.8

Mexico

26,154,221

28,177,132

30,897,821

9.7%

China

19,517,713

23,345,978

26,665,847

Italy

16,372,810

18,296,765

17,379,216

Spain

5,454,712

5,075,302

5,264,255

Brazil

7,929,875

6,210,781

Turkey

1,686,560

2,250,103

Peru

1,635,230

Colombia Thailand Hong Kong

Source: US Dept. of Commerce al Association of Realtors).

Perhaps most encouraging was that new home sales, with which ceramic tile sales are closely linked, increased for the first time in seven years. While still at a low level historically speaking, the 19.9% increase in new home sales (2012 vs. 2011) was very good news for the economy and our industry (fig. 2).

The gains in the U.S. residential market were facilitated by falling U.S. mortgage rates.

The 30-year fixed rate fell to a new all-time low of 3.66% in

2012, down significantly from 4.45% in 2011 (source Freddie Mac).

Also helping to drive the increase in housing was the falling U.S. unemployment rate. In 2012 U.S. unemployment was at 8.1%, down from 8.9% in the previous year and the lowest it has been since 2008 (source Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Also, U.S. foreclosures fell for the second year in a row.

There were 2.3 million foreclosure filings on U.S. properties in 2012, down 3% from 2011

and down 36% vs. 2010 (source Realty Trac).

U.S. construction spending (includes both private and public residential and nonresidential construction) in 2012 was at a seasonally-adjusted annual rate of $850 billion, a 9.2% increase from 2011.

million sq.m. (1.69 billion sq. ft.), up 5.8% vs. 3Q 2011 YTD (Table 1).

Based on the trends we have seen this year and early 4Q indications, we estimate 2012 U.S. tile consumption to be 204.1 million sq.m. (2.2 billion sq. ft.), up 5.5% vs. 2011.

Imports U.S Tile Consumption Overview Through 3Q 2012 YTD U.S. tile consumption was at 156.9

75

Through 3Q 2012, 106.7 million sq.m. (1.15 billion sq. ft.) of ceramic tile arrived in the U.S. This was an increase of 5.8%

Tile International 1/2013

Economy & markets

from 3Q 2011 YTD, in which 100.9 million sq.m. (1.09 billion sq. ft.) of ceramic tile were imported into the U.S., and a 6.7% increase from 3Q 2010 YTD. Through 3Q 2012 imports comprised 68.0% of U.S. tile consumption (in volume), up slightly from 67.7% in 2011.

Mexico remained the top exporter to the U.S. (3Q 2012 YTD) in volume with a 32.0% share.

China held the second position, making up 27.1% of imports (in volume).

Italy was in third place with a 17.1% share.

Of the top ten countries from which the U.S. imported tile (in volume), Turkey (+60.2%) had the highest increase in

exports to the U.S. (3Q 2012 YTD vs. 3Q 2011 YTD), and Colombia was down the most (-30.6%) from 3Q 2011 YTD. On a dollar basis, Italy remained the top exporter to the U.S. (3Q 2012 YTD), comprising 34.6% of U.S. imports.

China and Mexico had the next largest shares, making up 22.8% and 18.8%, respectively. The total value of U.S. imports through 3Q 2012 was $ 1,102,934,452, up 8.2% from 3Q 2011 YTD.

U.S. Shipments Through 3Q 2012 YTD, domestic shipments (less exports) were at 50.1 million sq.m (539.7 million sq. ft.), up 5.9% from 3Q 2011 YTD. In dollar

value over the same timeframe, domestic shipments (less exports) were up 4.1%.

The per unit value of domestic shipments (less exports) fell from 15.14 to 14.88 USD/ sq.m from 3Q 2011 YTD to 3Q 2012 YTD. U.S. exports were at 3.3 million sq.m. through 3Q 2012 YTD, up 0.2% vs. 3Q 2011 YTD. The main countries importing U.S.-produced tile (in volume) were Canada, which accounted for 53.0% of U.S. exports, Mexico (14.2%), and China (12.7%).

The value of U.S. exports rose 4.6% from $31.7 million (3Q 2011 YTD) to $33.2 million (3Q 2012 YTD).

5

TAB. 3 - USA: Ceramic tile imports by country in value* (Jan-Sept.)

Country

2010 US $

2011 US $

2012 US $

% Var. 2011/2010

% Var. 2012/2011

2011-2012 Average price US $/sq.m

% on total ‘11-’12 imports

Italy

357,865,878

351,060,865

-1.9%

381,150,405

8.6%

20.2 – 20.9

34.4 – 34.6

China

190,392,073

222,301,596

16.8%

251,914,697

13.3%

8.3 – 8.7

21.8 – 22.8

Mexico

164,107,006

184,697,105

12.5%

207,889,992

12.6%

6.0 – 6.1

18.1 – 18.8

Spain

75,304,345

81,276,922

7.9%

89,713,659

10.4%

15.4 – 15.6

8.0 – 8.1

Brazil

46,368,475

45,502,147

-1.9%

35,872,099

-21.2%

7.1 – 6.7

4.5 – 3.2

Turkey

22,321,227

20,108,824

-9.9%

32,374,578

61.0%

9.7 – 9.7

2.0 – 2.9

Peru

13,064,309

13,137,935

0.6%

14,843,619

13.0%

5.0 – 5.2

1.3 – 1.3

Colombia

24,431,237

20,696,697

-15.3%

13,468,918

-34.9%

6.7 – 6.2

2.0 – 1.2

Argentina

13,919,476

16,617,205

19.4%

11,396,345

-31.4%

15.7 – 14.2

1.6 – 1.0

Thailand

29,237,317

13,242,050

-54.7%

11,131,289

-15.9%

6.5 – 7.7

1.3 – 1.0

*including duty, freight, and insuranc - Source: US Dept. of Commerce Tile International 1/2013

76

Economy & markets

Russia’s construction market: 9% growth forecast for 2013



The construction industry is still one of the main drivers of the economic upturn in Russia.

This role is set to increase in the years to come, thanks to major investments of many billion roubles set aside by the Russian government for the purpose of extending and modernising the country’s infrastructures.

The positive trend is confirmed by a recent report released by PMR Publications, entitled “Construction sector in Russia 2012 – Development forecasts 2012-2015”, according to which, despite the already positive trend in the Russian construction industry in recent years, growth is expected to accelerate further.

In 2012, after recording growth of 9.2% in the first two months of the year, largely as a result of an unusually warm winter, the value of building production in Russia over the full year rose by a less extravagant 4.1%.

This was undoubtedly caused by the effects of inflation and the global economic situation, which combined the explosion of the sovereign debt crisis in Europe, had severe repercussions on the real estate investment climate too, resulting in the review of numerous projects: those already started were continued, but the number of new buildings coming under construction was limited, both in number

Tile International 1/2013

and size, and this, in the final analysis, caused the slowdown.

In the first half of 2012, in brief, the construction industry received investments of 73.2 billion roubles (2.4 billion US dollars/1.83 billion euros), representing a drop of 2.6% compared with the same period in 2011.

According to the forecasts published in PMR’s report, growth will receive a new boost in 2013, amounting to around 9% (fig. 1), thanks to improved stability in the world economy, and more importantly, to the state funding allocated to infrastructure and the residential building sector in particular.

Non-residential building Even in 2012, state funding was a key contributor to the Russian construction industry, and mainly took the form of civil engineering projects supported by the public sector, which accounted for over 50% of the country’s construction output.

The main state-funded programmes include the modernisation of the transport network, the energy industry and social infrastructures; while an additional boost came in the form of the country’s preparations for the 2014 Winter Olympics due to be held in Sochi.

The non-residential construction market is still gathering

pace, especially in the real estate fund segment.

The largest increase was in the construction of school buildings (+38.9%), followed by commercial projects (+30.1%) and industrial initiatives (+29.8%).

The first half of 2012, furthermore, saw the completion of the two largest investment transactions ever undertaken in Russia, the most important of which was the acquisition of the Galeria shopping mall in St Petersburg for 1.1 billion US dollars (approximately 840 million euros) by Morgan Stanley.

Residential building The residential building segment is also reporting healthy figures.

The total area of residential property commissioned in 2011 rose by 6.7% to 62.3 million square metres (fig. 2), which is the second highest figure in the last two decades.

In the first half of 2012, 26.1 million square metres of dwelling homes were completed, representing a rise of 7% on the same period in 2011.

In order to meet the population’s requirements in terms of improved living standards, furthermore, the government has also launched a programme of support for residential construction: this programme, known as the “2011-2015 Housing Programme”, follows on from the

78

“Housing 2002-2010 Project”, and envisages a 50% increase in annual levels of residential building, with a target of 90 million square metres by 2015. In 2016, residential building levels should then reach 100 million square metres, and forecasts suggest an increase to some 140 million square metres by 2020 (approximately 1 sq.m per person per year).

The Housing Program generated its first positive results as of its first year, given that 2011 saw an increase of 9.6% in the number of homes completed, for a total of 786,000 units, which is the highest figure since 1989, and even exceeds the record of 768,000 units set in 2008.

Within the residential building sector as a whole, the affordable housing category has seen the highest growth in recent years.

This is chiefly due to the availability of more competitive mortgages, which have enabled low-income families to buy new houses, but also derives from the injection of state funds into residential building. In 2011, the proportion of affordable housing reached 42% of the total area commissioned in the entire year.

The proportion of low-rise building also increased, with the result that residential buildings with fewer than three storeys accounted for 51% of total homes built.

Economy & markets

Geographical areas An analysis of the construction industry by geographical area shows that Moscow remains well ahead of the field, with market share of 11.4%, followed by the territories of Krasnodar and St Petersburg.

Moscow is a rapidly growing megalopolis, which is spawning an increasing number of business centres, shopping malls and hotel chains.

Some 3.6 million square metres of office space is currently under construction, of which 52% (approximately 1.86 million square metres) have already reached an advanced stage of completion, and completed volumes of office space are forecast to reach 2.5 million square metres in 2013-2014.

According to the Moscow General Plan, 37 million square metres of office space will have been completed by 2025.

First in line are 145 buildings for commercial and government office use, for a total of around 20.9 million square metres. The government also intends to increase office construction in industrial areas

and in locations in the vicinity of the Moscow ring road (known as the MKAD).

The following works were started in 2011: • The Linkor Business Center (63,000 sq.m); • The Diamond Hall Business Center (61,500 sq.m); • The Trio Business Center (37,550 sq.m).

Another major project is the Moscow International Business Centre (also known as Moscow-City), a business district under construction in the Presnenskij area of Moscow (4.5 km from Red Square as the crow flies), which will accommodate business centres, residential apartments and leisure venues.

The entire complex occupies 60 hectares of land, and once completed, will accommodate 250,000 to 300,000 people. The majority of the buildings are already in use, but some will be completed in 2013-2014, such as the Evolution Tower (69,000 sq.m), which is due for completion by the end of 2014; the Federation Complex (423,000 sq.m), due for completion by the end of 2013, and the Mercury City Tower, which was

completed at the end of 2012 and will be inaugurated in the first quarter of 2013.

The Tower has 90,000 square metres of office space and 20,000 square metres of apart-

FIG. 1 - Construction output in Russia (RUB bn and real y-o-y change), 2006/2013

FIG. 2 - Total floor area of residential space commissioned in Russia (million s.qm) and change (%, y-o-y), 2006-H1 2012

FIG. 3 - Total floor space of housing in Russia (million s.qm and y-o-y change). 2005/2012

FIG. 4 - Goals of the construction Road Map in Russia, 2012/2018

79

Tile International 1/2013

Economy & markets

ments, and now holds the record for being the highest skyscraper in Europe: at 339 metres, it stands 29 metres taller than the Shard in London.

Moscow’s city council has also announced its intention to add an additional 144,000 hectares to the city’s territory, and launch the construction of 60 million square metres of homes and 45 million square metres of commercial developments.

Under the terms of the plan, the Moscow metropolitan area is expected to more than double in size over the next 20 years.

The construction industry is in robust health in the province of Moscow too, to the extent that the increase in new home-building there is double the average for the rest of the Russian Federation.

In just one year, 7.7 million square metres of dwelling homes have been built, the majority of which are low-rise.

In the course of one year, the number of these “villages” has risen by 40%.

One of these is the “New Stupino” satellite town, a major project consisting entirely of low-rise buildings, which range from dwelling homes to social and commercial infrastructures: as well as residential building, the project has seen the construction of nurseries, schools, shops, leisure centres, clinics and hospitals.

Tile International 1/2013

Another major project due for completion by late 2013 is “Aristovo-Mitino” (north-east of Moscow, and just 10 km from the MKAD), which is also made up of low-rise buildings and benefits from shops and nurseries.

Other major projects include the “Sacramento” site in Balashiha; the “Gussar Ballada” residential complex in the Odincovo area; the “Odincovskii Park” complex, built on 12 hectares and which will consist of 11 buildings of 14 to 22 storeys, due for completion by the end of 2015.

Yet another substantial pro-

ject instigated by the Moscow government (which was announced on 12 November 2009 by Dmitry Medvedev, Russia’s President at the time) is the Skolkovo Innovation Center, nicknamed “the Russian Silicon Valley”.

The first works were completed in 2011, but the building programme for the main building will be completed in 2015.

This is a state-of-the-art science and technology centre, designed for the development and commercialisation of new technologies: occupying an area of 400 hec-

80

tares, it will be home to 15,000 people and a further 7000 will commute there every day for work.

As for the rest of Russia, St Petersburg, the country’s second capital, is undoubtedly worthy of mention, and has 30 business centres approaching completion.

In 2010 alone, this region saw the construction of over 1 million square metres of dwelling homes, and building volumes have more than doubled over the past five years, to reach a total of over 4.5 million square meters.

Yekaterinburg, the capital of

Economy & markets

HOTELS The Hilton hotel chain has signed an agreement for the construction of four new hotels in Russia, which will take the total number of Russian hotels owned by the chain to 23.

These are: • the 202-room Hilton Kazan, in Moscow’s financial district; • the 432-room DoubleTree by Hilton Moscow Vnukovo Airport, in the immediate vicinity of the airport, which will be accessible directly from the airport’s new terminal building and the railway station via a subway; • the 158-room Hilton Garden Inn Volgograd, in the northern area of the financial district of Volgograd; • the 140-room Hampton by Hilton Voronezh in the heart of the city of Voronezh.

the Urals, is also a hive of activity.

The city will see the construction of some 25 large hotels by the end of 2020 and by the end of 2018 (the year in which Russia will host the football World Cup), the city council has planned the construction of seven modern hotels, including the 250room Radisson SAS, on which building work started in late 2011.

The city will also see the opening of a series of business centres and shopping malls, such as the Forum Trade and Business Center,

the O'Key Trade Center, the Atlant Trade Center and many more.

Streamlining of bureaucracy In addition to the above, the government has taken a series of initiatives aimed at giving a further boost to the construction industry.

In August 2012, approval was given for a plan to streamline bureaucracy in the construction industry, under which the number of procedures needed for obtaining building permits should be reduced from

the current figure of 51 to 15 by the end of 2015, and then to 11 by the end of 2018.

The time taken to complete these mandatory procedures will also be reduced, from the current average of 423 days to 130 days by the end of 2015, and 53 days by the end of 2018 (fig. 4).

These measures will be backed up by a faster system for approving the documentation relating to construction sites.

Lastly, the Residential Building Support Fund will use its reserves to supply building land free of charge for a limited pe-

81

Hilton Worldwide has also signed an agreement for the opening of 11 hotels under the Hampton by Hilton and Hilton Garden Inn brands, in Voronezh, Volgograd, Novosibirsk, Rostov-on-Don and Ufa. A myriad of new hotels will also be built in Russia’s main cities to accommodate the fans and visitors who will flood into Russia for the 2018 football World Cup.

riod for the construction of affordable housing by the winning bidders of the respective competitive tendering procedure.

These sites will be allocated to the bidder offering the lowest selling price for the proposed properties. »»

Tile International 1/2013

Economy & markets

The ceramic tile industry Russia’s macroeconomic indicators 2010 GDP growth rate

2011 4%

Inflation rate

8.8%

2012

2013 (forecasts)

4.3%

3.4%

3.3 / 3.7 %

6.5-7%

6.6%

5.5%

Source: Russia’s Ministry for the Economic Development The Russian ceramic tile industry and market 2006 Production

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012*

% var.

12/11

115

135

147

117

126

135.6

153.8

+13.4%

6

7

10

8

9

10.5

10.6

+0.9%

Sales of local production

109

128

137

109

117

125.1

143.2

+14.3%

Imports

43.8

48.4

54

29.8

41.2

55.9

63.9

+14.3%

152.8

176.4

191

138.8

158.2

181.0

207.1

+14.4%

+16.6%

+15.4%

+8.3%

-27.3%

+14.0%

+14.4%

+14.4%

-

Local production on consumption (%)

71.3%

72.6%

71.7%

78.5%

74.0%

69.1%

69.1%

-

Imports on consumption (%)

28.7%

27.4%

28.3%

21.5%

26.0%

30.9%

30.9%

-

Exports

Domestic consumption % Variation of consumption

Values in million sq.m - Source: Tile Edizioni on various sources * estimates Origin of ceramic tiles imports to Russia country

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012*

% var 12/11

Ukraine

n.a.

n.a.

n.a.

n.a.

5.0

12.0

15.2

+26.6%

Spain

10.1

11.2

13.9

7.1

9.3

10.4

14.2

+23.5%

Belarus

14.0

15.0

16.0

12.0

12.0

13.0

12.0

-7.7%

China

11.7

12.5

13.8

4.7

6.0

9.0

9.8

+8.9%

Italy

5.6

6.0

6.3

3.5

4.0

4.7

5.3

+8.2%

Poland

1.2

2.5

3.0

2.0

3.4

3.4

4.4

+29.4%

Turkey

1.2

1.0

1.0

0.5

0.7

1.1

1.7

+54.4%

Germany

n.a.

n.a.

n.a.

n.a.

0.6

0.6

0.8

+33.3%

Czech Rep.

n.a.

n.a.

n.a.

n.a.

0.2

0.2

0.3

+50.0%

Portugal

n.a.

n.a.

n.a.

n.a.

0.2

0.2

0.2

-

Values in million sq.m - Source: Tile Edizioni on various sources * estimates

Tile International 1/2013

82

In 2012 the Russian ceramic tile industry and market saw further double-figure growth following the excellent performances of 2010 and 2011.

Domestic tile consumption passed the 200 million sq.m mark for the first time ever to reach 207.1 million sq.m, maintaining the same 14.4% growth already reported in 2011. Of the 26 million sq.m extra consumed in 2012, 18 million sq.m consisted of local products and 8 million sq.m imports, both up by 14.3%.

Russian tile production increased by a further 13.4% in 2012, up from 135.6 million sq.m to almost 154 million sq.m, of which 143.2 million sq.m was sold on the domestic market. Imports reached 64 million sq.m, another record.

With the sole exception of Belarus (-7.7%), all the main exporter countries to Russia benefited from the growth in domestic demand. Ukraine marked up a particularly strong performance, tripling its exports in the space of just two years, from 5 million sq.m in 2010 to 15.2 million sq.m in 2012. The second largest exporter was Spain (up 23.5% to 14.2 million sq.m), followed

by Belarus (12 million sq.m), China (9.8 million sq.m, +8.9%), Italy (5.3 million sq.m, +8.2%) and Poland (4.4 million sq.m, +29.4%).

In 2012 imports covered 30.9% of domestic tile consumption, the same share reported the previous year.

5

Project

MOONSTONE: an eco-sustainable gem



The Moonstone Project, which won Homebuilding & Renovating Magazine’s 2012 Eco-Home Award, is one of the most green-oriented architectural projects in the UK. John Croft, who owns a building firm in Britain and commissioned this eco-

Tile International 1/2013

home in the Cotswolds, opted for the revolutionary Schlüter®BEKOTEC-THERM system for his underfloor heating. The multiple award-winning, low-thickness heating system thus took yet another starring role in a latest-generation architecture project, because of its ability to deliver substantial energy savings.

84

The award-winning property is a multi-level, six-bedroom house with an indoor swimming pool, gym, cinema and games room, and tiled floors throughout supplied by Indigenous Tiles, of Burford, Oxfordshire (totalling 1470 sq.m).

The key factors that prompted Mr Croft to choose Schlüter®BEKOTEC-THERM included its

Project

ease and speed of installation, its ability to offer a perfect floor covering without any cracking, splitting or debonding of tiles, and the responsiveness and energy-efficiency of the patented Schlüter®-BEKOTEC-THERM temperature- and climate-controlled system.

Benefits: • Whereas conventional underfloor heating systems are slow to respond to temperature changes, Schlüter’s patented, low-thickness

85

Tile International 1/2013

Project

system, comprising Schlüter®-BEKOTEC-THERM panels and a Schlüter®DITRA 25 uncoupling membrane, has low thermal inertia and is highly responsive.

Schlüter’s patented system reacts to temperature changes up to four times faster than conventional underfloor heating systems, thus making it much easier to adjust and maintain the desired temperature.

The system also features an intermittent mode that significantly increases its flexibility and enhances ambient comfort.

• The system is quick and simple to install because the Schlüter®-DITRA 25 polythene membrane can be installed directly on the screed as soon as it can be walked on, and the tiles can then be laid directly on the membrane with adhesive.

• Because of the Ditra 25 uncoupling membrane between the screed and the ceramic covering, the Schlüter®-BEKOTEC-THERM system ensures top-quality, long-lasting tile installation without any cracking or debonding caused by the tiles and screed expanding and contracting at different rates due to their different heat expansion coefficients: since the screed is effectively separated from the floor covering by the membrane, expansion and contraction can never propagate

Tile International 1/2013

cracks to the tiled surface.

The use of Schlüter®-BEKOTECTHERM was exactly the right choice for a residential project designed to source 80% of its energy requirement from solar panels and the remaining 20% from a ground-source heat pump. The thin screed layer and the lower temperatures thus needed to heat it mean that the heat pump works more efficiently than with conventional underfloor heating systems.

With an average of about 0.5 metres of insulation incorporated into its walls, floors and roof, and a U value of 0.07 the Moonstone Project meets passivhaus standards. Theoretically, this means that the building is so well insulated that the heat given off by the people inside it should be enough to heat it.

5

86

Project SCHLÜTER®-BEKOTEC-THERM: LOW THICKNESS AND CRACK-FREE FLOORING! Thanks to an innovative technical approach, the Schlüter®-BEKOTECTHERM low-thickness system induces the controlled formation of micro-fine cracks that eliminate stress build-up and deformation in the screed and the consequent need for expansion joints. This reduces both the thickness of the system (57 mm plus the thickness of the floor covering, or 36 mm without insulation) and its weight (just 60 kg/m²).

It also means that you don’t need to reduce the diameter of the pipes (pipe diameter 16 mm) and you don’t need to add any additional processes to the works traditionally necessary (no need for additives, special screeds, or steel or plasterboard supports).

Despite this, it has a compression strength of 5Kn/m² (load test certified by an authorised laboratory).

The Schluter®-DITRA 25 uncoupling membrane prevents the propagation of cracks and consequent damage to the floor covering.

The screed can be traditional (300 kg of cement per cu.m of sand) or pre-mixed CT-C25-F4 (ZE20) or

87

CA-C25-F4 (AE20) maximum (F5).

In terms of thermal efficiency, the low weight results in low thermal inertia.

This means the system reacts to temperature changes up to four times faster than conventional underfloor heating systems, thus making it significantly easier to adjust and maintain the desired temperature.

The system also features an intermittent mode that significantly increases its flexibility and enhances ambient comfort.

Pipework, meanwhile, can be installed simply, using conventional methods, and is not subject to any specific constraints or requirements.

Another distinctive feature of the system is that you do not need to switch on the heating system before installing the ceramic or natural stone floor covering.

What’s more, the manufacturer offers the Schlüter®-BEKOTEC-THERM system with an optional supplementary warranty, which - very importantly includes 10 years’ cover for the floor covering.

Tile International 1/2013

ECO-Innovations

Eco-innovations, building upgrades and showrooms

ď ‘

There are processrelated eco-innovations designed to save energy, reduce consumption of raw materials and minimise atmospheric emissions.

There are product-related eco-innovations, which find expression in materials that upgrade the energy-efficiency and water-efficiency of buildings, for example.

And there are eco-innovations that equip products with new functions, for example: antibacterial, photocatalytic and photovoltaic properties, which supplement the traditional properties of strength, aesthetic appearance and architectural value that typify ceramic tiles.

Overall, these are evolutions

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in research, products and processes aimed at enhancing environmental credentials and human health, and they relate to building materials as a whole, within the framework of construction upgrading.

What’s more, the upgrading of buildings is currently the only positive performer in the European construction market. This was confirmed by the 73rd conference of the 19 member states of the Euroconstruct area, held in London in July, which emphasised how the industry’s growth is partly attributable to government incentives aimed at upgrading the energy-efficiency of the existing housing stock.

The recovery will therefore derive, of necessity, from greater

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commitment to the upgrading of existing housing, and will directly involve the distribution system, which will have to show itself capable of responding to a new and fundamental requirement, namely that of combining design and aesthetics with sound environmental credentials and enhanced energyefficiency. To do this, it will have to do interact with specifiers, offer them new skills and services, and guide them towards a new culture of construction.

The pages that follow present a series of eco-innovative products: we believe that getting to know them better provides dealers and sales staff with additional tools for winning new business.

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ECO-Innovations

CASALGRANDE PADANA presents Bios Self Cleaning Ceramics® At Cersaie 2012, Casalgrande Padana presented a preview of its new line of self-cleaning porcelain tile designated Bios Self Cleaning Ceramics®.

Deriving from a partnership between Casalgrande Padana and TOTO LTD, Japan’s leading manufacturer of photocatalytic coatings under the HYDROTECT® brand, the new line of Bios Self Cleaning Ceramics® combines self-cleaning, antibacterial and pollution-reducing properties.

The new Bios Self Cleaning Ceramics® represent an evolution of the Bios Antibacterial Ceramics® unveiled in recent years, which have already shown themselves capable of eliminating 99.9% of the four main strains of bacteria present in enclosed environments.

Today, Bios Self Cleaning Ceramics® complement the antibacterial function with self-cleaning and pollution-reducing functions, therefore making them ideal for both indoor and outdoor applications.

- When clad with Bios Self Cleaning Ceramics® , building envelopes, whether in the form of traditional facades or curtain walls, deliver high performance in terms of self-cleaning and the elimination of the main pollutants found in the air, thereby making a significant contribution to improving the quality of the urban environment.

A 150 square-metre facade clad with Bios Self Cleaning Ceramics® is capable of purifying as much air as an area of woodland the size of a football pitch, or eliminating the NOx (nitrogen oxides that are a by-product of combustion) emitted

by 11 cars over the course of a day.

- For indoor applications, such as the floor and wall coverings of bathrooms, kitchens, gyms, swimming pools etc., the product offers high performance in terms of sanitisation and the elimination of bacteria and unpleasant odours.

The exclusive formulation of the coating known as HYDROTECT® is based on a combination of two active ingredients. The first is titanium dioxide (TiO2), which gives the product photocatalytic properties. In the presence of sunlight or artificial light, these trigger a self-cleaning and pollution-reducing action.

The second is a delicately balanced formulation of Group 11 Elements, which delivers antibacterial performance even in the absence of light, unlike products which use only conventional photocatalytic

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systems.

The range of colours, finishes and modular formats available to architects make it possible to fulfil any application requirement, and to combine top-quality aesthetic solutions and finishes with the highest levels of technical performance.

Under the terms of the Master Agreement entered into with TOTO LTD, Casalgrande Padana is the first Italian company to join the exclusive international network of HYDROTECT® partners, which was set up with a view to promoting the exchange of experience and innovation between global players within the wide range of industries that use this technology.

These include some of the best-known names in architecture and construction, such as Alcoa, Pilkington and Saint-Gobain.

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ECO-Innovations

AXOR presents Axor Starck Organic The first of its kind in the world, the Axor Starck Organic washbasin uses a new diffuser to establish a level of water consumption of just 3.5 litres per minute: as you turn the tap on, it stops at a flow rate of 3.5 litres per minute and only if you then turn it a second time does it increase water delivery to 5 litres per minute.

In other words, to waste water, you need to really want to!

And also for the first time ever, the temperature controller and the flow controller are separated within the same mixer tap.

- The water flow control is located on the “head” of the tap. A coloured line, which gradually changes from green to orange, indicates the most “ecological” position, involving prevalent use of cold water.

Once you’ve set the temperature, you can leave the control in the same position so that you don’t have to change it each time you turn on the tap. One of the advantages of this is to avoid unwanted start-up of the boiler.

All in all, it is an invitation to “use your head” and think about the temperature you want before you turn on the tap!

- Unlike the temperature control, the knob for opening and adjusting water flow, with its first stage of opening set to the minimum level of 3.5 litres, is located directly on the delivery outlet.

This is an unusual position, but it’s very simple and practical, not least because it means that when you turn the tap off, you don’t soak the entire surface of it!

The 90 silicone-clad nozzles that make up the micro shower head (that’s the same number as in a modern Hansgrohe shower head, but concentrated in a diameter of just 2.4 cm) create a soft “brush” which can easily be rubbed with the thumb to remove any residues of limescale.

The production process of Axor Starck Organic was developed on the basis of minimising

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environmental impact, and therefore each component is made with 33% less brass.

The streamlining of the mixer tap body also made it possible to route the water hoses (hot/ cold) directly to the mixer cartridge, thereby for the first time eliminating all contact between the water and the inside of the mixer tap.

This extends service-life and prevents any possibility of contamination with particles of lead or nickel.

A PHILIPPE STARCK PROJECT Axor, the designer brand of Hansgrohe, started its partnership with Philippe Starck in 1992 with a mixer tap, characterised by extremely clean lines and a joystick-type lever initially associated with the typically Starck sign of the “feather”, which remains an icon of modern bathroom design to this day.

The new Axor Starck Organic mixer tap was developed, first and foremost, as a reinterpretation of water delivery (and water-saving) technology: “This is not about jumping on a bandwagon, which is particularly distasteful in bathroom design, where, if anything, the primary characteristic of a mixer tap or washbasin must be long service-life,” explained the French designer. “It’s about taking an important step towards a more sustainable technology that can work anywhere in the world, even where water is in short supply. The research that gave rise to this product was made possible by the ethical commitment of this company and the people who have upheld its approach worldwide. I have been working with Klaus and his son, Philippe Grohe, for 20 years now and I am truly grateful to them for the support they have always given me. From an aesthetic point of view, I now feel closer to these sensual, organic forms, than I do to more geometric lines. I think there is a real need for softness and natural archetypes around us, to help us feel more in tune with our habitat. Even in a product as technologically advanced as this, there is still something ancient and timeless, something soft and sculptural like the contours of a tree or human body..”

ECO-Innovations

OCRA CLIMA: natural heating by Bioterra Italia Ocra Clima is the name given to the wall-mounted heating module by Bioterra Italia, which delivers all the benefits of modern low-temperature systems, using the properties of natural clay.

Practical and environmentally friendly, the Ocra Clima panel is made of unfired clay containing an aluminium coil that can be connected to traditional heating systems, latest-generation condensing boilers, heat pumps and solar power systems.

These panels can be used to create heated walls, thereby dispensing with the unwanted bulk of radiators, and generating heat uniformly throughout the room, while at the same time

reducing energy consumption. The naturally hygroscopic properties of clay prevent the formation of mildew and condensation, by absorbing any excess humidity in the ambient air, thus reducing maintenance requirements to zero.

Available in various dimensions (100 or 125 cm x 62.5 cm) with a thickness of 22 mm, Ocra Clima is ideal for remodelling projects and can also be used for the construction of partition walls or for installation under windows. This is a gentle heating system, which does not generate the convection currents typically associated with traditional radiators, thereby preventing the formation of unsightly dust stains on the walls. The wall-mounted modules are also the ideal solution

for people with health problems associated with poor circulation and anybody who is concerned about the possible problems caused by underfloor heating.

Last but not least, the product offers unlimited scope for customising heated walls with any type of covering, including tiles or plasters suited to the humid areas of kitchens and bathrooms. Tiles are installed on these panels according to traditional methods, although in view of their eco-compatible nature, it is advisable to use natural adhesives that are free from potentially harmful substances.

Finally, before installing the panels, thermal calculations must be made to determine how many panels are

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necessary to heat the environment, in exactly the same way as would be done for a normal radiator. In light of these calculations, it probably won’t be necessary to install heating panels on entire walls, but just on the area that is least obstructed by furniture and most exposed to the external environment.

Bioterra Italia is a specialist manufacturer and supplier of sustainable building materials of exclusively natural origin, such as unfired clay, hemp and ecological plaster and paint.

Bioterra solutions are ideal for remodelling and newbuild projects alike, and include design services and the turnkey installation of high-energy-efficiency systems.

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ECO-Innovations

COTTO D’ESTE and the universal covering KERLITE is a laminated porcelain tile produced by Cotto d’Este, which condenses all the qualities of technical porcelain into a thickness of just 3 mm and is available in extra-large formats of up to 3x1 metres.

At Cersaie 2012, and in the wake of eight years of success, KERLITE decided to broaden its horizons and step into the world of interior design.

The versatility and ease of use, which are undeniable strengths of KERLITE, along with light weight, high strength, planarity and an antibacterial action capable of eliminating 99.9% of bacteria, make the product an ideal finish for kitchen worktops, bathroom vanity units, washbasins, doors and furnishing complements.

The material represents a real stimulus to the creativity of designers.

Available in 10 collections for a total of 48 different decorative media, KERLITE offers a wide range of textures, from natural stone to concrete, wood to single colours, and black to white.

Visitors to Cersaie were particularly captivated by the Etherna kitchen, designed by Franco Driusso for Arrital Cucine, which aims at achieving complete harmony between environment and content.

This is done by using KERLITE sheet for every part of the kitchen, including door leaves, worktop, breakfast counters and tables, not to mention the floor and wall coverings.

The company’s bathroom solutions elicited similar interest: Altamarea Bathroom Boutique, Fasuro and New Line all presented previews of their bathroom vanity units clad entirely in KERLITE.

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ECO-Innovations

DEL CONCA: product innovation Zero “When I speak of innovation I am not referring exclusively to technology and production.

I refer also to the design-centred focus that allows us to expand the traditional application and functional characteristics of our products: we need to embark on a more challenging but ultimately rewarding path towards “systems”. This strategy, which is also the only one that can mark us out from those manufacturers who choose to compete purely on price, provided the inspiration for the Thermatile system by Del Conca, which combines the ultra-slim, ultra-lightweight ZERO tile with a totally innovative carbon-fibre

radiant heating system.”

That’s how Enzo Mularoni, CEO of Del Conca, sums up the concept of innovation that goes beyond mere product and constitutes a complete system. ZERO is aimed at the remodelling market, because its low thickness (5 mm) means that it can be laid directly over existing tiles, and is therefore the ideal solution for underfloor or in-wall heating too.

Thermatile by Del Conca is a kit consisting of ZERO tiles, combined with a revolutionary membrane with carbon coils, derived from the technology used to warm up the tyres of Formula One cars, and which in itself is slim enough to be interposed between the surface to be

covered and the new covering.

The ZERO series is available in six different sizes, with two surface finishes (smooth and non-slip), four colours (ivory, golden sand, light grey and anthracite) and two thicknesses (5 and 10 mm), for use according to application.

The extreme slimness of the porcelain tile, which in no way detracts from its quality and strength, makes this product an excellent thermal conductor.

That’s what gave us the idea to promote it together with the revolutionary membrane for Thermatile radiant heating.

“Carbon coils have the peculiarity of emitting heat instantly as soon as an electrical current passes through them, while at the same time

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delivering higher efficiency than the majority of traditional materials,” - explained Mularoni.

“Installed directly beneath the tile adhesive, they generate a wonderful warmth under your feet, on demand.

There’s no need for boilers, water or other fluids, fuel or gas. The necessary energy can also be produced using photovoltaic panels and thus benefiting from the respective tax incentives.”

In order to produce ZERO, modifications had to be made to the plants and technologies at the San Clemente facility (in the province of Rimini), requiring a total investment of 4 million euros.

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ECO-Innovations

Active by FIANDRE for “Bruco” pre-school Bazzano, a district of L’Aquila, has a new, multipurpose childhood centre, known as “Il Bruco” (the caterpillar), which was donated to the community by the FIAT Group in the wake of the severe earthquake that struck the city in April 2009.

Sized to accommodate 100 children, the complex is made up of five parallelepipeds connected to each other by a long joining element, in such a way as to form a total, sinuous length of 55 m.

A.S. Architetti Associati, the firm commissioned to design the complex, chose to clad the exterior of the five buildings, including their roofs, with porcelain tile from the Wave Extreme collection by GranitiFiandre (150x75 cm and thickness of 10 mm), produced using the Active Clean Air & Antibacterial Ceramic™ methodology and hence capable of reducing the main atmospheric pollutants (nitrogen oxides/NOx, fine

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particulate matter/PM10 and VOCs) and eliminating over 99.9% of the predominant strains of bacteria.

GranitiFiandre also supplied the systems for fixing the ceramic coverings, which were specifically designed for the purpose by the company’s Engineering Division.

By means of the application of a micrometric layer of titanium dioxide fixed at high temperature, Active Clean Air & Antibacterial Ceramic™ is the Fiandre-Iris Group’s answer to the needs of genuinely sustainable architecture, designed to take effective action against pollution and the main bacteria that pose a hazard to human health.

The Group produces ACTIVE by means of a process that triggers photocatalysis by using titanium dioxide in micrometric form (thereby surpassing the use of nanotechnologies) and makes it possible to produce sheets of porcelain tile capable of simultaneously combating bacteria and reducing air pollutant levels by up to 70%.

The two main research institutes for the ceramic industry (Centro Ceramico Bologna and Tile Council of North America) have both proved that a 1000 squaremetre area of ACTIVE is as effective as 20 tall trees in reducing nitrous oxides (NOx) levels.

Active Clean Air & Antibacterial Ceramic™ is opening up a series of exceptional new opportunities for use: it definitely has a role to play in outdoor environments and urban furnishing, but that’s not all, because titanium dioxide is also activated by artificial light, so ACTIVE has much to contribute indoors too.

It should also be emphasised that ACTIVE’s effectiveness does not deteriorate over time, because titanium dioxide as a trigger of the photocatalytic process is not subject to wear.

As testimony to its suitability for bio-construction, ACTIVE has been certified to ISO 14001, EMAS LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) and ANAB standards ICEA, one of the European construction industry’s leading certification bodies.

ECO-Innovations

Metropolis Microban®: the hygiene mechanism by LEA Ceramiche Thanks to the constant work of the Panariagroup Research Centre and to an agreement reached with Microban, a world leader in antibacterial technology, the porcelain floor and wall tiles produced by Lea Ceramiche using Microban® technology are capable of preventing the proliferation of germs and bacteria by means of constant action, 24-hours a day.

How does Microban® work?

When bacteria come into contact with the treated surface, Microban®’s silverbased technology blocks their metabolism.

This interrupts the life-cycle of the bacteria, thus preventing them from surviving and proliferating.

Microban® antibacterial technology, which is incorporated into the tiles at the production stage, constantly inhibits bacterial proliferation for the entire life of the product.

Unlike surface disinfectants, which eliminate bacteria from the surface of the tile only temporarily, Microban® acts continuously to keep

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the tile hygienically clean between one cleaning cycle and the next.

The quality of the treatment is guaranteed by the Microban Certification Programme, which was established to monitor all Microban® applications and certify that the products in question undergo regular testing in accordance with internationally recognised methods.

From a functional and aesthetic point of view, the Metropolis collection, characterised by an extremely natural-looking, surface finish, revives the unfinished look of concrete, while combining it with a surprisingly soft, tactile and welcoming feel.

Metropolis is available in three

basic colours: white, grey and brown.

These give rise to a total of eight colours, available with four different finishes: natural, to highlight the raw appearance of the material; brushed, for a softer, more sensual surface; textured, for an appearance of greater depth; and grip, which is especially suited to outdoor applications.

Thanks in part to the modularity of formats (up to 90x90cm), Metropolis is the ideal covering for any volume, for both interior and exterior architecture: with Metropolis, ceramic becomes a second skin, and the habitat evokes a new sense of simplicity.

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ECO-Innovations

Eternity Maxi by PAVANELLO with built-in Venetian blind Pavanello has completed its Eternity Maxi line by inserting a Venetian blind between the glazing cavity and the external aluminium frame fitted with layered glass.

The built-in blind, which not only keeps the sun out, but also protects your privacy (its colour can be matched with the colour of the external aluminium profile), enables either manual or motor-operated opening and closure, so as to modulate the inlet of heat and light.

The position of the Venetian blind outside the glazing cavity increases the thermal and acoustic insulation capacity of the glass.

You can reach the Venetian blind, which is sealed against dust and weather, by releasing the

aluminium frame: this means you can replace it without changing the glass.

Technical characteristics: Thermal insulation: up to 1.03 W/M²K Acoustic insulation: 37 DB with 4/4 acoustic glass +15 +4 low emission with argon Air permeability: Class 4 (maximum attainable) in accordance with UNI EN 12207 Water-tightness: Class 9A (higher than maximum) in accordance with UNI EN 12208 Resistance to wind load: Class C5 (maximum attainable) in accordance with UNI EN 12210 Pavanello Serramenti also recently announced the adoption of Super Spacer®, a latest-generation spacer

system that offers exceptional energy-efficiency.

Super Spacer® is the world’s first system of spacer ducts in pre-dried rubber without metal, which has been the leading thermally efficient spacer system in use since 1989.

As well as offering better looks, Super Spacer® makes a significant contribution to reducing energy losses, because it is 1500 times less conductive than aluminium, and therefore saves an average of up to 0.2W/m2K out of total U values.

This means that windows equipped with this system and with low-emission glass reduce heat loss by 94% compared with windows fitted with traditional aluminium ducts. The reduction in heat loss also reduces the formation of condensate and consequent

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problems of mildew.

Another key feature is the expanded polymer’s superior capacity to prevent noise transmission. This makes the product a must in situations affected by severe noise pollution caused by heavy road, rail or air traffic.

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ECO-Innovations

GROHE: maximum water-efficiency and wellbeing (well label)

Having obtained European WELL water-efficiency certification for seven lines of taps and mixers, GROHE is now extending this certification of environmental sustainability to the taps in the shower programmes New Tempesta EcoJoy® and New Tempesta Cosmopolitan EcoJoy®.

Both GROHE lines have been classified as Class A**, which is the highest possible classification in the water-effi-

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ciency grading system established by the European plumbing and sanitary ware industry in 2011, proving that it is possible to reach the highest levels of efficiency in the use of water, without compromising on comfort and quality.

In fact, GROHE’s innovative EcoJoy® technology ensures 100% user comfort for its showers, while at the same time, saving both water and energy.

ECO-Innovations

MAPEI for insulated curtain walls Mapetherme Tile System is the system developed by the Italian multinational for the construction of insulated curtain walls on buildings clad with slim-gauge porcelain tile.

It consists of: - Planitop HDM Maxi (two-component fibre-reinforced cement-based mortar) - Mapegrid 120 (glass-fibre

mesh) - Mapetherm Tile Fix 15 (wall plugs) - Ultralite S2 (lightweight two-component cement-based adhesive) Ultracolor Plus (high-performance grouting compound) - Mapesil LM (neutral silicon sealant)

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ECO-Innovations

CERAMICHE REFIN for environmental sustainability in buildings

Over the years, Ceramiche Refin, which was founded in 1962 and has been part of the Concorde Group since 1998, has developed a distinctly green vocation.

One of its latest technologies is Ekosan.24, which the company has used to transform the surface of its tiles from “passive”, with a mere aesthetic and protective function, to “active”, in other words capable of making an active contribution to human and environmental health and well-being.

With Ekosan.24, Refin has integrated particles of titanium dioxide (TiO2), reinforced with active metal elements, into the surface of its tiles, thereby creating a product with three

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properties: • photocatalytic antipollution: the particles become catalysts for the photocatalytic process by means of which the tile helps eliminate harmful airborne substances (e.g. NOx, VOCs and PM10); • self-cleaning on curtain walls: the application makes the surface of the tile super-hydrophilic, with the result of that water is distributed uniformly over the surface, creating a film which then facilitates the removal of dirt; • sanitising action against germs and bacteria for 24-hours: the antibacterial effect is enhanced by active

metal elements, which act, even without light, to ensure a sanitising action both by day and by night, and in enclosed environments.

Refin products also offer an additional series of environmental guarantees: • all products comply with the requirements for European Ecolabel certification, which sets binding limits on polluting emissions and the consumption of energy and raw materials during the production process; • several collections are LEED compatible and therefore raise the LEED score of the building in which they are used.

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ECO-Innovations

Antibact: the new antibacterial ceramic by FINCIBEC At Cersaie 2012, Fincibec Group previewed Antibact, a new technological application capable of exponentially multiplying the sanitising effects of normal washing operations.

Antibact technology, developed in the company’s Research & Development department, can be applied to any type of ceramic finish, but the first collection made with Antibact and presented at Cersaie 2012 was Technica, marketed under the Century brand.

The antibacterial effects of Antibact, which have been tested by the Department of Life Sciences at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, do not require sunlight as a trigger. In fact, it is the presence of humidity that enhances the action of the active ingredients and exponentially multiplies the sanitising effects of normal washing operations.

The active ingredient of Antibact exerts an antibacterial effect by: - blocking the replication of the bacterial cell’s DNA - damaging the bacteria’s cell wall and membrane - compromising the bacteria’s cellular metabolism “Fincibec’s industrial policy remains that of protecting and enhancing quality of life and quality of the environment. In this respect,” explained Vittorio Borelli, CEO of Fincibec SpA, “Antibact technology is the next step in the process of environmental certification achieved by our products in recent years. The aim is to provide our customers with products that make an active contribution to physical and environmental health.”

The effectiveness of Antibact technology has been tested on Escherichia-Coli and Staphylococcus Aureus.

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Exhibition Calendar I SALONI Milan, Italy – 9/14 April 2013 MOSBUILD/CERSANEX Moscow, Russia – 16/19 April 2013 KITCHEN & BATH INDUSTRY SHOW New Orleans , USA – 19/21 April 2013 COVERINGS (Floor and wall coverings in ceramic and natural stone) Atlanta, Georgia , USA – 29 April/2 May 2013 BUILDEXPO AFRICA (Building) Nairobi, Kenya – 4/6 May 2013 CONSTRUMAT (Building) Barcelona , Spain – 21/24 May 2013 STONE+TEC (Marble and processing technologies) Nuremberg , Germany – 29 May/1 June 2013 BUILDEXPO EAST AFRICA (Building and construction products, equipment and machinery) Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania – 6/8 June, 2013 KAZBUILD (Building and interior finishings) Almaty, Kazakhstan – 4/7 September 2013 CERSAIE (Ceramic tiles, bathroom furnishings, installation materials) Bologna – 23/27 September 2013 MARMOMACC (Natural stone and processing machinery) Verona, Italy – 25/28 September 2013 MADE EXPO (Building) Milan, Italy – 2/5 October 2013 BATIMAT (Building) Paris, France – 4/8 November 2013 LIVING INTERIORS (Design and interior finishings) Cologne, Germany - 13/19 January 2014 PROGETTO FUOCO (Fireplaces and stoves) Verona, Italy – 19/23 February 2014 MOSTRA CONVEGNO EXPOCOMFORT (Bathroom furnishings and renewable energy) Milan, Italy – 18/21 March 2014 CARRARA MARMOTEC (Marble and processing technologies) Carrara, Italy – 21/24 June 2014 EPF (Wood flooring) Feuchtwangen, Germany – 26/28 June 2014

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ASEAN Ceramics 2013 11 – 13 September 2013 | BITEC | Bangkok | Thailand

South East Asia’s 1st international technology and materials exhibition for ceramic manufacturing

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