Tile International 2/2018

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ISSN2039-8301

Cersaie

2018

Interviews, news, projects & much more...

Schlüter®-KERDI-BOARD-N Fertigelemente für Nischen und Ablageflächen Prefabricated components for niches and shelves

406 mm

51 mm

2018 Bologna IE A S R E C 18 – 28 / 09 / 24 / 09 / 18 o. A 25 , Stand-N A 1 3 a re A

305

711 mm

813 mm

Schlüter®-KERDI-BOARD-N are prefabricated installation components made of KERDI-BOARD for creating niches and shelves in wall areas of all kinds. Niches can be integrated into the Schlüter®KERDI waterproofing system as a bonded waterproofing assembly. The components are available in four dimensions for creative and individual wall design and can be incorporated into a stud structure.

89 mm

Schlüter®-KERDI-BOARD-N sind vorgefertigte Einbauelemente aus KERDI-BOARD zur Errichtung von Nischen und Ablageflächen für Wandbereiche aller Art. In Verbindung mit dem Schlüter®KERDI Abdichtungssystem können die Nischen als Verbundabdichtung ausgeführt werden. Die Elemente in vier Abmessungen ermöglichen eine kreative und individuelle Wandgestaltung und können in eine Ständerwerkkonstruktion eingearbeitet werden.

mm

51 mm

30 5

508 mm

610 mm

89 mm

406 mm

mm

305 mm

89 mm

406 mm

406 mm

305 mm

www.schlueter-systems.com

152 mm

89 mm

254 mm

406 m m

305 m

m

Schlüter®-KERDI-BOARD-N Fertigelemente für Nischen und Ablageflächen Prefabricated components for niches and shelves

406 mm

51 mm

2018 Bologna IE A S R E C 18 – 28 / 09 / 24 / 09 / 18 o. A 25 , Stand-N A 1 3 a re A

305

711 mm

813 mm

Schlüter®-KERDI-BOARD-N are prefabricated installation components made of KERDI-BOARD for creating niches and shelves in wall areas of all kinds. Niches can be integrated into the Schlüter®KERDI waterproofing system as a bonded waterproofing assembly. The components are available in four dimensions for creative and individual wall design and can be incorporated into a stud structure.

89 mm

Schlüter®-KERDI-BOARD-N sind vorgefertigte Einbauelemente aus KERDI-BOARD zur Errichtung von Nischen und Ablageflächen für Wandbereiche aller Art. In Verbindung mit dem Schlüter®KERDI Abdichtungssystem können die Nischen als Verbundabdichtung ausgeführt werden. Die Elemente in vier Abmessungen ermöglichen eine kreative und individuelle Wandgestaltung und können in eine Ständerwerkkonstruktion eingearbeitet werden.

mm

51 mm

30 5

508 mm

610 mm

89 mm

406 mm

mm

305 mm

89 mm

406 mm

406 mm

305 mm

www.schlueter-systems.com

152 mm

89 mm

254 mm

406 m m

305 m

m

www.progressprofiles.com

Exteriors finishing details Protects, enhances

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SAIE

2018 Bolo 24 g Hall 3 28 septem na NEW 1 St and A ber LOC ATIO N ST 11 AND

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PROTERRACE SYSTEM Profile Systems for terraces and balconies, that protects the edges of the tiles and guarantees the flow of water.

A full range of multi-functional perimeter profiles, in aluminum and stainless steel, to replace the “L” element in ceramic and the marble thresholds.

Proterrace profiles have a vertical section that finishes the edge detail and a built in lower flap that sheds water away from the structure. These profiles have a punched flange to facilitate its bonding to the substrate and optional water draining holes to remove any water that may have infiltrate the coverings and need to be elinated. (Drain Version Only)

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SALONE INTERNAZIONALE DELLA C E R A M I C A P E R L’ A R C H I T E T T U R A E D E L L’ A R R E D O B A G N O

24-28 SEPTEMBER 2018 VISIT US AT

PAD.36 STAND C18/D19 Via Giardini Nord, 231/233 - 41026 Pavullo nel Frignano (MO) - Italy Tel. +39 0536 301711 - Fax+39 0536 22037 e-mail: energieker@energieker.it - www.energieker.it

QUADRASTUDIO

From the “Wooden Fabrics” collection, Georgette takes its name from the french dressmaker who created the ancient fabric of silk and wool.

Completely in highly selected Oak, in natural wood tones, or darkened through a thermotreating oxidation process.

Worked in inlay, Georgette is made from individually small wooden pieces artfully cut, treated and laid on a pre-finished panel to quickly and easily dress the floors or walls of any room.

24/28 SEPTEMBER HALL 22 - STAND B50

www.originalparquet.com

via Dell’Artigianato 18 48011 Alfonsine (RA) - Italy infoline. +39.0544.80696

QUADRASTUDIO

From the “Wooden Fabrics” collection, Georgette takes its name from the french dressmaker who created the ancient fabric of silk and wool.

Completely in highly selected Oak, in natural wood tones, or darkened through a thermotreating oxidation process.

Worked in inlay, Georgette is made from individually small wooden pieces artfully cut, treated and laid on a pre-finished panel to quickly and easily dress the floors or walls of any room.

24/28 SEPTEMBER HALL 22 - STAND B50

www.originalparquet.com

via Dell’Artigianato 18 48011 Alfonsine (RA) - Italy infoline. +39.0544.80696

Materials that inspire ideas.

Shapes and hues designed to freely express your style.

Unique and inspiring products with unlimited choice.

RAK Ceramics gives you limitless imagination.

Wall Floor

: M-PROJECT (STUCCO, SPATOLATO, WOOD) : M-PROJECT CHEVRON

CERSAIE BOLOGNA, ITALY 24-28 SEPTEMBER 2018

RAKCERAMICS.COM

HALL 14, STAND B31-C32 HALL 30, STAND B52-C51

ADVERTISING

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N. 2/2018

Publisher: Tile Edizioni S.r.l.

Via Fossa Buracchione 84 • 41126 Baggiovara (Modena) • Italy Tel. +39 059 512 103 • Fax +39 059 512 157 info@tiledizioni.it • www.tiledizioni.it Codice Fiscale / P. IVA: IT02778050365 - Capitale Sociale: 51.400,00 € R.E.A. 329775 - Iscr. al Registro delle Imprese di Modena Periodico registrato presso il Tribunale di Modena al n. 1828 in data 21/02/2007 - Iscrizione ROC n. 9673 Editor and Publishing coordination: Chiara Bruzzichelli •

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Contents

11 - Editorial

74 78 82 86 90 94 98

Welcome to the 36th Cersaie!

by Chiara Bruzzichelli

PhotoNews 12 - Luxurious restaurant east in the centre of Kiev with Czech floor tiles 14 – FILA stars in Baker Street clean-up 16 – Tilenews

Economy & markets 36 – Construction in Europe, 85 Euroconstruct 40 – 2017 revenues for Italian ceramic tiles 54 – Spanish ceramic tile industry in good health 58 – Mohawk Industries posts record-breaking results th

64 –

by Milena Bernardi

Statistics

World sanitaryware exports and imports

by Luca Baraldi, MECS

Cover picture: PIEMME @ Cersaie 2017 - www.ceramichepiemme.it Cover picture by: Giancarlo Pradelli @ Cersaie 2017 Translations: Geoff Day / John Freeman Advertisers list: pag. 121

FOLLOW TILE INTERNATIONAL E-MAGAZINE:

http://www. .com

113116 118 120 122 The Sound of Design Italian Style Contract

In the spotlight 74 – Competitiveness is the challenge facing the Italian tile industry 78 – Pollution2018 by IRIS Ceramica Group, SOS for sustainability 82 – Litokol marks first 50 years of continuous improvement 86 – Ceramiche Piemme: Creating Value, Together 90 – EnergieKer: “No stopping now” 94 – La Fabbrica Ceramiche opens a superlative showroom in Imola 98 – Fondovalle to present My Top 20 mm through-vein slab at Cersaie Projects 104 – Hi-Line Rooftop Bar 108 – Ristorante Cracco, Galleria V. Emanuele, Milano

CERSAIE 2018 113 – Welcome to the 36 CERSAIE 116 – Building, Dwelling, Thinking 118 – THE SOUND OF DESIGN Italian Style Contract, Exhibition event 120 – Bologna Design Week 122 – Cersaie 2018: The Gallery th

by Paola Giacomini

by Paola Giacomini

by Paola Giacomini

HALL 16 STAND B42-C39

BLUE

BROWN

GREIGE

DARK

GREIGE

“The new wood-effect collection, Aspen, is inspired by Alder wood, a very resistant wood”

BEIGE

DARK

Rondine s.p.a. - Via Emilia Ovest 53/A 42048 Rubiera (RE) - Italy +39 0522 625111 - www.ceramicarondine.it

10 mm

10 mm

10 mm

R11 20,5x100 (8”x48”)

15x100 (6”x15”)

STRONG 15x100 (6”x15”)

BROWN

Editorial

by Chiara Bruzzichelli

Welcome to the 36th Cersaie!

The 36th edition of Cersaie is about to get under way in the Italian city of Bologna, and for the fifth year running will be hosting a wide range of top-quality exhibitors from the wood, marble and natural stone coverings sector, in addition to manufacturers of ceramic tiles and bathroom furnishings, and other players closely involved in the ceramic supply chain.

The definitive figures for Cersaie 2017, moreover, have already confirmed that the organisers made the right decision, because attendance increased both among Italian visitors (up 5.0% to a total of 58,422 ) and foreign visitors (up 4.3% to a total of 53,182 ), from pretty much every country

in 2017 (+2.4%), of which 4.7 billion euros (+2.5%) came from exports, and 842 million from sales on the domestic market.

in the world.

There was also an increase in the number of exhibitors, to a total of 869 (up 17 compared with 2016), of which 323 were from outside Italy, representing almost a third of the total and 41 different countries of origin.

Ceramic tile manufacturers accounted for the biggest share of the total, with 457 exhibitors, followed by bathroom furnishing manufacturers, with 197.

Meanwhile, 15 foreign-registered companies, controlled by 8 Italian ceramic manufacturing groups, produced 87 million sq.m of tile in 2017 (+0.88%), generating revenues of 862.1 million euros (+0.8%), made up of 469.9 million euros of sales on the European market and 392.2 million euros of sales on the North American markets.

79.9% of the revenues of these 15 foreign-registered companies were generated by sales within the country of production.

It's also gratifying to report that 2017 was another positive year for Italy's ceramic industry, as can be seen from the data presented by Confindustria Ceramica.

The total revenues of ceramic manufacturers operating in Italy reached 5.5 billion euros

Investment in new technolo-

gies, which reached 514.9 million euros last year (+28.5% on 2016), showed vigorous growth for the fourth year running.

All these investments helped sharpen the competitive edge of the Italian ceramic industry, partly through the adoption of new Industry 4.0 digital technologies and partly through the development of new types of materials in large and extra-large formats, to meet demand in new market segments.

This pursuit of excellence also involved Italy's sanitaryware manufacturers, who have managed to break the circle recession by rejecting the logic of competition on price and aiming instead at the high and top end of the market.

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LUXURIOUS RESTAURANT EAST IN THE CENTRE OF KIEV WITH CZECH FLOOR TILES … it is on the place, where once a Serbian fish restaurant Porto Maltese used to be, that was well-known for its top quality food and profesional staff.

It was even the best fish restaurant in the capital city!

After the owner chose the panasian direction, not only he decided to change the cuisine, but also the furnishing.

The interiors designed by the Kiev YOD Design Studio combine minimalism and an unconventional use of materials, decorations and original methods of interior design.

The concept of a panasian restaurant originates from Eastern philosophies, which connect various countries and cultures.

Therefore, this restaurant reflects the main elements of East – stone, wood, water, fire and metal.

Working with a limited amount of materials, the designers used contrast and tactual perception.

The designers chose large format floor tiles from the Clay series with a fine matt relief, that resemble a trodden clay floor.

From the production of the Czech brand RAKO, the designers chose a trodden clay floor resembling large format floor tile from the Clay series with a fine matt relief.

Another RAKO floor tiles, this time the Random series, a perfect imitation of stone, came in useful for floors and walls of lavatories.

Thanks to the digital printing technology, you will barely recognize it is not a natural stone, but the material stands out for the advantages of ceramics, mainly for its very easy maintenance. YOD Design Studio was founded in Kiev in 2004.

This studio works in modern style and specializes primarily in commercial objects in the field of hospitality industry: hotels, restaurants, cafés and bars.

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FILA STARS IN BAKER STREET CLEAN-UP London's Baker Street station, which opened in January 1863 as part of the world’s first underground passenger rail network, takes its name from the street that Arthur Conan

Tile International 2/2018

Doyle chose as the home of his fictional detective, Sherlock Holmes.

The station recently underwent an extensive

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cleaning project, with the aid of FILA’s UK subsidiary, which provided technical assistance, including surface patch-testing, and its deep-cleaning system for ceramic

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and terrazzo tiles. The job was done using FILAPS87 and FILACLEANER. • The contractor used FILAPS87 for the deep-cleaning of the terrazzo floor

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tiles and platform edging ceramic tiles, • and FILACLEANER for the ceramic wall tiles throughout the station.

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The combination of FILA products used at Baker Street restored both the original appearance and anti-slip ratings of the various floor surfaces.

Tile International 2/2018

Tilenews

Companies, News & Markets LAPITEC® SINTERED STONE WINS THREE 'PLUS X' AWARDS

"CERAMIC AND DESIGN": WINNERS OF THE 7TH EDITION

Lapitec® through-body sintered stone has won three Seals of Approval in the German Plus X Awards for product innovation in the world of technology and lifestyle.

The jury – an independent panel of journalists, designers and experts – assessed the material in the colour Bianco Crema and endorsed its excellence in the Quality, Design and Functionality categories, for its ability to combine the physical and mechanical properties of porcelain tile with the elegance of natural stone.

Lapitec® also has solid environmental credentials because it is free from resinbased binders and hydrocarbons.

The jury took a particularly positive view of the delicate, Mediterranean hue of Bianco Crema, which is available in seven different finishes for a wide range of customisable solutions. Lastly, the technical properties of Lapitec® earned it a Seal of Approval in the Functionality category, because of its resistance to high temperatures, UV rays, acids, alkalis and bacteria, plus the fact that it is self-cleaning.

The 7th edition of Ceramic and Design has just come to a close. The competition is run by Confindustria Ceramica for architects and interior designers, and its aim is to award prizes to the best architectural projects involving significant use of Italian ceramic.

The panel of judges, made up of Mario Cucinella, Fulvio Irace, Aldo Colonetti and Confindustria Ceramica, assessed a total of 78 projects and selected the winners on the basis of their creativity, functionality and aesthetics, taking account of the design, use of tiles, quality of installation and environmental sustainability of the material.

- The Commercial category was won by the project "Rosalia Salad Gourmet" in Florence, designed by S+S Studio with the use of large-format panels by Ceramica Sant'Agostino.

The project represents a fresh new take on interior design culture and the organisation of space, and the choice of floor and wall tiles remains in full harmony with the high visual impact of the design language.

- The winner of the Institutional catego-

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ry was the "New Prysmian Group Headquarters" in Milan (pictured), by the architect Maurizio Varratta, which used 16,000 sq.m of Marazzi ceramics. With a scale approaching that of an urban development project, the complex fosters close communication between the indoor and outdoor environments.

- The winner of the Residential category was "Bernini2 La Villa e La Torre" in Turin, by +Studio Architetti, which used Caesar, Keope, Kronos and Atlas Concorde tiles. This new building within a Turin cityscape dating back to the 1950s creates a sensitive link between past and future.

NEOLITH ACCLAIMED BY TOP-END RESTAURANTS Neolith by TheSize, a sintered stone product, whose specific technical and aesthetic properties make it suitable for a wide range of applications, is winning a growing following in the restaurant sector.

Recent developments involving the use of the product include the futuristic ENIGMA owned by the chef Albert Adrià and the Miramar owned by Paco Pérez,

Tilenews

COLMEF WINS AWARD FOR GEODRY SYSTEM AT JORDAN BUILD

both in Spain; Il lusso della semplicitĂ owned by Alessandro Borghese and Confusion owned by Italo Bassi (pictured), both in Italy; and KUTCHiiN owned by Holger Stromberg, in Germany. Mar Esteve Cortes, Director of Neolith, explains: "The pleasure of eating out goes beyond gastronomy. Whether it's an informal or an exclusive occasion, people love discovering places that are worth coming back to, such as personalised environments in which every detail has been carefully formulated. From classical to contemporary; natural to industrial, and featuring contrasting or complementary tones, our wide range of colours offer a broad spectrum of effects that help create memorable dining experiences."

On the styling front, the light marble effect is a favourite in many venues, including Ricarda's restaurant in Toronto (Canada), which is dominated by Calacatta Polished, and Beluga Loves You, wich focuses on the broad vein patterns of Neolith Estatuario, which is a faithful interpretation of Carrara Marble that brings a classic look to contemporary spaces.

The Geodry waterproofing system by the Geodry division of Colmef won the most innovative product award from the Jordanian Construction Contractors Association at the international Jordan Build exhibition. The award was presented by Ahamed Al Yacoub, Chairman of the JCCA, and collected by Colmef's Export Area Manager, Alberto El Arabi (pictured).

Colmef's participation in Jordan Build was made possible by a project supported by the AICS (the Italian Agency for International Development Cooperation), the Municipality of Gubbio, ANCE, Confindustria Perugia, CESF (the Building Centre for Safety and Training), the ancient guild of the University of Masons, and of course the PCU (Palestinian Contractors Union) and JCCA. "Product innovation must encompass functional and performance characteristics, and integrate the latest technology with ease of installation. The aim is to provide designers with tailored solutions that prevent construction problems at the design stage," explained Colmef's

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Sales Director Remo Fioroni. "This is the philosophy we adhered to in the development of the Geodry Division, and the JCCA's members have chosen to recognise these strength by giving us this award."

Geodry Systems consist of prefabricated geo-membranes (so do not require any mixing of products on site) that ensure uniformity and continuity across the entire substrate and greatly reduce the margin for error. What's more, they can be installed using standard, everyday tools. Geodry solves the main problems that arise during installation, and provides designers with flexible, tailored solutions. Polymeric geo-membranes are made up of multiple thin layers, and are waterproof, elastic and hyper-flexible. Specific adhesives have been formulated for fixing them, along with special pieces to ensure continuity and uniformity at critical points (drains, vents, corners, connections with drainage systems, etc.).

Geodry is recommended for all types of substrate: existing flooring, with no need for any demolition work; cracked substrates, substrates subject to vapourgenerated stresses, without compression layers, under technical or floating floors, interposed between different materials, over radiant systems, for green roofs, for walls in direct contact with the soil, and for structures built below ground level. Once installed, ceramic or other coverings can be laid directly over the system, without additional compression layers, thanks to specific sealants.

Tile International 2/2018

Tilenews

CERRAD OPENS A STATEOF-THE-ART FACTORY IN STARACHOWICE Cerrad has completed the construction of a new, fully automated factory in Starachowice which will be used to produce the biggest large-format tiles in Poland, 160x320 cm.

The 28 million euro (120 million PLN) investment involved the construction of one of the most modern tile production plants in the world.

This is Cerrad’s third production plant located in Starachowice. The factory covers an area of 32 000 sq.m and will have a workforce of 80 employees and a production output of 4 million sq.m of tiles per year. The technological solutions adopted will enable the company to expand its product portfolio.

“Our production plant is the result of a development strategy focused on investments in infrastructure and technology with the aim of supplying innovative products and setting new trends in interior design. I have no doubt that the ULTIME 160x320 cm large format tiles set such a trend, enabling us to offer products that were not previously available on the market. We make designers’ and investors’ dreams come true,” says Cer-

Tile International 2/2018

rad’s Chairman Paweł Bak (pictured).

The cutting-edge technology used to create these unique designs will reinforce the company’s position as an industry innovator, and the introduction of new lines of products with outstanding technical and aesthetic quality will enable it to enter new market segments. The new ULTIME premium brand redefines the concept of large format tiles and will open up new design opportunities, particularly for construction projects.

The tiles are pressed in a 160x480 cm size and then cut before firing, making it possible to choose their final size. This method allows for the production of smaller sizes so as to expand the collection and offer customers a wider range of products. The tiles will be available in three versions: matt, polished and lappato. The new plant has already begun production of porcelain tiles. The modern production line complete with dry pressing technology is capable of producing high-quality products with thicknesses ranging from 3 to 20 mm. Along with the ULTIME brand, this also includes much more affordable products catering for a wider group of customers, such as coloured-body porcelain for indoor and outdoor use and weatherproof tiles suitable for terraces and gardens.

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The large-format ULTIME slabs are already available on the Polish market and later this year will reach customers in Europe, Asia and the USA.

RUBINETTERIE STELLA FOR LA MAISON BRÉGUET, PARIS Situated a stone's throw from the Marais, one of the most authentically Parisian districts, La Maison Bréguet hotel stands out for its atmosphere and the close attention it pays to the well-being of its guests. For the recent remodelling of the building, its welcoming rooms and their luxurious bathrooms, the architects opted for the Eccelsa Series of taps with protected brass finish - the greatest classic of the Rubinetterie Stella range, which has been in production since the 1930s.

Tilenews

MATICAD IS READY TO PRESENT THE PREVIEW OF DOMUS3D 2019 AT CERSAIE 2018.

Maticad’s DomuS3D could be considered the leading 3D interior design software made for ceramic tile and sanitary ware industry.

As every year, Maticad is attending CERSAIE in September 2018. The exhibition is the perfect opportunity to be in touch with the public and customers, to talk with them about where is the market heading, to take stock of the situation on their work and their daily needs, to collect comments and suggestions.

It is also the ideal showcase for the preview of DomuS3D's new version. The 2019 version is expected to introduce new and crucial functionalities that will ease and speed up the work of thousands of users all over the world. The company will also show what’s new about Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality (so talked-about these days) and online designing tools, which are all considered very important and expected to bring a lot of heat in the coverings and interior decorating market.

Pros, curious and enthusiasts will find Maticad at booth H16, hall 15/A.

25TH COMPASSO D'ORO AWARDS: A FEAST OF DESIGN Over 18,000 people visited the exhibition held in the Cortile della Rocchetta del Castello Sforzesco in Milan, from 21 to 26 June, in conjunction with the 25th

Tile International 2/2018

Compasso d'Oro Awards run by the ADI. Held on 20 June, the awards ceremony was attended by a host of top names from the world of Italian design, plus numerous representatives of public institutions. In the days that followed, the event attracted a big influx of visitors, thanks to the vital collaboration of the Municipality of Milan and the body that manages the Castle's events, paying particular attention to the interests of all visitors.

"We're very pleased with these figures," explained Luciano Galimberti, Chairman of the ADI. "At this edition of the ADI Compasso d'Oro awards, we wanted to emphasise how design is now a part of everyday life for everyone, and not just a specialist discipline for designers and manufacturers. The fact that the event was attended by so many people who take a general interest in cultural events but have no specific connection with the world of design, confirms that design not only represents a building block for development, but also forms a living part of contemporary culture. In conjunction with technology, design has a role to play in the customs and ethics of our time."

IDEAL STANDARD WINS RED DOT DESIGN AWARD After several days of individual testing and examination of all the products taking part in the competition, the panel of judges of the Red Dot Award picked "Idealrain Evo Jet", designed by ARTEFAKT design for Ideal Standard, for a Red

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Dot Award for the superior quality of its design.

The jury of experts awards the internationally recognised Red Dot quality mark exclusively to products that stand out for the excellence of their design.

Ideal Standard extended its Idealrain collection in 2018 with the launch of two new lines of high-performance shower products, Idealrain Evo and Idealrain Evo Jet. They are a perfect synthesis of advanced technology and attractive design, which offers a truly unique user experience.

Available in the classic round version and a sophisticated diamond-shaped version, both with three jet modes, the new models offer an extended range of shower heads.

The Idealrain collection includes complete shower sets available in lots of different compositions, thanks to the possibility of combining the secondary shower heads with a selection of slide rails, main shower heads and combined systems, to create a shower that provides state-of-the-art performance and a refined image.

since 1974 innovations for the tile setting professionals

24-28 september 2018

WE MOVED HALL 31A - STAND A17 new position, new stand come visit us

raimondispa.com

Tilenews

MAPEI COMES TO O. BOTTECCHIA VELODROME IN PORDENONE Mapei took part in the recent remodelling of the Pordenone velodrome, which is one of the world's most important open-air facilities of its kind and also hosts the "City of Pordenone - 3 International Evenings" event, the latest edition of which was held from 24 to 27 July.

Mapei's work focused on the renovation of the surface of the 4,000 sq.m oval circuit. After removing the existing covering (applied 20 years earlier), the contractors sealed the cracks with EPORIP, a solvent-free, dual-component epoxy adhesive for monolithic sealing of cracks in screeds, and PRIMER SN, a dual-component epoxy primer with fillers. The next step was to seal the joints of the reinforced concrete structure with MAPEFOAM, a closed-cell extruded polyethylene foam, and MAPEFLEX PU 45 FT, a paintable, high-elasticity, quick-setting polyurethane adhesive and sealant, designed to absorb movements of up to 20%.

To finish off, the contractors resurfaced the track, using MAPECOAT TNS CYCLE TRACK, a multilayer system comprising acrylic resins specifically developed for the construction of outdoor cycle tracks on substrates in bituminous or cementbased conglomerate.

The system's outstanding abrasion- resistance and mechanical strength, plus the excellent balance its strikes between rolling resistance and tyre stability, ensure the ideal conditions for top

Tile International 2/2018

athletes to perform in. This system has been fine-tuned on the basis of the experience gained in recent years in the construction of velodromes in Dalmine, Ferrara, Kiev and Guadalupe.

Since 1976, Mapei products and systems have been used in indoor and outdoor sports facilities built to host the world's most important sporting events.

Founded in Milan in 1937, Mapei now has 85 subsidiaries, including the parent company, and 81 production plants in 34 countries across five continents, with estimated revenues of â‚Ź 2.5 billion in 2018 and 10,000 employees worldwide.

The company owes its success to three core principles: specialisation in the world of construction, to which its supplies certified products and systems that meet customer requirements and market demand; internationalisation, to give the business an intimate view of local needs and minimise transport costs; and Research & Development, in which the company makes its most substantial investments, both in monetary terms and in terms of human resources.

TWO RED DOT AWARDS FOR DURAVIT Two series of Duravit products - the C.1 taps and Luv complete bathroom furnishing collection - recently won Red Dot Awards.

The C.1 series by Kurt Merki Jr. is a perfect reflection of Duravit's design language. The ergonomic lever has a groove at the bottom that improves grip and facilitates precise movement. Meticulously designed details, such as the minimal gap between body and lever, complete the look.

22

The outstanding design of Luv, by the Danish designer Cecilie Manz, combines Nordic purity with timeless, emotive elegance. Soft shapes blend with rigorous geometry.

The choice of materials and colours reveals an acute sense of tactility and a taste for nuance.

The oval washbasins made of DuraCeramÂŽ strike a convincing note with their refined lines, large capacity and clearly defined borders.

As an option, customers can specify matt enamelled outer surfaces in White, Grey or Sand. The under-basin bases have height-adjustable feet. The reconstituted quartz consoles in three perfectly coordinated colour variants, plus one version in solid American Walnut, can be freely paired with the finishes used on the bases.

Established in 1955, the Red Dot Award identifies the year's best products every year. Over 6,300 products by designers and manufacturers from 59 countries took part in the 2018 edition.

VISIT US @ CERSAIE

24/28 SEPTEMBER 2018 PAV 16 STAND B34-C31

furniture items for an ABK total-look bathroom

Tilenews

SHACKERLEY’S SURECLAD® FAÇADES REJUVENATE BRACKNELL HIGH STREET Ventilated façade specialist, Shackerley, has played an essential role in creating a cohesive new high street for Bracknell in Berkshire.

Part of a major regeneration project for the Greater London town centre, the cladding specification played a pivotal role in giving a more uniform look to a disparate arcade of retail units and creating ‘The Lexicon’; a re-branded local shopping centre with a single, high quality aesthetic.

Shackerley’s SureClad® ceramic granite ventilated cladding system was specified for the project and façade panels in three complementary colourways cream, mushroom/beige and mink – have been installed on the exteriors of the stores on both sides of the street.

With their subtle grain and natural finish the SureClad® panels have delivered a high quality, timeless aesthetic that provides an ideal blank canvas for individual store branding whilst blending effortlessly with the public realm landscaping elements of the project.

Tile International 2/2018

Around 400sq.m of SureClad® façade cladding was supplied by Shackerley, including bracketed one-piece window returns and details.

The panels were fully pre-fabricated to order at Shackerley’s ISO9001-accredited production facility in Lancashire, with the company’s proprietary SureClad® Access System providing an installation-ready solution for the team on site.

Comments Brian G Newell, founder and chief executive of Shackerley: "This project demonstrates just how transformational a high quality retro-fit cladding installation can be because The Lexicon has totally lifted the retail landscape in Bracknell.

"Our SureClad® ceramic granite system is ideal for over-cladding projects like this because it’s easy to install, available in a wide range of colourways and finishes and provides a robust, graffiti-resistant durable finish that complies with either class A1 or A2 to EN13501-1."

As local retail facilities continue to compete against out of town and online competition, enhancing the shopper experience with projects like this can be an important part of local authorities’ high street strategies."

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CEDIT WINS GOOD DESIGN AWARD FOR “STORIE” The "Storie" collection by CEDIT - Ceramiche d'Italia earned first prize in the floor and wall coverings category of the prestigious, international Good Design Award.

"Storie" – by the design firm Zanellato/ Bortotto – is a collection of large-format ceramic panels featuring unprecedented effects.

Its visual expressiveness draws inspiration from the way plasterwork and wall decorations found in traditional Italian architecture slowly and beautifully fade with the passing of time.

Run by the Chicago Athenaeum-Museum of Architecture and Design, the Good Design Award was established in Chicago in 1950 by the world-famous designers and architects Edgar Kaufmann Jr., Eero Saarinen, Charles Eames and Ray Eames.

This award for the Storie collection for CEDIT is the second international award won by Giorgia Zanellato and Daniele Bortotto (pictured), who also won the "Best of the Best" category in Germany's Red Dot Design Award in 2017.

Tilenews

AWARD WINNERS PICKED AT COVERINGS 2018 The Ceramics of Italy press conference at Coverings in Atlanta, USA, hosted the awards ceremony for the 28th Confindustria Ceramica North American Distributor Award, which provides an annual opportunity for Italian manufacturers to recognise the contribution made by their North American distribution partners. This year, the sought-after award was won by Cancos Tile and Stone, and collected by the company's President Mark Valva. Cancos Tile and Stone is a distribution company that has been selling range-topping products by the world's best manufacturers for over 60 years. It has 12 stores in New York and New Jersey, with combined floorspace of 400,000 sq.m.

During the same evening, the judges announced the winners of the 25th Ceramics of Italy Tile Competition, which singles out the best architectural developments built in North America, making use of Italian ceramic tiles. The winners of the various categories are listed below: - The winner of the Residential category was a project called “Baltimore Slate House” in Baltimore, by Ziger/ Snead Architects, involving the use of tiles by Imola Ceramica.

An honourable mention was awarded to the project “Norwich” in West Hollywood, by DI Group, with the use of Refin tiles (first picture).

- First prize in the Commercial category went to “Sapphire”, a development in Berlin by Studio Libeskind, featuring tiles by Casalgrande-Padana (second picture). The “Venetian Isle Clubhouse” in Florida, by Kay Green De-

Tile International 2/2018

sign and involving Provenza and Ergon tiles, earned a special mention.

- The winner of the Institutional category was "Bergeron Centre for Engineering Excellence at York University" in the State of Ontario, by ZAS Architects + Interiors, which made use of ABK tiles.

A special mention went to "Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral" in Raleigh,

by O’Brien & Keane, which also made use of Provenza and Ergon products.

- Lastly, the winner of the new Student category was "Dover Street Market" in Miami, by Raquel Raney and Brennan Broome of Florida International University, which featured tiles by Atlas Concorde, Ceramica Vogue and Ornamenta.

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PANARIAGROUP COURTS CONTRACT SECTOR In a bid to boost business in the major works and architectural projects sector, Panariagroup has set up a new Contract & Key-Account division. It's an effective, dedicated channel designed to meet the specific needs of architects and specifiers working on major projects.

The division stands out for the comprehensive range of services it offers, spanning design consulting, coordination and logistics during the course of works, technical support, project plans drawn up to client specification and after-sales support.

Panariagroup also has a range of over 1000 products manufactured with stateof-the-art technologies, to meet the widest imaginable variety of design requirements.

Tilenews

ADESITAL CELEBRATES 50TH ANNIVERSARY 2018 marks a new milestone in the history of Adesital, as the company celebrates its 50th anniversary. Founded in 1968 in Fiorano Modenese in the heart of Italy's ceramic cluster, the company has always specialised in the production of ceramic tile installation systems, and joined the Mapei Group - the sector's leading player - in 2000.

Building on years of experience and an ongoing commitment to researching and developing new solutions, Adesital now offers a wide range of premixed products to meet an equally wide range of needs.

The logo designed to mark this important anniversary represents the company's solidity and its proximity to its customers, by means of two geometrically interwoven circles - an image that will be associated with the brand throughout 2018.

the unveiling of the new Honda NSF250RWs, numbers 88 and 21, with which the team will make its bid for the world title.

The evening provided an ideal opportunity for the Group to look back at its history of involvement in the world of motorcycling: "Del Conca's passion for motorcycling started off with Poggiali and is still burning bright with the Gresini team," explained Davide Mularoni, Managing Director of Del Conca. "Our passion has grown over the years and represents an ever stronger bond, because it involves two families: ours, the Mularoni family, and the family of Fausto Gresini with its riders. What's more, we're surer than ever that in a global market, it's not just our product that we have to position, but our entire brand identity.�

DEL CONCA ON TRACK IN MOTO3

SAXA GRES ACQUIRES TAGINA

The official presentation of the Del Conca Gresini Moto3 team preparing to take part in the world championships was held at the Del Conca Logistics Centre in Solignano, in the Italian province of Modena, at the end of February.

The event was attended by Fausto Gresini, together with the riders Jorge Martin and Fabio di Giannantonio, and saw

On 13 April, Tagina, the historic ceramic brand, was acquired by Saxa Gres, a manufacturer of porcelain tile and cobblestones for urban furnishing, based in Anagni in the Italian province of Frosinone and headed by Francesco Borgomeo. Saxa Gres also took over the Ideal Standard plant in Frosinone from Roccasecca in February.

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The sale was announced by the Chairman of Tagina, Mario Moriconi, at a press conference attended by Roberto Barberini and the top management of Saxa Gres, represented by Francesco Borgomeo and Stefano Donati, the Mayor of Gualdo Tadino, Massimiliano Presciutti, and various union representatives.

According to statements made by the new owners, the company will be relaunched as soon as possible and employment will be kept at current levels.

The industrial plan announced by Borgomeo involves bringing Tagina into Saxa Gres's project for the production of urban furnishing materials from recycled ash from the waste incinerators operated by Acea.

To achieve this goal, investments will be made to equip Tagina with a spray-dryer and a biogas system for fuelling two kilns.

According to Borgomeo, once Tagina gets up to speed, it will be able to manufacture 2 million sq.m of porcelain tile per year, in thicknesses of 2 and 3 cm, with a view to achieving turnover of 30 to 40 million euros.

24-28 September 2018

Hall 44 - Stand 35

Italy Bora Celik Italy SRL

Turkey

Spain

Tilenews

WINNERS OF THE 11TH PORCELANOSA AWARDS The 11th Porcelanosa Architecture & Interior Design Awards, a competition aimed at singling out ground-breaking projects involving the use of Porcelanosa Group products, culminated in the awards ceremony for the three winning projects, attended by 330 professionals on 26 April in Madrid.

The awards were divided into three categories.

- The winner of the Projects of the Future - Students category was “TheOrigami” by Orbaiceta de Navascués, Rubén Aldaba and Santiago de Pablo, who are students on the Master BIM Manager at CICE in Madrid.

- The winner of the Projects of the Future - Professionals category was "Watercourse" by Miguel Ángel Mayo Sáez, Silvia Díaz, Carmen Córcoles and Borja Cuevas, of the architecture firm Kiga.

- The Project of the Year Award went to César Frías Enciso and Miguel Pradillo of Morph Studio, for “Terrazas del Lago”.

The winners were selected and announced by a panel of judges made up of leading professionals such as Daniel Libeskind, Francesc Rifé, Lázaro Rosa-Violán, Mark Fenwick, Rafael de LaHoz, Clodagh, Fermín Vázquez, Sandra Tarruella, Teresa Sapey, Julio Touza, Fran Silvestre, Carlos Lamela, Íñigo Ortiz, Hembert Peñaranda, Ramón Esteve, Taba Rasti, Pascua Ortega and Benedetta Tagliabue.

As usual, the professional career and

Tile International 2/2018

lifetime achievement awards were also given at the event. These awards went to three firms: RCR, Conran & Partners and Fenwick Iribarren Architects.

tecture projects from five continents.

Over 250 designers took part in the 2013-2015 edition, spread across the various categories.

ENTRIES OPEN FOR 11TH CASALGRANDE PADANA GRAND PRIX

PANARIAGROUP PRODUCTS USED IN HOLY SEE PAVILION AT VENICE BIENNALE

Entries are now officially open for the 11th Casalgrande Padana Grand Prix, for projects completed during the period 2016-2018. The aim of this international architecture competition - which was the first conceived and held by an Italian ceramic manufacturer - is to identify and promote the best architecture projects that have made the most effective use of the technical and aesthetic characteristics of Casalgrande Padana coverings. As before, the awards will be divided into 5 categories - Shopping centres and office buildings; Public, industrial and service buildings; Residential building; Façade coverings; Outdoor and swimming pool coverings – and the winners will be selected by an international panel of judges made up of wellknown professionals.

As well as receiving a cash prize, the winning projects will be featured in "Creative Book", which is published by Casalgrande Padana and has worldwide distribution of over 60,000 copies.

In the course of over 20 years, the competition has attracted the participation of more than 12,000 professionals, resulting in the collection of over 1,700 archi-

Panariagroup took part in the development of the Holy See Pavilion built for the 16th International Architecture Exhibition at the Venice Biennale, which runs until 25 November 2018. Slim-gauge, largeformat laminated gres porcelain panels from the Cotto d’Este, Lea Ceramiche and Panaria Ceramica collections were used to tile the interior and exterior of the chapel designed by the architect Francesco Cellini.

"Our collaboration with the Holy See for this 16th edition of the Venice Architecture Biennale," explains Emilio Mussini, Chairman of Panariagroup, "gives us a truly unique opportunity to showcase the properties of our materials, which single-handedly lend the project a solemn but weightless tone that's entirely in keeping with the spirituality of the

30

Tilenews

chapel. So we're proud to continue our ongoing relationship with the world of architecture against a backdrop of such unsurpassed excellence.”

The Holy See Pavilion, entitled Vatican Chapels and curated by Professor Francesco Dal Co and Micol Forti, draws inspiration from the “Woodland Chapel”, built in Stockholm cemetery in 1920 by the famous architect Gunnar Asplund.

Made up of 11 chapels designed by 11 internationally renowned architects, it forms a single complex in the garden of the Fondazione Cini on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore.

ish company, which has recently collaborated with major brands such as Grespania and Ape Grupo, offers custom made solutions for every type of environment, from exhibition booths to commercial spaces. Among the leading products, for example, are listed resistant and high quality displays for ceramics, in different styles and materials, result of the constant research to adapt the range to the new market trends, big sizes, sliding, gyratory, technical areas, etc. Fustecma’s team of professionals, specialised in 3D and interior design, can advise and always provide the cus-

FUSTECMA: TAILOR MADE SOLUTIONS FOR SHOWROOMS Specialist in showroom’s design, Fustecma match the shop harmony with the customer’s taste and the current trends of the ceramic market to provide a total customization of the projects.

Fustecma’s strength is being designers and manufacturers, specialist in comprehensive refurbishment and innovation with a wide I+D+i program.The Span-

31

tomer with a customized solution, according to different needs.

Information: export@fustecma. com or jmatas@ fustecma.com.

8TH WIENERBERGER BRICK AWARD: THE GRAND PRIZE WINNERS 1. Westkaai Towers 5 and 6, in Belgium,

by Tony Fretton Architects (pictured).

2. Kunstmuseum Basel Extension, in Switzerland, by Christ & Gantenbeinkkk.

These two projects won the Grand Prize at the 8th Wienerberger Brick Award, a competition held every two years to celebrate the most innovative examples of brick-built architecture.

The projects were selected by a panel of judges made up of five internationally renowned architects, from a short-list of 50 finalists chosen from 600 candidates from 44 different countries. Far-sighted vision, boldness and creativity are the common denominators of all the award-winning works across the five categories: Feeling at Home, Living Together, Working Together, Sharing Public Spaces and Building Outside.

Two of these works were then also picked for the Grand Prize and Special Prizes.

Tile International 2/2018

Tilenews

MOHAWK INDUSTRIES: REVENUES REACH 9.5 BILLION DOLLARS IN 2017 The 2017 results of Mohawk Industries (Calhoun, Georgia) have exceeded expectations, enabling the US-based floor coverings colossus to beat its previous year's record once again.

The company's revenues were up 5.9% to 9.5 billion dollars (from 8 billion in 2015 and 9 billion in 2016). The percentage increase in margins was higher still.

EBITDA rose to 1,859 million dollars (+8.6% on the 1,711 million reported in 2016), amounting to 19.6% of revenues and marking a significant increase on 2016. Operating profit was up 9% to 1,416 million dollars, equating to 15% of turnover; and net profit (excluding renovation work, acquisitions and other charges) rose from 940 to 1,019 million dollars (+8.4%).

In geographical terms, the company generated 63% of its revenues in the United States, 25% in Europe, 3% in Russia and 8% in other international markets.

The results of the Global Ceramics division (encompassing the American Olean, Dal-Tile, Emilgroup, KAI, Kerama Marazzi, Marazzi, Ragno and Ceramica Marconi brands, with plants in the USA, Mexico, Italy, Spain, Bulgaria, Poland and Russia) were outstanding: sales rose from 3,175 million dollars in 2016 to

Tile International 2/2018

3,405 million (+7% and accounting for 36% of total earnings), while operating profit reached 545 million dollars (16% of earnings), representing a rise of 13.3% on the 481 million dollars reported in 2016. These figures strengthen the American multinational's position as the world's largest manufacturer and distributor of ceramic tiles, and market leader in North America, Western and Eastern Europe and Russia.

The results for the first quarter of 2018 were similarly positive. Sales were up 12% (+8% at exchange rate parity) compared with the first quarter of 2017, and operating profit reached approximately 13%, down slightly on the first quarter of 2017 due to start-up costs, inflation and a different product mix.

When presenting these enviable results to shareholders and the market, Jeffrey S. Lorberbaum, President and CEO of the American multinational, emphasised that they were attributable to the solid organisation and long-term strategies adopted over the past five years, backed up by investments amounting to 6.6 billion dollars.

ZUCCHETTI: CLOSER WINS RED DOT AWARD PRODUCT DESIGN 2018 The Zucchetti. Kos Group is proud to announce that its Closer line of mixer taps has been selected for a Red Dot Award Product Design 2018. This prestigious award celebrates the innovative spirit of the collection designed by Diego Grandi, which has already won numerous international prizes, including the GOOD DESIGN™ Award 2017.

This win for Closer testifies to the leading

32

role played by the Italian company in the bathroom design sector, which is the result of its continuous commitment to Research & Development in conjunction with the most famous contemporary designers. The panel of judges at the Red Dot Award singled out Closer in the Product Design category “for its characteristic form that ingeniously redefines the bathroom environment, and sets new standards in style and functionality.” Designed by Diego Grandi, the mixer tap is a harmony of shapes, punctuated by rounded corners for a simple, ergonomic grip, while the joints are specifically designed to afford unprecedented freedom of movement.

The dynamism, freedom and flexibility that were already the hallmark of the iconic shower head from the same collection, are now reprised in the taps and fittings, through a unique and unmistakable pattern of rotation. Designers and manufacturers from 59 countries took part in this year's Red Dot Design Award, and the over 6,300 items competing for the award were assessed on the basis of rigorous criteria such as innovation, quality of form, ergonomics and durability. As well as being featured in the Red Dot Award Yearbook published in July 2018, Closer will also go on display at an exhibition entitled “Design on Stage – Winners Red Dot Award: Product Design” at the Red Dot Design Museum in Essen, Germany.

DISCOVER REBEL COLLECTION @ CERSAIE 2018 24/28 SEPTEMBER PAV 18 STAND A20-B19

ADVERTORIAL

PIETRE D’ARREDO

materials and architecture strike a balance between classic and modern

A villa in the countryside of central Italy, designed by architects Susanna Troncon and Roberta Forlani of Ambientare Associati.

Impeccable geometry.

Clean lines. Perfectly balanced volumes. The pursuit of symmetry at all times. A peaceful garden, where the living space becomes one with the external environment, Z. I. Ponte d’Assi 06024 Gubbio (PG) ITALY ph. +39 075 923 561 www.pietredarredo.com info@pietredarredo.com

building better

thanks to a glass cube enclosed on three sides, which allows you to enjoy the view in all seasons.

The choice of materials that extend from the outside to cover the interior too. These are some of the unmistakable elements of classical architecture, which can also be used in contemporary projects like this.

Interconnecting the various architectural elements, creating a continuum between the different spaces and from the interior to the exterior, is stone - the material that can best combine present and future. In this case, it

is reconstructed stone, a technologically advanced product that evokes ageold sensations, while allowing flexibility in terms of construction, and integration with other technologies such as cladding systems.

The villa in question belongs to Francesca and Stefano.

It is a warm and welcoming house boasting large windows that make it very bright and provide views of the garden.

The living area is on the ground floor and sleeping area on the first, with rooms for the parents and two children. A tavern and an

ADVERTORIAL

attic complete the home.

“Classicism is not such a common reference point these days - explain the architects - but the location and the needs of the clients led us towards conceptual solutions used in classical architecture. Obviously without copying all the same aesthetics”.

There is nothing false about the design, but basic standards have been applied rigorously: a study of the site and orientation, a focus on balance and symmetry, the relationship with the surroundings and the use of few but high quality materials.

Other features of the project include: • The wooden flooring throughout the house.

• The spiral staircase that

intersects all the floors above ground and is clearly visible from the external windows.

• The large semicircular skylight measuring five meters by two and a half, whose position in the roof makes the sky visible from various parts of the house.

• The reconstructed stone cladding both outside and inside.

The variety of reconstructed stone used here is OLKARIA, chosen in a warm yet very light tone and laid dry without grouting. It defines the volumes of the exterior and provides contrast against the white plaster with its refined texture, giving the villa a harmonious effect of light and dark, luminosity and shade.

As a result of the stone cladding, the pillars take on a solid but airy character;

the chimneys, with their ground to sky flues, define and mark the rhythm of the façades; the windows soften and acquire threedimensionality.

The stone is used inside too, defining and underlining the focal point of the house, the large spiral staircase that connects all the floors. Also in this case the contrast with the white iron parapet is perfectly balanced.

The relaxed and elegant atmosphere continues from inside to outside, towards a large garden composed of the liquidambar tree court, the glass cube, providing close contact with the interior spaces, and from the shrubbery towards the edge of the property.

The rest of the space is covered with a lush lawn.

Economy & markets

Construction in Europe, 85th Euroconstruct Construction will continue to grow in Europe in the next few years European construction is growing well on the back of low interest rates, good economic growth and pent-up needs.

Economic growth is expected to remain solid, unemploy-

ment will decrease, exports will grow, interest rates will remain low and the confidence of consumers and business and industry in the future is high.

Thus, tax revenue will increase allowing e.g. increasing investment in public construction, transport networks and other infrastructure.

Urbanisation, immigration and internal migration, and ageing of the population are other important factors from the viewpoint of construction.

Growth continues but at a slower pace According to the EUROCONSTRUCT forecast in June 2018, European construction will

1. GDP vs. Construction Output Year on year to change in %

2. European (EC-19) Construction value by sectors in 2014, 2017 and 2020

Tile International 2/2018

36

grow 2.7 per cent this year – the pace will slow down clearly from last year’s 3.9 per cent.

Growth will continue in 2019 and 2020, but at a slower rate, and construction will no longer be the European engine of growth.

European construction growth is broad-based and occurs in all main sectors: residential, non-residential and

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Economy & markets

civil engineering, both new construction and renovation. The role of new housing construction as the engine of growth will diminish and the focus of growth will shift to civil engineering construction.

Despite growth, the volume of construction is below the 2007 level European construction has seen large fluctuations in the last 10 years.

After the financial crisis, construction contracted for five years and turned to growth in 2014. This is the fifth consecutive year of growth.

As growth is expected to continue also in 2019 and 2020, the sector is in for a seven-year growth streak.

The rise from the 2013 low has, however, been slow and the volume of construction in the EUROCONSTRUCT area will still be 14 per cent lower than in 2007.

Considering the unhealthily high construction volumes of a few European countries before the financial crisis and the very powerful collapse, the volume of construction can be said to reach the 2007 level this year. A similar phenomenon has occurred in the U.S. – a multi-year collapse followed by a long period of growth.

There construction turned to growth in 2011 and will reach the pre-financial crisis record level of 2006 after a few years.

Tile International 2/2018

Great differences in regional and countryspecific outlooks In 2018 and the next two years construction growth will be fastest in Hungary, Poland, Ireland and Portugal: nearly 12 per cent p.a. in Hungary and 7–8 per cent p.a. in the other countries.

Growth will stop in the next few years in Finland, Germany

3.9 per cent.

This year Nordic construction growth will slow to just over 3 per cent, and in 2020 it will be only 0.5 per cent. Sweden and Finland are responsible for the Nordic slowdown.

In 2019 and 2020 the average growth will be somewhat negative in Finland and in Sweden, but remains positive in Norway and in Denmark.

5

and Sweden. In the eastern European (CEE-4) countries growth is rapid.

The expected average growth is 7.5 per cent p.a. while that of the western European (EC15) countries is 1.7 per cent p.a.

Nordic construction has grown briskly in recent years.

In 2016 and 2017 it was about 5 per cent while the European figures stood at 2.5 and

Total construction output (% change in real terms) Forecast 2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

Outlook

2019

Austria

-0.1

1.1

1.1

2.6

1.6

Belgium

1.4

2.3

3.6

2.7

Denm ark

2.6

2.6

3.9

3.1

Finland

-1.6

0.3

7.7

France

-6

-2

1.8

Ireland Italy Netherlands

2020

1.5

1.5

3.7

1

4.5

2.4

2.8

2.4

3.1

3.4

-1.7

-1.9

2.6

3.8

2.8

1.2

1.1

0.2

2.6

2.4

0.8

-0.2

-0.6

10.4

6.3

16.4

16.7

11.1

6

4.2

-2.2

0.9

1

0.7

2

1.8

1.6

0.5

7.7

5.8

4.4

4.5

4.6

3.8

Norw ay

1.7

-0.7

5

6.4

4.5

3.6

2.2

Portugal

-1.2

3.5

-0.5

9.4

7.7

7.3

6.2

Spain

-1.7

2.9

1.9

4.3

4.8

4.3

3.4

Sw eden

7.5

6.6

5.7

6.6

2.5

-0.2

-1.4

Sw itzerland

3.5

1.7

0.9

1.9

2.5

1.3

0.5

United Kingdom

9.4

4

4

5.5

0.1

0.9

2

Western Europe (EC-15)

0.8

1.5

3

3.6

2.3

1.5

1.3

Czech Republic

4.1

6.8

-5.6

3.4

5

6.7

2.5

Hungary

7.8

1.8

-18.3

25

24.6

11.2

-0.4

Poland

4.7

4.1

-5

8.8

9.9

10

4.3

Slovak Republic

-3.4

18.5

-11.4

3.8

4.1

2

-1

Eastern Europe (EC-4)

4.4

5.3

-7.3

9.1

10.4

9.1

2.9

1

1.7

2.5

3.9

2.7

1.9

1.4

Germ any

Euroconstruct Countries (EC-19) Source: 85 Euroconstruct Conference rd

38

Ambientare Associati Susanna Troncon e Roberta Forlani Architetti | Ph M.Monti

made in the heart of Italy...

...it was in Umbria, in the green heart of Italy, that PIETRE D’ARREDO was born. Here, history, the culture of stone and with it the tradition of building, are the very core of the identity of the craftsmen of the past, who skillfully sculpted and moulded the stone.

The innovative manifacturing technique makes our reconstructed stone a perfect substitute for natural stone limiting extraction from quarry, thus respecting and protecting the environment.

www.pietredarredo.com

info@pietredarredo.com

mod. OLKARIA

Economy & markets

2017 revenues for Italian ceramic tiles At its Annual General Meeting on 6 June, Confindustria Ceramica presented the results of its 2017 Statistical Surveys covering the sanitaryware, tableware, refractory materials and tile segments of the Italian ceramic industry.

The 145 ceramic tile manufacturers operating in Italy produced a total of 422 million sq.m of ceramic tiles (+1.6%) in 2017. They sold 83.7 million sq.m (+1.1%) of these in Italy, and the remaining 338.2 million sq.m (+1.9%) on export markets.

Despite the year-on-year increase, sales in Italy were still less than half of their pre-crisis levels.

The total revenues of ceramic manufacturers operating in Italy reached 5.5 billion euros (+2.4%), of which 4.7 billion euros (+2.5%) were generated by exports, and 842 million euros by sales in Italy.

Investments – primarily in Industry 4.0, technologies for the production of large formats and production plant upgrades – increased for the fourth year running, to 514.9 million euros (+28.6% on 2016; 1.8 billion over the five-year period), amounting to 9.3% of annual revenues, which is a higher level than in any other manufacturing industry in Italy.

Meanwhile, 15 foreign-registered companies, controlled by 8 Italian ceramic manufacturing groups, produced 87 million sq.m of tiles (+0.8%), generating total revenues of 862.1 million euros (+0.8%), made up of 469.9 million euros of sales on the European

Tile International 2/2018

market (-0.9%; 54.5% of total revenues) and 392.2 million euros of sales on the North American markets (+2.9%).

79.9% of total revenues were generated by sales within the country of production.

"The ceramic tile industry has consolidated its structure," explained Vittorio Borelli, the outgoing Chairman of Confindustria Ce-

ramica, "against a backdrop of strong investment in new technologies aimed at retaining global leadership in a market that is increasingly competitive but is still showing strong global demand for our products. In terms of revenues, after 10 years, we have finally climbed back up to the pre-crisis levels recorded in 2008, although we now produce and sell

about 80 million square meters less, mainly due to falling demand on the domestic market. Italy's construction industry, which has lost half of its business volumes since the start of the crisis, is reporting medium-term average growth of of 1.5% per year, on the back of upswings in all segments. Forecasts for the rest of Europe point to slower growth than

Italian Ceramic Tile Industry: 2017/2016 Var. % 2015

2016

2017

Var. %

Companies (number)

150

147

145

-1.4

Employees (number)

19,143

18,956

19,515

2.9

Production (millions sq.m)

394.8

416.0

422.0

1.6

Total Sales (million sq.m)

396.9

414.5

421.9

1.8

80.3

82.8

83.7

1.1

… of which exports

316.6

331.7

338.2

1.9

Investments (million Euros)

351.3

400.4

514.9

28.6

5,117.00

5,417.10

5,500.00

2.4

799.0

828.8

842.0

1.6

4,318.00

4,588.30

4,700.00

2.5

… of which Italy

Total revenues (million Euros) … of which Italy … of which exports

Production internationalization: 2017/2016 Var. % 2015

2016

2017

Var. %

Companies (number) controlled by 9 Italian Groups Employees (number) Production (million sq.m) Total revenues (million Euros) of which 79,5% from sales within the same Country of production

16

16

15

-6.3

3,091

3,283

3,138

-4.4

82.3

85

87

0.8

792.2

855.6

862.1

0.7

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Economy & markets GIOVANNI SAVORANI ELECTED NEW CHAIRMAN OF CONFINDUSTRIA CERAMICA FOR 2018-2020

in 2017, while a more vigorous upturn is expected in the United States. As for the newer markets, there's no doubt that the brightest prospects are to be seen in the Gulf states, followed by Eastern Europe."

In keeping with its annual tradition, TILE INTERNATIONAL has collected the 2017 revenues of Italy's biggest ceramic manufacturers, in order to compile a league table of excellence. As usual, we start off with the results of Mohawk Industries Inc., but keep them separate from the league table. Since its acquisition of Marazzi Group in 2013, the Mohawk Group has been the world's largest ceramic tile manufacturer, and acquired a 100% stake in Emilceramica in 2017, also through Marazzi.

Let's take a look at the 2017

league table of revenues of Italy's biggest manufacturers.  There's no change in the rankings of Italy's top six tile manufacturing groups with revenues of over 200 million euros. Although we don't have access even to its 2016 data, Concorde Group undoubtedly takes first place, having already reached revenues of 726.9 million euros in 2015.

Iris Ceramica Group remains in second place, with turnover of 590 million euros in 2017 (+11.3% on the previous year).

Finfloor Group takes third place, with consolidated revenues of 424.8 million euros (+4.4%).

Panariagroup, a stock-market-listed company with operations in the US market,

which accounted for 35% of the group's total revenues in 2017, achieved its highest performance with its European Business Units (Italy +6.0% and Portugal +9.6%). Fifth place goes to Casalgrande Padana, which manufactures exclusively in Italy and generated revenues of 265.1 million euros in 2017 (-4.8%).

Sixth place goes to Cooperativa Ceramica d'Imola, which also manufactures exclusively in Italy and ended the year with revenues of 244.8 million euros, down slightly on the previous year.

In the middle order, made up of companies with revenues of

The annual general meeting of Confindustria Ceramica, held at the association's headquarters in Sassuolo on 6 June, voted unanimously (except for two voting cards left blank) to elect Giovanni Savorani as its Chairman for the two-year term 2018-2020.

Born 69 years ago in Faenza, in the Italian province of Ravenna, Giovanni Savorani is married and has two children.

After taking an advanced technical diploma course at the Istituto Statale d'Arte per la Ceramica in Faenza in 1968, he worked as Plant Manager for an industrial company for seven years before becoming Technical Manager of CAST, where he worked for 10 years as from July 1977. In April 1987 he joined Cooperativa Ceramica d'Imola as Plant Manager at the Borgo Tossignano facility. In June 1990 he joined Sacmi Imola as Sales Director, a role he held until November 1994, when he moved to Ceramiche La Faenza as General Manager. 10 years later, in May 2005, he was appointed General Manager of Cooperativa Ceramica d'Imola. In July 2006 he started his career as an entrepreneur by founding Gigacer SpA, where he has been Chairman of the Board of Directors since the company's formation. At Confindustria Ceramica, Giovanni Savorani has been a member of the General Council since 2013 and is a member of the Technical Standards Committee. He also represents the Association at the General Meeting of the Ceramic Centre.

Entire contents Copyright Tile Edizioni srl - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 41

Tile International 2/2018

Economy & markets

LATEST NEWS: QUATTROR ACQUIRES CONTROL OF CERAMICHE RICCHETTI QuattroR will set up a NewCo to acquire the controlling stake owned by the Zannoni family. New investments of up to 40 million euros are planned.

The fund QuattroR, an asset management company whose investees include Cdp, Inail, Inarcassa and Cassa Forense, is set to acquire control of Ceramiche Ricchetti, a company founded in 1960 and still indirectly controlled by the Zannoni family with a total share of 62.4%. Andrea Morante, chairman of QuattroR, believes it is a solid company with good turnaround potential.

After setting the share price at 0.215 euros, the decision was taken to set up a NewCo to acquire the controlling stake and the receivables deriving from loans from shareholders and related parties.

The NewCo will be controlled by QuattroR, while Fincisa and Ceramiche Industriali di Sassuolo e Fiorano will co-invest while maintaining an indirect minority stake in Ceramiche Ricchetti.

Under the terms of the agreement, the parties undertake to invest up to 40.45 million euros in the company through the NewCo “according to its performance and the needs of the new business plan currently under preparation”. The current management will stay on, including CEO Maurizio Piglione and general manager Matteo Davoli, who will be given the option to co-invest in the company through an incentive plan.

between 200 and 100 million euros, first place goes to Del Conca. With revenues of 168.5 million euros in 2017, Del Conca overtakes the Ricchetti Group, which reported revenues of 162.2 millions euros, down 1.8% on 2016. Gresmalt reported the biggest increase in turnover in 2017, with a year-onyear rise of 12.8%.

ABK Group also put in a strong performance, with a year-on-year increase of 5.8%. ABK Group also recently signed an agreement with Capital For Progress 2 (CFP 2), aimed at floating the company on the AIM Italia market of the Italian Stock Exchange by the end of January 2019.

For the fifth year running, and after achieving yearon-year turnover growth

of 25.7% in 2016, Rondine Group continues to record consistently strong performance, and now generates revenues in excess of 110 million euros.

The revenues of Piemme and Gruppo Romani remained stable in 2017, as did their respective positions in the rankings.  Of the smaller companies, with revenues of less than 100 million euros in 2017, Laminam is the star performer, with year-on-year turnover growth of 36.0% and 25.0% in 2016 and 2017 respectively.

Ceramica Fondovalle was another strong performer, with year-on-year turnover growth of 23.9% in 2016, followed by a further 9.1% in 2017.

Polis also deserves credit, having added a further 1.8% to the outstanding growth it achieved in 2016 (+21% on 2015).

Italcer, the Group headed by Graziano Verdi, acquired La Fabbrica in 2017 (with 2016 revenues of 41.9 million euros) and generated consolidated turnover of 82.2 million euros (+48.7% on the previous year) in conjunction with AVA and Elios Ceramica. At the end of 2017, Italcer also signed an agreement for the ac-

Entire contents Copyright Tile Edizioni srl Tile International 2/2018

42

Economy & markets

quisition of Devon&Devon.

Lastly, the Gold Art Ceramica Group was split into two separate companies - Gold Art Ceramica SpA and Tuscania Spa – making it impossible to make any useful comparison between 2017 and 2016.

As always, TILE INTERNATIONAL set a cut-off point of around 30 million euros of annual turnover for inclusion in its survey.

5

CONFINDUSTRIA CERAMICA'S OTHER STATISTICAL SURVEYS At its annual general meeting on 6 June, Confindustria Ceramica also presented the results of its Statistical Surveys covering the ceramic sanitaryware, tableware and refractory materials sectors.  2017 was a good year for Italy's ceramic sanitaryware sector, whose 33 companies (30 of which are based in the Civita Castellana cluster) reported growth in both production and revenues (353.3 million euros) of 4.5% and 6.1% respectively, while also increasing their exports, which accounted for 45% of their total turnover. Employment levels in the sector remained stable.  Italy's 34 manufacturers of refractory materials reported total revenues of over 350 million euros, in line with 2016. Sales rose slightly in Italy (+1.1%), fell in the European Union (-12.4%) and saw a 10.4% increase in the rest of the world. Although revenues were in line with the previous year, volumes sold were down slightly (-3.7%). There was also an 8% fall in the number of people employed in the sector compared with the previous year.  Italy's 10 manufacturers of tableware saw a 7.5% rise in production in 2017 and a 6.2% rise in turnover, to over 50 million euros, with domestic sales accounting for 77% of the total.

2017 TURNOVERS: MARAZZI - DAL TILE MOHAWK INDUSTRIES, Inc USD 3,405 million (2017: consolidated, Global Ceramic division only)

2012: USD 1,616 million - 2013: USD 2,677 million - 2014: USD 3,015 million 2015: USD 3,013 million - 2106: USD 3,175 million These revenues were generated by the following companies and/or brands: • MARAZZI (All markets) • EMILGROUP (All markets) • AMERICAN OLEAN (North America) • KAI GROUP (Bulgaria and Romania)

• RAGNO (All markets) • DAL-TILE (North America) • KERAMA MARAZZI (Russia)

Production

215/235 million sq.m (Mohawk Ind. production capacity: Tile International 2017 estimate) Internationalisation North/South America-Europe-Russia-Asia Employees 38,800

CONCORDE GROUP

€ 726.9 million* * The published data relate to 2015, originate from public sources and include only the group’s Italian brands

2003: € 378.2 million - 2004: € 425.9 million - 2005: € 525.0 million - 2006: € 581.0 million 2007: € 651.0 million - 2008: € 669.0 million - 2009: € 544.0 million - 2010: € 551.3 million 2011: € 567.8 million - 2012: € 573.8 million - 2013: € 611.8 million - 2014: € 683.8 million These revenues were generated by the following companies and/or brands: • CERAMICHE ATLAS - CONCORDE (Atlas Concorde - Keope - Supergres): • MIRAGE GRANITO CERAMICO: • CERAMICA CAESAR (Caesar - Fap - Minerva): • CERAMICA MARCA CORONA: • CERAMICA REFIN:

€ 277.4 million € 142.7 million € 153.8 million € 74.0 million € 79.0 million

Internationalisation 2 facilities in Europe (1 in France, 1 in Russia) *The consolidated figure does not include the revenues of: Novoceram (France), Italon (Russia), Meta (ceramic body), Svimisa (raw materials).

IRIS CERAMICA GROUP

€ 590.0 million (consolidated)

2012: € 420.0 million - 2013: € 440.0 million - 2014: € 450.0 million 2015: € 480.0 million - 2016: € 530.0 million

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

These revenues were generated by the following brands:

43

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Tile International 2/2018

Economy & markets • FIANDRE Architectural Surfaces • FMG, Fabbrica Marmi e Graniti • ARIOSTEA • PORCELAINGRES (Germany) • GRANITECH • MATIMEX • TECNOMIX

• IRIS CERAMICA • SAPIENSTONE • EIFFELGRES • STONEPEAK CERAMICS (USA) • TECHNORIUNITE • ARCAREL • LA CERAMICA

Production 25.0 million sq.m (floor tile 95% - wall tile 5%) Internationalisation 2 facilities: Stonepeak Ceramics (USA) and Porcelaingres (Germany) Exports 85% Employees 1,600

FINFLOOR GROUP

€ 424.8 million (consolidated)

2003: € 286.3 million - 2004: € 308.1 million - 2005: € 343.7 million 2006: € 355.2 million - 2007: € 343.4 million - 2008: € 330.6 million 2009: € 259.7 million - 2010: € 273.8 million - 2011: € 304.6 million 2012: € 315.3 million - 2013: € 325.8 million - 2014: € 329.5 million 2015: € 374.1 million - 2016: € 406.8 million These revenues were generated by the following brands: • FLORIM CERAMICHE SpA (Floor Gres, Rex, CEDIT - Ceramiche d'Italia, Casa Dolce Casa Casamood, Cerim, FLORIM stone) • FLORIM USA Inc. Production 30 million sq.m Internationalisation 1 factory in Tennessee (USA); 2 logistic centres, 1 in Georgia (USA) and 1 in Paraná (Brazil) Exports 79% - data calculated based on the business carried out directly by the group, excluding the revenue generated by third party production Employees 1,486

PANARIAGROUP

€ 384.6 million (consolidated)* * The published data originate from public sources

2003: € 212.4 million - 2004: € 235.5 million - 2005: € 247.2 million 2006: € 351.5 million - 2007: € 354.4 million - 2008: € 328.0 million 2009: € 289.9 million - 2010: € 285.2 million - 2011: € 294.1 million 2012: € 280.8 million - 2013: € 273.0 million - 2014: € 290.7 million 2015: € 342.9 million - 2016: € 377.0 million These revenues were generated by the following brands: • PANARIAGROUP INDUSTRIE CERAMICHE (Panaria Ceramiche, Lea Ceramiche, Cotto d'Este, Fiordo, Blustyle) • GRES PANARIA PORTUGAL (Margres, Love Ceramic Tiles) • PANARIAGROUP USA Inc. (Lea North America, Florida Tile) Internationalisation 2 facilities in Portugal and 1 in the United States Employees over 1,600

Panariagroup, a stock-market listed ceramic manufacturer, closed 2017

Tile International 2/2018

with gross operating profit of €42.7 million (+4.7% on 2016) and net income from sales of €384.6 million (+2% on 2016).

The Group’s European Business Units reported excellent results in 2017 (BU Italy + 6.0 %, BU Portugal +9.6 %), while its American Business Unit reported a fall in revenues, partly as a result of the weakening of the dollar against the euro. The US market accounted for 35% of overall revenues.

The Group continued its programme of investment in innovation over the course of 2017. The most substantial investment went into the Portuguese Business Unit, with the installation of a complete new line for the production of traditional large-format porcelain tile at the Aveiro plant. The Italian Business Unit continued to invest in its Fiorano Modenese plant, with the installation of new finishing lines to enable the company to extend its offering of laminated porcelain tile. A good share of the investments made in the Group’s Italian plants went into equipment whose technical features are fully in line with Industry 4.0 standards.

Further investments are scheduled over the course of 2018, some of which will go into implementing interconnectivity. The American Business Unit also made investments in its Lawrenceburg site, most of which were channelled into setting up a new research laboratory tasked with developing new product ranges.

CASALGRANDE PADANA € 265.1 million (consolidated) 2003: € 134.0 million - 2004: € 146.0 million - 2005: € 162.0 million 2006: € 178.3 million - 2007: € 294.0 million - 2008: € 295.9 million 2009: € 275.6 million - 2010: € 283.0 million - 2011: € 292.3 million 2012: € 275.0 million - 2013: € 272.7 million - 2014: € 268.8 million 2015: € 273.7 million - 2016: € 278.4 million The Group's turnover was generated by the following brands: • CASALGRANDE PADANA SpA • NUOVA RIWAL CERAMICHE (Alfa Lux, Saime) Production 23.4 mil. sq.m (floor tile 100% - produced in Italy) Exports 80% Employees 1,049

COOP. CERAMICA D'IMOLA GROUP

€ 244.8 million (consolidated) 2003: € 358.3 million - 2004: € 369.1 million - 2005: € 386.4 million 2006: € 385.6 million - 2007: € 384.5 million - 2008: € 370.6 million 2009: € 278.7 million - 2010: € 274.9 million - 2011: € 266.4 million 2012: € 256.6 million - 2013: € 257.6 million - 2014: € 252.0 million 2015: € 241.0 million - 2016: € 248.0 million These revenues were generated by the following brands: • IMOLA TILES FULL OF LIFE • LA FAENZA TILE WITH STYLE • LEONARDO EVOLUTIONSTILE Production 19.2 mill. sq.m (floor tile 93.3% - wall tile 6.7%) Exports 72.9% Employees 1,225

»»

Entire contents Copyright Tile Edizioni srl - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 44

THUMPING SUCTION CUP FOR TILES AND SLABS CERAMICS, PORCELAIN STONEWARE, GRANITE, MARBLE AND GLASS

montolit.com 24/28 SEPTEMBER Hall 31/Stand B48

Economy & markets The Group invested 23.65 million euros in technology and production plants in 2017.

DEL CONCA GROUP

These revenues were generated by the following brands: • CERAMICHE GRESMALT • SINTESI CERAMICA ITALIANA

€ 168.5 million

Production Exports Employees

(net of infra-Group transactions)

2003: € 113.5 million - 2004: € 121.3 million - 2005: € 130.7 million 2006: € 155.3 million - 2007: € 155.3 million - 2008: € 145.3 million 2009: € 128.0 million - 2010: € 124.0 million - 2011: € 122.1 million 2012: € 121.2 million - 2013: € 121.3 million - 2014: € 126.9 million 2015: € 146.4 million - 2016: € 163.8 million

These revenues were generated by the following brands:

14.1 million sq.m (floor tile 96% - wall tile 4%) San Marino (Ceramica Faetano Spa) Loudon, Tennessee - USA (Del Conca USA) 84% 635

• RONDINE SpA • CERAMICA SADON • SPRAY DRY (ceramic bodies) Production 7.5 mil. sq.m (floor tile 90% - wall tile 10%) Exports 67% Employees 268 (of which 23 of Spry Dry)

Del Conca’s logistics centre in Solignano, in the Italian province of Modena, has been fully operational since 2017.

The Group’s output in 2017 included 365,100 tonnes of ceramic body under the Spray Dry brand.

€ 162.2 million (consolidated)* * The published data originate from public source

ABK GROUP

2003: € 306.4 million - 2004: € 291.6 million - 2005: € 281.3 million 2006: € 282.3 million - 2007: € 271.0 million - 2008: € 241.0 million 2009: € 194.5 million - 2010: € 196.7 million - 2011: € 190.5 million 2012: € 188.6 million - 2013: € 184.0 million - 2014: € 185.2 million 2015: € 180.9 million - 2016: € 165.2 million

Ceramiche Ricchetti Group includes the following companies:

These revenues were generated by the following companies and/or brands: • ABK • FLAVIKER • HARDKOLL

Tile International 2/2018

• ARIANA • CASA TUA

Production 6.0 million sq.m (floor tile 95% - wall tile 5%) Exports 70% Employees 403

Production 8.2 million sq.m (floor tile 72% - wall tile 28%) Internationalisation facilities in Portugal and Germany Exports 91% Employees 1,070

ABK Group set up a new lapping department and installed an innovative system of anthropomorphic arms to handle large-format panels.

€ 132.2 million (consolidated)

2003: € 46.4 million - 2004: € 47.9 million - 2005: € 54.7 million 2006: € 59.3 million - 2007: € 68.3 million - 2008: € 65.0 million 2009: € 63.4 million - 2010: € 67.0 million - 2011: € 74.1 million 2012: € 80.2 million - 2013: € 83.8 million - 2014: € 88.3 million 2015: € 100.4 million - 2016: € 117.2 million

€ 110.0 million (consolidated)

2003: € 78.9 million - 2004: € 80.6 million - 2005: € 87.9 million 2006: € 92.5 million - 2007: € 102.2 million - 2008: € 105.1 million 2009: € 90.1 million - 2010: € 89.0 million - 2011: € 83.0 million 2012: € 74.0 million - 2013: € 77.0 million - 2014: € 85.0 million 2015: € 94.0 million - 2016: € 104.0 million

• CERAMICHE RICCHETTI GROUP (Ricchetti - Cisa - Cerdisa) • KLINGENBERG DEKORAMIK GMBH (Germany) • CC HÖGÄNÄS BYGGKERAMIK AB (Sweden) • CINCA SA (Portugal) • OY PUKKILA AB (Finland)

GRESMALT GROUP

€ 110.2 million (consolidated)

2003: € 58.8 million - 2004: € 58.0 million - 2005: € 60.0 million 2006: € 75.0 million - 2007: € 71.0 million - 2008: € 67.0 million 2009: € 46.8 million - 2010: € 56.3 million - 2011: € 63.3 million 2012: € 62.8 million - 2013: € 71.3 million - 2014: € 77.7 million 2015: € 86.5 million - 2016: € 108.7 million

• CERAMICA DEL CONCA SpA • DEL CONCA USA Inc. • CERAMICA FAETANO SpA (Rep. San Marino) • PASTORELLI SpA • PRODUCO Srl

RICCHETTI GROUP

13.9 million sq.m (floor tile 100%) 80% 358

RONDINE GROUP

These revenues (net of infra-group transactions) were generated by the following companies and/or brands:

Production Internationalisation

Exports Employees

• ABITARE LA CERAMICA • FRASSINORO CERAMICHE

INDUSTRIE CERAMICHE PIEMME

€ 104.0 million

2008: € 89.5 million - 2009: € 71.6 million - 2010: € 80.3 million 2011: € 80.4 million - 2012: € 79.9 million - 2013: € 85.1 million 2014: € 92.0 million - 2015: € 96.3 million - 2016: € 104.0 million »»

»»

Entire contents Copyright Tile Edizioni srl - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 46

Economy & markets These revenues were generated by the following brands:

FINCIBEC GROUP

• CERAMICHE PIEMME

2003: € 93.8 million - 2004: € 98.8 million - 2005: € 96.8 million 2006: € 100.2 million - 2007: € 99.8 million - 2008: € 85.2 million 2009: € 68.0 million - 2010: € 70.8 million - 2011: € 70.6 million 2012: € 67.3 million - 2013: € 69.0 million - 2014: € 71.5 million 2015: € 71.5 million - 2016: € 77.4 million

Production Exports Employees

• VALENTINO

7.7 million sq.m (floor tile 98.4% - wall tile 1.6%) 87% 357

Piemme’s corporate repositioning plan continued in 2017, with investments in communication, marketing and sales network development. The company also invested 2.4 million euros in upgrading its logistics systems and increasing the efficiency of its production.

GRUPPO ROMANI SPA IND. CERAMICHE

€ 103.75 million (consolidated) 2003: € 75.1 million - 2004: € 85.0 million - 2005: € 94.1 million 2006: € 100.4 million - 2007: € 105.0 million - 2008: € 104.0 million 2009: € 92.8 million - 2010: € 100.3 million - 2011: € 117.0 million 2012: € 109.2 million - 2013: € 102.5 million - 2014: € 101.3 million 2015: € 102.6 million - 2016: € 103.4 million

These revenues were generated by the following brands: • SERENISSIMA • CIR • CERCOM • CERASARDA • EXE • ISLA TILES

Production 7.2 million sq.m (floor tile 100%) Exports 67% Employees 421

LAMINAM

€ 85.0 million (consolidated)

2010: € 18.5 million - 2011: € 25.0 million - 2012: € 24.1 million 2013: € 29.8 million - 2014: € 39.4 million - 2015: € 50.0 million 2016: € 68.0 million A new LaminamRus plant came on-stream in the Vorsino Industrial Park in Russia in March 2017.

The plant has 14,000 sq.m of floor space and production capacity of 1 million sq.m of large-format porcelain panels per year, in size 1000x3000mm with thicknesses of 3 and 5 mm.

ITALGRANITI GROUP

€ 81.6 million

€ 81.3 million (consolidated)

The Group's turnover was generated by the following brands: • FINCIBEC • NAXOS

• MONOCIBEC • CENTURY

Production 5.6 mil. sq.m (floor tile 75% - wall tile 25%) Exports 70% Employees 374

ITALCER SPA

These revenues were generated by the following brands: • LA FABBRICA • AVA • ELIOS CERAMICA Production 3.25 mil. sq.m (floor tile 90% - wall tile 10%) Exports 73% Employees 189 Over the course of 2017, Italcer, which is controlled by the private equity fund Mandarin Capital and headed by Graziano Verdi, acquired La Fabbrica SpA and took over 100% ownership of Elios Ceramiche and Elle Ceramica from the Levoni family.

At the end of the year, moreover, Italcer signed an agreement for the full acquisition of the Florence-based company Devon&Devon, a world-class manufacturer of top-end bathroom furnishings, owned by Gianni Tanini.

COEM

These revenues were generated by the following brands: • CERAMICHE COEM • CERAMICA FIORANESE

These revenues were generated by the following brands:

Production 7.1 million sq.m Exports 68.3% Employees 273

Production Exports Employees

Tile International 2/2018

4.2 million sq.m (floor tile 100%) 80% 229

€ 75.3 million

2003: € 48.0 million - 2004: € 53.0 million - 2005: € 54.8 million 2006: € 61.8 million - 2007: € 62.2 million - 2008: € 52.4 million 2009: € 43.0 million - 2010: € 50.5 million - 2011: € 54.7 million 2012: € 55.7 million - 2013: € 55.9 million - 2014: € 58.0 million 2015: € 62.8 million - 2016: € 71.4 million

2011: € 81.1 million - 2012: € 77.4 million - 2013: € 68.7 million 2014: € 73.3 million - 2015: € 71.8 million - 2016: € 79.0 million

• ITALGRANITI • IMPRONTA

€ 81.2 million

Coem continued to invest in plant upgrades aimed at increasing and improving its production and customer service. The company’s output includes 2.4 million sq.m of tile manufactured for subsequent glazing.

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Area 45 Stand 35

24-28 September 2018

BUZON… DESIGNED FOR CERAMIC TILES www.buzon.eu

Economy & markets GOLD ART CERAMICA SPA

€ 70.7 million

These revenues were generated by the following companies and/or brands:

2006: € 66.0 million - 2007: € 77.0 million - 2008: € 65.7 million 2009: € 64.2 million - 2010: € 67.7 million - 2011: € 70.2 million 2012: € 67.7 million - 2013: € 67.0 million - 2014: € 67.0 million 2015: € 70.0 million

• ENERGIEKER

These revenues were generated by the following brands:

Production 8.5 million sq.m (floor tile 90% - wall tile 10%) Exports 50% Employees 240

• EPOCA • CERAMICHE TEMPRA • MEG (France)

The ceramic group Gold Art Ceramica SpA split up in 2017, and now consists of the Energieker brand only.

Production Internationalisation Exports Employees

ASCOT GROUP

€ 70.3 million

• DOM

Production Exports

6.2 mil. sq.m (floor tile 70% - wall tile 30%) 84% - data calculated based on the business carried out directly by the group, excluding the revenue generated by third party production Employees 272 Ascot channelled its most significant technical investments into doubling the number of cutting and edge-grinding lines at its disposal, installing new digital glazing machines and modernising its production lines, in order to increase productivity.

€ 70.0 million

2010: € 61.3 million - 2011: € 55.9 million - 2012: € 53.2 million 2013: € 52.1 million - 2014: € 58.5 million - 2015: € 59.7 million 2016: € 64.7 million

11.6 mil. sq.m (floor tile 88% - wall tile 12%) Exports 52% Employees 229

GAMBINI GROUP IND. CERAMICHE

€ 70.0 million (consolidated)*

Tile International 2/2018

€ 60.6 million

2003: € 46.2 million - 2004: € 47.7 million - 2005: € 46.0 million 2006: € 59.0 million - 2007: € 54.6 million - 2008: € 42.6 million 2009: € 37.8 million - 2010: € 40.0 million - 2011: € 41.5 million 2012: € 37.4 million - 2013: € 39.3 million - 2014: € 43.2 million 2015: € 49.2 million - 2016: € 59.5 million Production Exports Employees

3.6 mil. sq.m (floor tiles 100%) 80% 263

€ 60.2 million*

*The published data refer to 2016 and originate from public sources

2003: € 54.8 million - 2004: € 56.1 million - 2005: € 47.4 million 2006: € 52.0 million - 2007: € 55.7 million - 2008: € 47.9 million 2009: € 39.1 million - 2010: € 42.8 million - 2011: € 41.6 million 2012: € 40.0 million - 2013: € 40.3 million - 2014: € 51.0 million 2015: € 56.7 million

• BELL'ITALIA

*The published data refer to 2016

2003: € 70.4 million - 2004: not received - 2005: € 72.3 million

POLIS MANIFATTURE CERAMICHE

Production

€ 62.0 million

Production 3 mil. sq.m (floor tile 85% - wall tile 15%) Exports 70% Employees 323

CERAMICHE CCV CASTELVETRO

These revenues were generated by the following brands: • OPERA

10.0 mil. sq.m (floor tile 90% - wall tile 10%) Meg and Parefeuille (France) 86% 315

2003: € 61.7 million - 2004: € 71.3 million - 2005: € 73.0 million 2006: € 80.0 million - 2007: € 80.7 million - 2008: € 68.3 million 2009: € 66.0 million - 2010: € 65.4 million - 2011: € 63.5 million 2012: € 51.4 million - 2013: € 55.8 million - 2014: € 55.8 million 2015: € 56.0 million - 2016: € 60.9 million

These revenues were generated by the following brands:

OPERA GROUP

• PAREFEULLE (France)

CERAMICA SANT’AGOSTINO

2003: € 51.5 million - 2004: € 55.0 million - 2005: € 56.0 million 2006: € 61.5 million - 2007: € 66.0 million - 2008: € 63.0 million 2009: € 52.0 million - 2010: € 59.0 million - 2011: € 62.6 million 2012: € 58.7 million - 2013: € 59.7 million - 2014: € 62.4 million 2015: € 63.3 million - 2016: € 68.1 million

• ASCOT

• ELLE-GI CERAMICHE

»»

Production 3.3 mil. sq.m (floor tile 100%) Exports 88% Employees 168

NOVABELL CERAMICHE ITALIANE

€ 51.0 million

2003: € 41.1 million - 2004: € 44.3 million - 2005: € 45.6 million »»

Entire contents Copyright Tile Edizioni srl - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 50

Economy & markets 2006: € 47.0 million - 2007: € 48.0 million - 2008: € 46.0 million 2009: € 39.0 million - 2010: € 41.5 million - 2011: € 41.5 million 2012: € 44.5 million - 2013: € 50.0 million - 2014: € 49.1 million 2015: € 51.9 million - 2016: € 52.5 million

These revenues were generated by the following brands:

These revenues were generated by the following brands:

Production 3.2 mill. sq.m (floor tile 90% - wall tile 10%) Employees 200

• SICHENIA • PHORMA

• NOVABELL • ABITA

CERAMICA FONDOVALLE

Production 3.86 mil. sq.m (floor tile 89% - wall tile 11%) Exports 87% Employees 177

GRANITOFORTE

€ 44.4 million* *The published data refer to 2016 and originate from public sources

2010: € 35.4 million - 2011: € 34.0 million - 2012: € 34.6 million 2013: € 36.5 million - 2014: € 39.5 million - 2015: € 43.3 million

€ 43.6 million (consolidated)* *The published data refer to 2016 and originate from public sources

2003: € 61.0 million - 2004: € 68.7 million - 2005: € 65.5 million 2006: € 67.0 million - 2007: € 75.0 million - 2008: € 58.0 million 2009: € 50.3 million - 2010: € 52.0 million - 2011: € 47.0 million 2012: € 50.3 million - 2013: € 48.0 million - 2014: € 44.8 million 2015: € 42.6 million

€ 45.6 million

These revenues were generated by the following brands:

Following the split-up of the Gold Art Ceramica Group, Tuscania SpA and CMC Ceramica Mandrio Correggio have been filing separate financial statements since 2017.

SICHENIA CERAMICHE GR. € 37.1 million (consolidated)

Tile International 2/2018

Over the course of 2017/2018, Fondovalle plans to invest a total of over 20 million euros in production and logistics, of which 15 million had already been invested by 31/12/2017. The company invested 2 million euros in R&D in financial year 2017.

€ 31.5 million

These revenues were generated by the following brands: • SAVOIA

• ALCO

ALTAECO SPA

Production 6 million sq.m (floor tile 73% - wall tile 27%) Exports 55% Employees 196

1.45 mil. sq.m 65.6% 108

Production 2.5 million sq.m (floor tile 100%) Exports 48% Employees 120

• COTTO TUSCANIA • IL CAVALLINO CERAMICA ARTISTICA • CMC CERAMICA MANDRIO CORREGGIO

2003: € 70.2 million - 2004: € 72.6 million - 2005: € 73.3 million 2006: € 75.1 million - 2007: € 70.2 million - 2008: € 67.1 million 2009: € 54.0 million - 2010: € 53.0 million - 2011: € 51.7 million 2012: € 40.6 million - 2013: € 32.2 million - 2014: € 26.9 million 2015: € 28.5 million - 2016: € 38.7 million

Production Exports Employees

• MY TOP

2008: € 35.6 million - 2009: € 33.6 million - 2010: € 35.0 million 2011: € 31.1 million - 2012: € 31.1 million - 2013: € 28.2 million 2014: € 28.0 million - 2015: € 31.3 million - 2016: € 29.7 million

• L’ASTORRE

TUSCANIA SPA

These revenues were generated by the following brands:

SAVOIA ITALIA

These revenues were generated by the following brands: • CERDOMUS • PORCELLANA DI ROCCA

2010: € 17.3 million - 2011: € 19.1 million - 2012: € 19.9 million 2013: € 21.4 million - 2014: € 22.0 million - 2015: € 24.3 million 2016: € 30.1 million

• FONDOVALLE

CERINDUSTRIES

€ 32.8 million

»»

€ 27.8 million

2003: € 50.2 million - 2004: € 51.2 million - 2005: € 51.2 million 2006: € 53.6 million - 2007: € 55.0 million - 2008: € 48.3 million 2009: € 39.7 million - 2010: € 42.5 million - 2011: € 42.5 million 2012: € 36.6 million - 2013: € 33.4 million - 2014: € 30.2 million 2015: € 28.6 million - 2016: € 28.3 million These revenues were generated by the following brands: • CERAMICA VOGUE • CERAMICA BARDELLI

• APPIANI • GABBIANELLI

Production 1.5 million sq.m (floor tile 67%- wall tile 33%) Exports 48% Employees 306 5

Entire contents Copyright Tile Edizioni srl - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 52

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Meet us at Cersaie 2018 - Hall 25 Stand A80 B81 italgranitigroup.com

Economy & markets Milena Bernardi

Spanish ceramic tile industry in good health new direct employees.

This brings the sector’s total workforce to 15,600 (26,000 if indirect employees are included).

Exports

Vicente Nomdedeu

The Spanish ceramic tile industry has completed another year of growth, once again confirming the sector’s strong bill of health.

According to preliminary figures unveiled during Cevisama by Vicente Nomdedeu, chairman of the Spanish tile producers’ association Ascer, the industry closed 2017 with growth in all its main indicators.

Estimated total production generated by the 142 Spanish ceramic companies reached 530 million sqm, 7.7% up on the 492 million sqm of 2016.

Sales rose by 6% to over 3.5 billion euros, 200 million euros more than in 2016 when the industry reported a similar level of growth (up 7% on 2015). The average selling price also increased by 1.3%.

This growth was divided equally

Tile International 2/2018

between exports (+4.5%) and domestic sales (+10.5%), with the domestic market maintaining the slow but steady recovery that began in 2014, driven mainly by the renovation segment. As Nomdedeu pointed out, the 824 million euros generated by the domestic market are well short of 2007 values, although the forecasts for 2018 suggest that the positive trend will continue, albeit at a slower pace than in the last 3 years.

Spanish companies are also making significant investments in new technologies with the dual aim of producing innovative materials and improving efficiency in process and production cost management.

The strong performance of the sector has also pushed up employment, with the hiring of 700

54

The Spanish tile industry registered 4.5% growth in exports in 2017 to 2.686 billion euros (a record for the sector), equivalent to 76.5% of total sales.

Europe continued to be the largest market for Spanish tiles with a 47% share of total exports and sales of 1.27 billion euros (up 7.8% on 2016).

This result was driven by increases both in EU markets (1.070 billion euros, +8%) and in Eastern Europe (163 million euros, +8%), which began to see a recovery after years of contraction thanks to the strong improvement in sales in Russia (+8.6%). France, the largest export market, saw further 8% growth in sales, while Ita-

ly experienced further double-digit growth (+13%) to become the Spanish tile industry’s fifth largest export market. By contrast, sales growth slowed sharply in both the UK (the third largest export market, +1.8%) and in Germany (+2%).

The surge in exports to the American continent continued in 2017 (464.5 million euros, up 21% on 2016 following a similar level of growth the previous year). This included another excellent performance in the United States (234 million euros, +24.5%), which confirmed its status as the second largest export market for the Spanish tile industry. Spain exported around 22.7 million sqm of tiles to the USA (source: TCNA based on U.S. Dept. of Commerce figures), an increase of 33% over 2016 at an average selling price of around 13.5

Economy & markets

photo credit: Cevisama

TAB. 1 - TURNOVER OF THE SPANISH CERAMIC TILE INDUSTRY 2009 Exports (mill. €).

Domestic sales (mill. €).

Total sales (mill. €).

National Production (mill. sq.m)

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

% Var 17/16

2017

1,673

1,747

1,892

2,082

2,240

2,328

2,452

2,570

2,686

+4.5%

918

801

705

575

557

574

643

746

824

+10.5%

2,591

2,548

2,597

2,656

2,797

2,902

3,095

3,316

3,510

+5.9%

324

366

392

404

420

425

440

492

530

+7.7%

Values in million Euros

TAB. 2 - SPANISH EXPORTS BY GEOGRAPHICAL AREA 2016 (mill. €)

2017 (mill. €)

% Var 17/16

% of total exports

Europe

1,175.9

1,267.1

7.8%

47.2%

- EU-28

990.7

1,069.9

8.0%

39.8%

- Eastern Europe

150.9

163.3

8.2%

6.1%

Middle East

526.0

521.4

-0.9%

19.4%

America

383.5

464.5

21.1%

17.3%

- North America

257.3

318.5

23.8%

11.9%

- of which USA

187.9

234.0

24.5%

8.7%

- Central America

77.7

81.4

4.7%

3.0%

- South America

48.4

64.7

33.5%

2.4%

619.6

643.5

3.9%

24.0%

Asia - Far East & South East

84.8

109.2

28.8%

4.0%

Africa

365.8

284.2

-22.3%

10.6%

- Magreb

245.3

173.7

-29.2%

6.5%

24.9

26.4

5.8%

1.0%

2,569.7

2,685.7

4.5%

100%

Oceania TOTAL

Source: ASCER

55

Tile International 2/2018

Economy & markets

TAB. 3 - TOP 10 EXPORTS DESTINATIONS OF THE SPANISH INDUSTRY 2016 (mill. €)

2017 (mill. €)

% Var 17/16

1.

France

257.0

277.9

8.1%

2.

USA

187.9

234.0

24.5 %

3.

United Kingdom

165.6

168.6

1.8%

4.

Saudi Arabia

146.4

117.9

-19.5%

5.

Italy

90.7

102.6

13.2%

6.

Israel

97.7

102.2

4.6%

7.

Germany

93.3

95.3

2.1%

8.

Lebanon

76.2

84.8

11.3%

9.

Morocco

78.9

82.4

4.5%

71.8

78.0

8.6%

1,265.4

1,343.6

6.2%

10. Russia TOTAL TOP 10 MARKETS

Source: ASCER

$/sqm.

Spain also reported growth in tile exports to Central America (+4.7%) and South America (+33.5%).

On the other side of the world in Asia, the Spanish tile industry continued to see export growth in the Far East and Southeast Asia (a total of 109 million euros, up 29% on 2016).

By contrast, exports to the Middle East saw a slight decline (-1%), with sales continuing to fall sharply in Saudi Arabia (-19.5%), one of the biggest historic markets for Spanish tiles, partially offset by growth in Israel (+4.6%) and Lebanon (+11.3%).

Last but not least, Spanish tile sales in Africa experienced an even bigger fall in 2017

Tile International 2/2018

(-22%) than in 2016 (-9%). This was largely due to the import embargo introduced in Algeria, which effectively closed off the market, resulting in a 29% fall in sales in the Maghreb region despite the positive 4.5% growth in Morocco. Overall, sales in Spain’s top 10 export markets totalled 1,344 million euros, 50% of the sector’s total turnover.

Despite the uncertainties in several export markets, Ascer’s outlook for 2018 remains positive with an estimated export growth of between 7% and 9%.

The challenges facing the sector Speaking at Cevisama, Vi-

cente Nomdedeu noted the challenges facing the Spanish ceramic tile industry in terms of trade protection, energy policy, labour costs and the need for new infrastructure.

He expressed his satisfaction with the positive conclusion at the end of 2017 of the antidumping investigation initiated by Morocco (without penalties for Spain) and with the Europe-wide renewal of antidumping duties on Chinese tile exports for a further 5 years.

He also called on the public administrations to make a greater commitment in terms of energy policy (one of the industry’s major cost factors) and to put in place condi-

56

tions to enable the ceramic industry to plan investments in cogeneration and energy saving.

As for infrastructure, there is an increasingly urgent need for a Mediterranean rail link providing a more efficient connection between the ports of Castellón and Valencia and European Union countries. Finally, Nomdedeu recalled the need for a public investment programme to promote renovation of the Spanish housing stock through direct financing or other fiscal measures.

5

International Fair for Ceramic Tiles and Bathroom Furnishings

28/01 - 01/02 2019 València (Spain)

#cevisama19 www.cevisama.com cevisama@feriavalencia.com

Conciding with:

Economy & markets Paola Giacomini

Mohawk Industries posts record-breaking results $6.6 billion of investments in 5 years

Jeffrey Lorberbaum

The results for the year ended 31 December 2017 posted by Mohawk Industries (Calhoun, Georgia) surpassed expectations, enabling the US flooring giant once again to break its previous year’s records.

Net sales grew by 5.9% to $9.5 billion (compared to $8 billion in 2015 and $9 billion in 2016). The percentage growth in margins was even higher. EBITDA rose to $1.859 billion (up 8.6% on the $1.711 billion of 2016), equivalent to 19.6% of sales, an improvement with respect to the previous year. Operating income grew by 9% to $1.416 billion, 15% of sales, while net earnings (excluding restructuring, acquisition and other costs) rose from $940 million to $1.019 billion (+8.4%).

At a geographical level, 63% of sales are generated in the United

Tile International 2/2018

States, 25% in Europe, 3% in Russia and 8% in other international markets.

In terms of product segments, the Flooring North America division (production and sales of carpet, rugs, laminate, sheet vinyl, LVT and wood flooring) reported $4 billion in sales (4% up on 2016), equivalent to 42% of the group’s net sales, and operating income of $573 million. Next was the Global Ceramics division with sales of $3.4 billion (+7%), equivalent to 36% of the group’s total.

The Flooring Rest of the World division (production and sale of laminate, sheet vinyl, LVT, wood flooring, insulation panels and boards in all markets outside North America) accounted for 22% of the group’s total sales at $2 billion and reported $337 million in operating income.

58

Presenting the market results to shareholders, Jeffrey S. Lorberbaum, the American multinational’s Chairman and CEO, pointed out that the merit for these results was due to the group’s strong organization and long-term strategies. “During the 2017, we identified opportunities for growing our business, differentiating our products and improving our productivity, which we supported with over $900 million in internal investments, the highest in company history,” Lorberbaum said. Along with the $900 million mentioned by the CEO, a further $251 million was spent on the four new acquisitions completed by Mohawk Industries in 2017: the Emilgroup ceramic businesses in Italy and Marconi in Poland, a talc mine for the ceramic in-

 

    

     

   





   

 

  

 

  







 

 

8

Economy & markets

Marazzi "Grande"





and Europe; luxury laminate in the U.S.; carpet in Europe and the U.S.; sheet vinyl in Russia; while in the Global Ceramic segment our activities are concentrated on capacity increases in the U.S., Mexico, Italy, Poland, Bulgaria and Russia and the production of countertops in the U.S. and Europe.”

The Group is also planning to invest in new acquisitions in 2018. It has finalised the purchase of two distributors in Europe, and by late May expects to complete the acquisition of Godfrey Hirst, the largest carpet and hard surfaces producer in Australia and New Zealand. This is expected to bring sales growth of around $180 million.

In view of the strong first quarter results with 9% sales growth over the same period in 2017 to $2.4 billion, Mohawk Industries expects to continue its

 



 Dollars in Millions

$2,194

$1,859

$2,027 $367

$1,711

$9,491 5.9%

$7,803

Sales Capacity Growth from CapEx & Acquisitions

$1,157

$1,395

$8,072

19.1%

$1,171

11.0%

$7,349

$1,600

$504 19.6%

$8,959

$991

3.4%

$1,828 $1,523

17.3%

$672

$906

$570

= 6.2%

15.0%

$672

$562

$251

$8 26.9%

2013

13.5%

2014

2015

2016

2017

• • • • •

LVT Ceramic Carpet Laminate Sheet Vinyl • Wood

$1,225

$750

$475

2018

(Projected FY CapEx & Acquisitions)

2013

2014

2015

Dollars in Millions, excluding unusual items

2016

2017

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017 

32

•   •      •      •      



14

59

Tile International 2/2018

Graph. source: Mohawk investor presentation Feb. 2018

dustry in the USA and a nylon polymerization plant to further integrate the group’s carpet manufacturing. These acquisitions helped to broaden the group’s product offering and improve its cost structure.

Between 2013 and 2017 the group made a staggering level of total investments, amounting to $4.8 billion in the three-year period 20132015 (two-thirds of which was on acquisitions) and $1.8 billion in 2016-2017. Considerable investments are likewise planned for 2018. “This year, to enhance our long-term growth and profitability, we will invest an additional $750 million in our existing businesses to complete projects that were begun in 2017 and to commence new initiatives,” Lorberbaum said. “Our largest investments during the twoyear period 2017-2018 are the expansion of LVT in the U.S.

Economy & markets

Marazzi "Grande"

growth in all business areas in 2018. “Our profitability will benefit both from past acquisitions and from the strengthening of the Euro and the improvement in local economies. We are leveraging our global organization’s strength to initiate manufacturing in new markets and extend our development of innovative products. Our global decentralized structure enables us to simultaneously manage numerous internal investments while also executing new acquisitions,” Lorberbaum said.

Results of the Global Ceramic segment In 2017 the Global Ceramic

Tile International 2/2018

division (brands American Olean, Dal-Tile, Emilgroup, KAI, Kerama Marazzi, Marazzi, Ragno with facilities in the USA, Mexico, Italy, Spain, Bulgaria, Poland and Russia) maintained a 36% share of Mohawk Industries’ sales mix.

Sales grew from $3.175 billion in 2016 to $3.405 billion in 2017 (+7%), while operating income reached $545 million (16% of sales), 13.3% up on the $481 million of 2016.

These figures bolster the US multinational’s position as the world’s largest producer and distributor of ceramic tiles with a market leading position in North America, Western and Eastern Europe and Russia.

The division’s sales growth is attributable to a number of different factors, including the two acquisitions in Italy and Poland and the increase in production capacity in Europe and in the new facility in Salamanca (Mexico), which is now fully operational, and at the Kerama Marazzi plants in Russia.

The Russian and Mexican markets saw the highest growth rates in both Q4 2017 and Q1 2018, while European sales outperformed the market average.

Another factor was the growth in sales in the United States, where the Global Ceramic division opened 15 new Tile & Stone Centers and developed important partnerships

60

with local building firms.

The brands American Olean, Daltile, Marazzi and Ragno now have a total of 251 service centres, 37 stone centres and 15 design galleries in the United States and Canada.

Sales of bathroom and kitchen countertops are also growing rapidly in step with the growth in distribution centres.

The results of Q1 2018 were equally positive.

Sales grew by 12% compared to Q1 2017 (+8% at constant exchange rates) and operating income reached around 13%, slightly down on Q1 2017 due to start-up costs, inflation and a different product mix.

“We anticipate increased growth throughout the balance of the year, supported

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by greater capacity and new product introductions,” said Lorberbaum. “We are implementing sales actions to increase our customer base and market share in both the residential and commercial sectors. In the U.S., we are launching innovative slip resistant tile and introducing higher styled designs in all price points. Our new service centers and countertop distribution are ramping up and our new countertop plant is nearing completion. The increased capacity and new capabilities of our Salamanca plant are allowing us to grow exports to Central and South America.

“In Europe, our product mix is improving as we capture a larger share of the premium market, and our new product launches increase our average price. In Russia, we continue to grow our leading market position in a challenging economic environment.”

New market introductions include the Grande series large-size porcelain tiles from Marazzi (sizes 120x120 cm and 120x240 mm with thickness 6 mm) and the products that Emilgroup began manufacturing on the new line started up in Fiorano in April and unveiled at Coverings in Atlanta under the Level brand name.

5

Emilgroup “Level”

Tile International 2/2018

62

Statistics Luca Baraldi, MECS - Machinery Economics Studies by ACIMAC (studi@acimac.it)

World sanitaryware exports and imports World ceramic sanitaryware import/export flows increased by 64% from 1.7 to 2.8 million tonnes over the period 2006-2016, corresponding to an annual compound growth rate of 5.1%. However, this growth came to an abrupt standstill in 2016 when sanitaryware exports shrank by 1.4% with respect to 2015.

An analysis of exports by geographical area of production reveals a fairly heterogeneous trend.

While Asia remained the world’s largest sanitaryware producer with a 55% share of world exports, it closed the year with a 4.7% year-on-year

contraction to 1.59 million tonnes, the second consecutive decline after the previous year’s 0.6% fall. This contraction was mainly due to the slowdown in Chinese exports, contrasting with the upturn in the other main Asian exporter countries, India, Thailand and Vietnam. The European Union, the world’s second largest exporter region, continued its 2015 growth to reach 583,000 tonnes (+2.4%), largely driven by the strong performance of the regions three largest exporter countries, Portugal, Poland and Germany.

North America (NAFTA) likewise underwent expansion to

reach 368,000 tonnes (+8.2%) thanks to the strong performance of Mexico. Non-EU European countries also performed well (+1% to 188,000 tonnes), driven by the recovery in Turkey. South America resumed its growth (+10.7%, 80,000 tonnes) following 4 years of steady decline, while Africa remained firmly in negative territory (-14.4%, 72,000 tonnes) with the second consecutive fall after 6 years of uninterrupted growth.

Looking at the ten-year period as a whole gives a very clear picture of how exports evolved in each region. One particularly striking trend is

the exceptional growth of Asia, whose exports rose from 447,000 tonnes in 2006 to 1.6 million tonnes in 2016, an overall increase of 256% (CAGR +13.5%). Asia saw its percentage share of global exports rise from 25% in 2006 to the current 55%, winning shares from all the other regions.

The EU, which suffered an overall 8% downswing with respect to the volumes exported in 2006, saw its share of world trade shrink from 36.1% to 20.2%.

The NAFTA region’s share fell from 16.4% to 12.8% despite overall 28% growth in exports over the decade. South Amer-

TAB. 1 - EXPORTS OF SANITARYWARE BY AREA (TONS) 2006

2009

Asia

446,530

European Union

% on 2016 world exports

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

984,799

1,100,506

1,244,240

1,217,207

1,370,793

1,679,102

1,668,361

1,589,476

-4.7%

13.5%

55.1%

633,805

508,040

522,118

532,638

523,150

519,939

530,149

569,475

583,409

2.4%

-0.8%

20.2%

Other Europe

163,174

125,198

132,132

145,787

169,188

171,264

178,482

185,960

187,805

1.0%

1.4%

6.5%

NAFTA

287,058

262,666

268,401

303,537

290,715

320,345

329,677

340,565

368,326

8.2%

2.5%

12.8%

South America

181,387

86,711

100,043

108,848

102,328

88,800

82,515

72,548

80,315

10.7%

-7.8%

2.8%

41,928

35,661

35,861

37,233

68,672

73,779

88,524

84,042

71,958

-14.4%

5.5%

2.5%

1,691

2,061

1,960

1,063

875

608

847

902

1,084

20.2%

-4.3%

0.0%

1,755,573

2,005,136

2,161,021

2,373,346

2,372,135

2,545,528

2,889,296

2,921,853

2,882,373

-1.4%

5.1%

100.0%

16.5

7.8

9.8

-0.1

7.3

13.5

1.1

-1.4

Africa Oceania TOTAL WORLD % var y-o-y

Source: Acimac Research Dept. on BSRIA and ITC data

Tile International 2/2018

64

% 16/15

CAGR 16/06

2010

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Machinery Economic Studies

TAB. 2 - THE TOP EXPORTING COUNTRIES (TONS) 2006

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

China

199,895

768,129

901,962

958,533

918,750

1,015,513

1,280,270

1,335,212

Mexico

245,833

223,709

226,569

245,964

237,954

268,502

276,984

43,454

70,354

15,076

90,611

118,226

134,255

Turkey

121,207

84,933

94,354

101,350

113,445

Portugal

104,659

78,297

75,049

65,552

Thailand

70,620

52,857

57,189

Poland

72,479

59,327

Germany

52,529

Bulgaria Vietnam

India

TOTAL % on total world exports

% on 2016 world exports

% 16/15

CAGR 16/06

1,238,558

-7.2%

20.0%

43.0%

295,439

322,169

9.0%

2.7%

11.2%

119,626

119,752

135,776

13.4%

12.1%

4.7%

119,602

125,256

120,613

127,065

5.3%

0.5%

4.4%

67,251

68,525

78,360

87,434

93,891

7.4%

-1.1%

3.3%

58,712

56,976

68,107

75,794

79,242

81,016

2.2%

1.4%

2.8%

67,572

70,342

66,723

70,890

69,913

77,048

80,323

4.3%

1.0%

2.8%

58,722

63,742

68,291

66,712

56,560

58,343

65,734

79,124

20.4%

4.2%

2.7%

51,327

35,833

40,566

47,969

51,911

53,094

55,728

56,183

54,491

-3.0%

0.6%

1.9%

17,810

16,766

19,590

24,570

32,088

42,750

57,424

47,892

50,064

4.5%

10.9%

1.7%

979,813

1,448,927

1,561,669

1,731,894

1,730,036

1,897,798

2,197,698

2,284,549

2,262,477

55.8

72.3

72.3

73.0

72.9

74.6

76.1

78.2

78.5

% 16/15

CAGR 16/06

Source: Acimac Research Dept. on BSRIA and ITC data

TAB. 3 - IMPORTS OF SANITARYWARE BY AREA (TONS) % on 2016 world imports

2006

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

Asia

258,237

429,387

478,338

618,296

582,609

659,174

847,357

792,368

781,950

-1.3%

11.7%

27.1%

European Union

707,621

663,584

692,328

713,015

667,999

665,785

729,926

788,840

812,442

3.0%

1.4%

28.2%

Other Europe

107,672

91,633

96,507

107,822

115,890

124,121

124,274

89,730

70,917

-21.0%

-4.1%

2.5%

NAFTA

525,356

575,430

620,716

606,694

626,710

704,168

749,982

809,546

819,357

1.2%

4.5%

28.4%

South America

71,966

91,217

119,957

139,156

147,494

134,075

136,408

146,436

130,758

-10.7%

6.2%

4.5%

Africa

64,204

122,561

111,952

147,015

190,985

212,495

247,685

234,447

197,607

-15.7%

11.9%

6.9%

Oceania

20,492

29,988

40,690

40,884

40,150

45,435

53,661

60,461

68,318

13.0%

12.8%

2.4%

1,755,573

2,005,136

2,161,021

2,373,346

2,372,135

2,545,528

2,889,296

2,921,853

2,882,373

-1.4%

5.1%

100.0%

16.5

7.8

9.8

-0.1

7.3

13.5

1.1

-1.4

TOTAL WORLD % var y-o-y

Source: Acimac Research Dept. on BSRIA and ITC data

65

Tile International 2/2018

Statistics

TAB. 4 - THE TOP IMPORTING COUNTRIES (TON) 2006

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

462,324

477,585

500,415

495,986

508,466

585,081

624,259

683,754

Rep. Korea

16,162

69,880

84,543

105,416

94,980

99,658

115,816

Germany

88,140

100,140

107,509

114,715

111,368

111,505

United Kingdom

99,076

98,466

103,815

108,143

106,627

Canada

56,222

84,545

104,680

92,441

France

106,972

111,245

115,108

Spain

148,731

82,378

4,644

Saudi Arabia Italy

CAGR 16/06

690,580

1.0%

4.1%

24.0%

132,361

148,344

12.1%

24.8%

5.1%

128,532

142,391

147,719

3.7%

5.3%

5.1%

115,282

138,337

145,662

145,552

-0.1%

3.9%

5.0%

105,658

104,119

109,559

104,119

108,622

4.3%

6.8%

3.8%

118,933

118,084

107,797

104,078

101,819

107,421

5.5%

0.0%

3.7%

83,634

84,827

70,252

70,745

82,755

88,245

93,758

6.2%

-4.5%

3.3%

18,907

23,467

29,444

29,855

21,620

52,294

64,335

68,720

6.8%

30.9%

2.4%

29,209

45,770

33,592

48,346

63,797

71,593

71,623

83,934

67,918

-19.1%

8.8%

2.4%

44,981

54,809

60,906

61,577

52,113

51,438

53,181

54,599

61,073

11.9%

3.1%

2.1%

1,056,461

1,143,725

1,217,669

1,259,828

1,261,201

1,338,838

1,480,435

1,601,219

1,639,707

60.2

57.0

56.3

53.1

53.2

52.6

51.2

54.8

56.9

USA

Singapore

TOTAL

% on 2016 world imports

% 16/15

% on total world imports

Source: Acimac Research Dept. on BSRIA and ITC data

ica, which in 2006 accounted for 10.3% of world exports, saw its share contract to 2.8% following a 56% slump in volumes over the 10-year period (CAGR -7.8%).

The other European countries grew by 15% overall during the period in question and in 2016 controlled a 6.5% share compared to 9.3% in 2006. Africa is an exception to the trend with 72% growth in sanitaryware exports between 2006 and 2016 (CAGR +5.5%), raising its share of world trade from 2.4% to 2.5%.

The rankings of the top 10 exporter countries remained essentially unchanged in

Tile International 2/2018

2016 with respect to the previous year apart from the appearance of Vietnam in tenth position in place of Italy, which dropped to eleventh place following a 13.9% downswing in exports with respect to 2015.

The fact that eight out of ten countries saw an increase in sanitaryware exports compared to the previous year is a positive sign.

China continued to top the rankings following an astonishing 520% increase over the ten-year period 2006-2016 (corresponding to a compound annual growth rate of 20%), up from 200,000 tonnes in 2006 to 1.24 million tonnes

in 2016. But as we mentioned, China’s export growth came to an abrupt halt in 2016 when it suffered a 7.2% slump in exports with respect to 2015.

China alone accounted for 78% of Asian and 43% of world exports.

Mexico, the second largest exporter country with an 11.2% share of global exports, reached 322,000 tonnes (up 9% on 2015), maintaining the upward trend of the previous three years.

India rose to third place with a 4.7% share of total exports and 13.4% growth with respect to 2015 (135,000 tonnes), overtaking Turkey

66

which now ranks fourth with a total of 127,000 tonnes, 5.3% up on 2015.

As mentioned, four European countries ranked amongst the top 10 world exporters: Portugal, Poland, Germany and Bulgaria, in that order.

Germany achieved particularly impressive results with the highest percentage growth of all exporter countries in 2016 (+20.4%).

An analysis of 2016 imports to the various continents and regions also reveals a heterogeneous trend.

With 1.2% growth over 2015 to 819,000 tonnes, North America (NAFTA) maintained its position as the largest import-

Statistics

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FIG. 1/2 - SANITARYWARE EXPORTS BY AREA (SHARES IN % - 2006 VS. 2016)

2006

FIG. 3/4 - EXPORTS INSIDE AND OUTSIDE INTEGRATED AREAS (SAME CONTINENT OF PRODUCTION) - % SHARES

67

Tile International 2/2018

Statistics

ing region with a 28.4% share of world imports.

The European Union climbed to second place with a 28.2% share, equivalent to 812,000 tonnes (+3%).

Asia tumbled to third place with a 1.3% decline in imports with respect to 2015, reaching 782,000 tonnes (27.1% of world imports). Oceania imports grew (+13%), contrasting with declines in South America (-10.7%), Africa (-15.7%) and non-EU European countries (-21%).

The first nine countries amongst the top 10 sanitaryware importers maintained their positions in 2016 with re-

spect to the previous year.

Eight countries out of ten increased their imports compared to 2015. In 2016, the imports of the top 10 importers made up 57% of world sanitaryware imports, a share that has remained virtually unchanged since 2006.

The United States was once again the world’s biggest sanitaryware importer in 2016 with 691,000 tonnes (1% up on 2015), a position it has enjoyed for many years given that it imported 463,000 tonnes (26% of world imports) back in 2006. It retained a strong lead over all other importer countries with 24% of

world imports, as well as almost all (84%) of imports to the NAFTA region.

South Korea climbed to second place with imports of 148,000 tonnes in 2016 (+12.1% on 2015), corresponding to a 5.1% share of world imports. This confirms its position as one of the countries with the highest average annual growth rates in the period 2006-2016 (+24.8%).

Germany and the UK both dropped one place to third and fourth respectively with imports of 148,000 tonnes (+3.7% on 2015) and 145,000 tonnes (-0.1%) in 2016. Both have maintained a steady growth trend over the last

FIG. 5 - DESTINATION OF CHINESE EXPORTS

Tile International 2/2018

68

decade (Germany’s CAGR 2016/2006 +5.3%; the UK’s +3.9%).

2016 also saw increases in imports to Canada (109,000 tonnes, +4.3% on 2015), France (107,000 tonnes, +5.5%), Spain (94,000 tonnes, +6.2%) and Singapore (+6.8%), whereas imports to Saudi Arabia slumped sharply (-19.1%). Italy climbed to tenth position in the rankings with 11.9% growth over the previous year.

Last but not least, it is interesting to look at the origins of sanitaryware imports to each area or continent.

China is far and away the largest exporter to almost all

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FIG. 6 - MAIN DESTINATION OF EXPORTS FROM MEXICO, INDIA, TURKEY AND PORTUGAL

FIG. 7 - SANITARYWARE IMPORTS BY AREA (SHARES IN % - 2006 VS. 2016)

2006

2016

Source: Acimac Research Dept. on ITC data

69

Tile International 2/2018

Statistics

regions of the planet. It is the country of origin of 63% of imports to Asia (India, Vietnam and Thailand trail far behind with shares of between 5% and 8%) and 74% of imports to Oceania (second-placed Malaysia controls just 11%).

Even outside its own regional market, China accounted for 48% of total imports to Africa (India ranked second with just 26.2%) and to North America despite the presence of Mexico, the largest local player with a share of 38.3%.

China was likewise the top exporter to South America with a 38.3% share, while Colombia, the second largest exporter country, saw its share

contract to 17.9%. Despite the presence of strong local players, China was also the top exporter to the European Union with an 18.3% share, followed by Portugal, Turkey, Poland and Germany with shares of between 7% and 10%. The only market where Chinese exports ranked second was that of non-EU European countries, where it controlled a 12% share of total imports behind the 14.1% of the leader Turkey.

An analysis of the top exporter countries’ target markets confirms that only a small number of them enjoy significant export shares outside their own geographical re-

gions. As mentioned, one of these is China which ships 39.7% of its exports to Asia, 31.8% to North America, 12.7% to Europe, 7.7% to Africa, 4% to South America and 4.1% to Oceania. Likewise, India sells just 47.1% of its exports in the Asian continent, while 38.1% is shipped to Africa and 9% to North America. Thailand sells 55.3% of its exports in Asia and Oceania and 37.9% in North America. At a global level, just 43.2% of total exports are shipped to destinations outside the country of production. In accordance with this trend, the other major exporter countries are much more closely tied to their regional markets: 97.5%

of Mexican exports are sold in North America; 92% of Vietnamese exports are shipped to Asian markets; and 98.9% of Polish, 94% of Bulgarian and between 86% and 89% of Portuguese and German exports remain in Europe. In keeping with Turkey’s geographical position straddling Europe and Asia, its largest market is Europe with 71.1% of its exports and the second largest Asia with 19%.

5

ACIMAC Research Department mr. Luca Baraldi studi@acimac.it T. +39 059 510336 www.mec-studies.com

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In the spotlight Paola Giacomini

Competitiveness is the challenge facing the Italian tile industry In Italy, has repeatedly been pointed out, the most significant figure in terms of its dimensions is that of investments, which totalled 514.9 million euros in 2017, a further 28.6% increase on the already record figure of 400 million euros in 2016.

These investments have largely been prompted by the Italian government’s tax incentives aimed at modernising factories in accordance with Industry 4.0 criteria, a benefit that the tile sector has succeeded in exploiting more than other industries and improving its competitiveness through the use of cutting-edge technologies.

We met Giovanni Savorani, the newly-elected chairman of Confindustria Ceramica for the twoyear period 2018-2020, to discuss a sector that is slowly consolidating its position in the face of increasingly tough challenges.

Giovanni Savorani Tile International: - Although this was an exceptional year, a sector that reinvests 9.3% of its annual turnover is obviously very confident about the future. Giovanni Savorani: “Even in the most difficult years of the crisis, the ceramic industry entrepreneurs never lost heart and continued to invest in technology and develop new products and markets. A significant portion of the almost two billion euros invested in the last 5 years was aimed at introducing large-size slabs and panels onto the market. The 2017 investment percentage – 9.3% of turnover – was of course largely attributable to the Industry 4.0 tax concessions, which I believe should be transformed into structural rather than time-limited incentives. Encouraging companies to make technological changes all at the same time, or at least in the space of

Tile International 2/2018

a year or two, risks generating excess supply given that restructuring always results in an increase in production capacity, and this can prove harmful in the short term”.

Tile International: - The global growth in ceramic tile production is accompanied by increasingly fierce competition in international markets. How is Italy reacting? G. Savorani: “The Italian ceramic tile industry has the big advantage of being able to operate in more than 150 countries worldwide and seize opportunities wherever they arise. This is a benefit that very few world competitors enjoy and helps us optimise our response to the overall situation”.

Tile International: - As you mentioned, the increase in competitiveness of the Italian tile industry is a result of continuous product innovation, such as the latest developments in the field of large-size

74

In the spotlight

tiles. What are the growth margins for these products and how can such innovative and high added-value materials be protected in markets? G. Savorani: “The increase in ceramic tile sizes has been made possible by technological innovation combined with market demand.

Architects and interior designers are increasingly choosing large-size tiles, in part for their greater cleanliness and hygiene due to the smaller number of grout joints, so I am confident that demand for large panels and slabs will continue to grow. Clearly we

need to allow time for the distribution and logistics systems to adapt and for tile installers to adopt the equipment they need to provide the necessary services.

Porcelain panels and slabs have also opened the doors to the furnishings market in the form of bathroom and kitchen tops and furniture cladding, a segment where Italian products already have a very strong presence and there is plenty of room for our companies to expand.

I believe that the best way to protect these products is to continue to develop them

while doing everything possible to meet the needs of purchasers and users. I see opportunities for our sector in both these areas”.

Tile International: - Which issues have you given top priority to in your agenda as chairman? G. Savorani: “My first aim is to carry on the excellent work done by my predecessors.

This includes renewing antidumping duties and reducing electrical energy costs. Italy’s tile industry is the biggest exporter in the world in terms of value and it is essential to maintain this leadership po-

Emilgroup @Cersaie 2017

sition by engaging with all players.

We will succeed in doing this only if all of us – both individually and collectively – do everything possible to ensure that our companies continue to be highly competitive, while at the same time guarding against the emergence of other ceramic clusters around the world where tiles can be produced more cost-effectively and competitively”.

Tile International: - Which areas should politicians focus on to make Italy more efficient as a country? -

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In the spotlight

G. Savorani: “Excessive bureaucracy, taxation and energy policy are all factors that affect our competitiveness.

For example, the new AIA (Integrated Environmental Authorisation) regulations for both new plants and minor alterations to existing facilities involve lengthy procedures that are simply not compatible with the needs of business.

As for taxation, we were pleased to read about the proposal of lowering the corporate tax rate to 15% from the current 24%, but it is important to consider the negative impact of the differences in tax and social security contributions between Italy and its competitor countries, which reduce our employees’ real incomes and push up labour costs for companies.

Regarding energy, it is important to proceed with liberalisation of energy markets in Italy so as to enable companies to operate in the best possible conditions”.

Tile International: - Emissions Trading also remains a highly topical issue at a European level. G. Savorani: “Definitely. In recent months in Brussels we have been drawing up the rules for application of the ETS for the period January 2021 – December 2030. This is a very important issue because our sector is completely exposed to competition from non-EU countries which do not have to satisfy these kinds of obligations. This situation must

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be taken adequately into account when assigning emission allowances to our companies to avoid a very real risk of penalisation and delocalisation”.

Tile International: - Technological process innovations such as porcelain panels, digital printing, energy savings and Industry 4.0 technologies have had an enormous impact on tile production in recent years. What new contribution would you now like to see from the machinery manufacturers? G. Savorani: “Innovation is an ongoing process which often involves redesigning and improving on previous applications, and this will continue to be the case in the future.

Efficient and advanced logistics is without question one of the new areas of development that will attract growing interest, particularly in the light of new porcelain panel and slab production.

Energy savings also continue to be a highly topical issue given the big reductions that will have to be made over the next few years to comply with the ETS. So research into the energy efficiency of our thermal machines remains an important area to focus on”.

Tile International: - 2017 marked the first increase in employment since 2006 with the creation of more than 550 new jobs in the space of a year, bringing the number of direct employees in the sector to 19,515 (+2.9%). What kind of professional figures need to

be trained most urgently? G. Savorani: “I see professional training as one of the most important issues for the competitiveness of the ceramic industry, particularly in the future. Professionals must be trained to university level in fields ranging from engineering to chemistry, marketing and architecture.

We have already begun working towards this goal by meeting the deans of the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia and the University of Bologna, the two universities that best meet our needs in terms of their prestige and geographical proximity”.

Tile International: - The Italian tile industry is the only one with a policy of investing heavily in the internationalisation of production with the aim of manufacturing directly in the markets where its products are sold. Do you think other companies will follow this example?G. Savorani: “Manufacturing internationalisation is a choice that must be made by each individual company in accordance with its corporate strategies, although such operations are obviously more accessible to large-size companies. Of course this is not a delocalisation strategy but a policy that aims to win or maintain market shares that would otherwise have been taken by local or in any case non-Italian companies.

All Italian groups with factories abroad have maintained a strong presence in Italy,

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which is a very positive factor.

Commercial internationalisation is a more widely adopted approach in which Italian companies open warehouses and stores abroad with the aim of improving their commercial presence and customer support.”

Tile International: - Cersaie will be here again soon. What will be new this year? G. Savorani: “There will be plenty of new features along with many things that will remain unchanged from previous years, such as the fully sold out exhibition spaces!

This year there will be three new halls (28, 29 and 30) devoted to bathroom furnishings, enabling us to increase the exhibition space by 5,000 square metres and ensure that individual product sectors are located close together. Tiling Town (next to the Piazza Costituzione entrance) will be surrounded by the companies that supply relevant materials and tools. As part of major efforts to attract international visitors, a selection of top international buyers will be hosted at Cersaie.

The unique “Building Dwelling Thinking” programme of architecture conferences will host its tenth Pritzker Prize Laureate this year along with other high-level speakers.

Last but not least, I hope that Italian manufacturers will maintain the competitive edge in terms of aesthetic quality provided by Italian design”.

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In the spotlight

Pollution2018 by IRIS Ceramica Group, SOS for sustainability The horizons of that challenge, which has become increasingly pressing, were summed up by the prescient words of Romano Minozzi: “IRIS believes that life quality problems are already seriously affecting Italy's industrial situation, and will come to play a vitally important role in the near future.”

In the 46 years that have passed since then, the company, which belongs to Iris Ceramica Group along with another 8 brands, has never veered from the path of sustainability and always striven to achieve a manufacturing model aimed at zero environmental impact.

Tile International: - Would it be fair to say that the path to sustainable manufacturing prompted Iris Ceramica Group to take the ambition it expressed through the tiles it used to pave Piazza Santo Stefa-

Federica Minozzi between Mario Cucinella, on the right, and Massimo Imparato Pollution: a revolution that's been going on for 46 years.

Back in 1972, an idea formulated by Fondazione Iris gave rise to 'Pollution', an artistic initiative aimed at stimulating debate and making a political, social and environmental critique of the issue of pollution.

From 8 to 14 October that year, during the course of Cersaie, Stefano Gianni Sassi - Artistic Director of Fondazione Iris Ceramica and the driving force behind the entire project - gave 26 artists, working independently, the task of drawing the horizons of environmental awareness and portraying "ways of managing the changing face of nature."

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The artists who took part included Mario Ceroli, Ugo La Pietra, Armando Marrocco, Claudio Parmiggiani, Gianni Ruffi and the UFO group.

They all put up their installations in Piazza Santo Stefano, which had been restored to its original, natural appearance, resembling a large area of bare earth, because it had been paved with 10,000 ceramic tiles made by Iris Ceramica, measuring 33x33cm and replicating a clod of soil.

The same image of the clod of soil was also used on the cover of the record “Pollution” by Franco Battiato, who performed in the same Piazza on the closing day of the event.

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An original sample of the 33x33cm tile produced

by Iris Ceramica in 1972 for Pollution no in the 1970s, and give it tangible substance by turning it into products made with recycled material, coverings capable of absorbing pollution and 0-emissions manufacturing processes? Federica Minozzi: “Sustainability remains our chosen pathway. And it all derives from my father's deep-seated belief that “you shouldn't be afraid of change, in fact you should seek it”. Those were also the years of peak economic growth, and businesses were focused on profit. A

voice that preached the need to change, and to balance the needs of economic growth with the needs of the environment, was a totally dissenting voice - the voice of a “Cassandra” that could only find expression through the visionary insight of artists.”

Tile International: - Is it true that Iris's emphasis on environmental considerations in those days was among the factors that distanced it from the Sassuolo-based ceramic cluster as a whole? F. Minozzi: “Let's say that the

photo of Pollution 1972 - Ph. Emilio Fabio Simion 79

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In the spotlight

far-sightedness of Romano Minozzi may have felt a bit awkward for companies whose sole aim was to take full advantage of the economic boom. After all, that was the general attitude in those years of relentless industrial development, but for various reasons, the IRIS Group has always stood out for its ability to take a long-term view. My father's insistence on sustainable economic growth exerted a major influence on the company's internal research: FMG was the first company in the industry to come up with a way of reducing recourse to quarrying by developing products that replicate different types of marble and natural stone to perfection; Active Clean Air & Antibacterial Ceramic was the first ceramic material capable of reducing fine particulate; and Impatto 0 is a project we're working on at the moment, aimed at breaking down polluting molecules generated by the firing

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process before they are released into the atmosphere, to achieve 0 emissions.”

Tile International: - Let's go back to Pollution 2018: what is the rationale behind your collaboration with the architect Mario Cucinella's SOS - School of Sustainability? F. Minozzi: “The theme of Pollution 2018, which will be held again during Cersaie, is "sustainable architecture in urban spaces" and we believe that young people, artists and visionaries are still the people who have the ability to shape new approaches to this subject. New approaches that reestablish the right hierarchy between production, including architectural production, and sustainable values for mankind and the environment. We believe that the young professionals of the postgraduate SOS School of Sustainability, founded by Mario Cucinella in Bologna, are ideally placed to tackle the difficult theme of Pollution

2018, because the methodology adopted in the study programme and the holistic vision with which SOS approaches the subject of sustainability, provide the ideal basis for a project that integrates education, research and professional practice; but the best person to explain it all is the architect himself.”

Mario Cucinella: “My vision of “urban sustainability” is mirrored by the concept of “production sustainability” that Iris Ceramica has been developing since time immemorial, because it was perhaps the only company that was sensitive to the idea of sustainable manufacturing, sustainable spaces and sustainable environments, including urban ones. Since the early 1970s, the company was formulating concepts that later became part of the philosophy of “sustainable degrowth”, and publicised them not only through the Pollution initiative but also through the publication of Hu-

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mus (1973-1975). This vision has remained a part of the company's DNA, and after almost 50 years, has turned the problem into an opportunity on both the economic and the environmental front. In future, the quality of materials and their ability to play an active role in reducing energy consumption and CO2 emissions will become increasingly important. And this active logic will also apply to supply and manufacturing chains.”

Tile International: - The 1972 edition of Pollution played host to numerous artists, who are “visionaries” by definition… will art be a feature of the 2018 edition too? M. Cucinella: “Pollution 2018 will be a workshop for listening and sharing, involving multiple voices, and will see the participation of Iris Ceramica Group, SOS School of Sustainability, students of the International School Bologna, Ascolto Attivo, Laboratorio delle Idee and experts in a variety of disciplines,

In the spotlight In the Italy Pavilion, materials made

by Iris Ceramica Group create a kind of screen, measuring 10 metres in length, consisting of 300x100 large-format panels.

The panels are customised using Gruppo DYS-Design Your Slabs technology, to a design hand-drawn by the architect Mario Cucinella.

CREDITS: Ken Schluchtmann / diephotodesigner.de

each of whom will contribute their own skills and their own alternative approach to perceiving and living urban space.

The work group has traced out a pathway that starts from the critique of the first edition of Pollution, before moving off in search of new tools to encourage responsible, shared and involved use of urban space, and rebuild the bond between mankind and nature.”

Tile International: - What does “sustainability” mean for you?

M.Cucinella: “It's a different way of seeing the world. We're coming out of a phase in which we've used up lots of resources and not been able to replace them. So when we talk about sustainability, we're talking about a very practical problem: the need to manage our remaining resources better. Like other disciplines, architecture needs to find its empathy, so as to gain a profound understanding of the

place in which it operates, and to manage urban spaces in a sustainable way. It's no longer a question of just constructing buildings, it's about forming a relationship between the building and the environment. We need to rediscover a dialogue with our environmental contexts, in such a way as to use our energy to meet our real needs.”

Tile International: - So could we define Pollution 2018 as a kind of “thought gym”? M.Cucinella: “We need to build the future by looking at cities and architecture with different eyes, and rewriting the rules of the game where appropriate. When I think about the challenge of Pollution 1972 now, 50 years after the event, I can't help thinking that artists are one of the things that have been missing from the urban design and development process. Given that Ugo La Pietra wrote prophetically in 1964 that we would live in concrete cubes,

perhaps we, as architects, should learn to listen more carefully to artists. We could start saying "No" more often, to shake things up."

Tile International: - Dr. Minozzi, could you also give us your views on Iris Ceramica Group's début as technical sponsor of the Italy Pavilion at the 16th International Architecture Exhibition of the Venice Biennale... Federica Minozzi: “The theme of this year's Italy Pavilion, which was also designed by Mario Cucinella, is “Archipelago Italy. Projects for the future of the country's hinterlands.”

It's clear that once again we're talking about the future and projects associated with the fragile and beautiful sustainability of our country's hinterlands. The final objective is still to define a possible approach between architecture and landscape, by reflecting on the role of the urban redevelopment process. Iris Ceramica has therefore decided

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to sponsor the event, as it shares the intentions set out in the FREESPACE manifesto by the curators Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara.”

Tile International: - Wasn't the 7th edition of NextLandmark, the competition held by Floornature.com, also presented in Venice? F. Minozzi: “Yes. NextLandmark is a competition for young architects and designers run by Floornature.com, our architecture portal. Its theme this year is Hospitality Interior Design.

This is an especially topical theme, as a result of which our “historic” partners – including the IUSVE University of VeniceVerona with the accelerated degree course in Communication Design and Creativity – have been joined by Eataly world FICO (Fabbrica Italiana Contadina), the world's largest agrifood park, which will be the venue for the awards ceremony. The prize is a trip to Venice, including entrance to the 2018 Architecture Biennale.” 5

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In the spotlight

Litokol marks first 50 years of continuous improvement Tile International: - Does Litokol have a specific “recipe” for success? Luciano Cottafavi: “To overcome the countless difficulties that are part and parcel of business life, you need to develop the necessary patience and humility to handle every aspect of them. And you also need passion, determination, balance... and a little bit of luck. When it comes down to it, a company's destiny is in the hands of the people who work for it, and we wanted to take the opportunity of our 50th anniversary to pay tribute to everyone who works with us and makes a unique, personal contribution to the success of the business through their everyday efforts. It's not just a question of driving the growth and economic success of the company, it's about spreading a commitment to excellence.

We have chosen this moment to celebrate a story of entrepreneurship that started in 1968 and has seen solid, sustained development over the past 20 years

Alessandro Turini and Luciano Cottafavi Litokol srl was founded back in 1968, as a manufacturer of adhesives for tile installation.

The company's products at the time were so innovative that they rapidly revolutionised the way floor tiles were laid, and made traditional methods obsolete.

So in mid-June 2018, Litokol celebrated its first 50 years in business by inviting more than 250 people from all over the world for a threeday anniversary event.

The event provided Litokol with a unique opportunity to give attendees a clear insight into how the company grew up as a cohesive group that includes not only its employees but also its external partners, customers and suppliers from all over the world, because Litokol has undertaken a successful process of internationalisation over the past 20 years, and now exports its products to

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about a hundred countries and operates commercial companies and production facilities in strategic markets such as Russia, Ukraine, Armenia and China.

This cohesive group was built up around the company's founder and current Chairman, Luciano Cottafavi, who has always adhered to the principles of meritocracy, which are so widely acclaimed but rarely applied in this country. In the words of Cottafavi himself, the result is that: “People who started their working lives at Litokol still play a highly influential role in the company. Lots of young people built up their experience with us and moved from minor to major roles, and recognising people's merits has definitely helped us expand abroad, first through exports and later through full-scale internationalisation.”

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in terms of results, technological progress and employment.”

Tile International: - What can you tell us about these results? L.Cottofavi: “During the course of these celebrations, we took the opportunity to give over 80 international customers the chance to enjoy the local cuisine of Castelvetro, take a breathtaking ride in an awesome Ferrari in Maranello and, most importantly, visit our production plants in Rubiera, where we produce 340 tonnes of adhesives, grouts and resins every day.

Litokol recently made substan-

tial investments in new, hightech production production lines and systems. The threeyear period 2015-2018 marks the end of a 7 million euro programme of investments in high-tech production plants, systems and buildings, plus over 2 million euros of investment in Research & Development. But the best man to tell you about all this is Alessandro Turini, our Sales Director.”

Tile International: “Am I right in saying that Project ZERO sums up Litokol Italia's current challenge? Alessandro Turini: “Yes, Project ZERO – which stands for

'Zero EnvironmentalRisks in Ourbuildings' –is aimed at developing a completely new generation of products (glues, grouts and two-component binders) formulated with epoxy resins, in solid or liquid form, as part of a 360° approach to safety. The project is fully in line with the compa-

ny's production philosophy, which has centred upon research and innovation since 1968. The aim of the ZERO project, which has been implemented by the Litokol® Research & Development Centre and financed by the EmiliaRomagna Regional Council and the European Union, is to

The celebrations culminated in a party/event held at the prestigious "Ruote da sogno" in Reggio Emilia (Italy) 83

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In the spotlight LITOKOL GROUP

Litokol brand consolidated revenues: €70,000,000 Total number of employees: 300, of whom 80 in Italy Export: to approximately 100 countries LITOKOL ITALIA: • Rubiera plant (in the province of Reggio Emilia) 55,000 sq.m, including 27,000 sq.m of indoor floor space • 16 active production lines • storage capacity of warehouses (including compactable plants): 15,000 pallet spaces LITOKOL WORLDWIDE: • production sites: 3 production plants in Italy, 1 in Russia and 1 in Armenia • commercial sites: Ukraine, China, Georgia and Iran develop an innovative, ecosustainable generation of 'zero risk' construction products to tackle the issue of safety in the built environment.”

Tile International: - So it's not just about developing a new line of products, then, it's about establishing a new production philosophy? A. Turini: “Exactly. The project has enabled us to develop four chemical technology platforms consisting of innovative base materials (cement platform, resins in powder form, liquid resins with high solid content and waterbased liquid resins). These innovative base materials will lay the foundations for formulating a new generation of products made up of three 'zero-risk' families: Glues and Grouts (adhesives and primers for the installation of coverings in ceramic, natural stone and other materials); Decorative (decorative products for floors and walls); Structural mortars for anti-seismic masonry. All three families will be eco-sustainable and reduce environmental risks to ZERO, in other words they will be: safe for the environment and human health (non-corrosive

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and non-toxic); VOC-free (extremely low emission of volatile organic compounds) and ADR-free (ADR regulations govern the transport of hazardous goods by road), thus significantly reducing problems and costs relating to transport and logistics; labelled as minimally hazardous materials (hazard-free or irritant, according to REACH/ CLP regulations); formulated with renewable raw materials and recycled materials; have a low carbon footprint with low environmental impact across their full life cycle. The products from the structural mortar family will incorporate higher added value and represent the state of the art at an international level: they will transform infill walls, which are the weak point of buildings in the event of an earthquake, into a resource capable of absorbing severe seismic stresses, thus preventing damage and making it possible to construct buildings with ZERO seismic risk.”

Tile International: - What goals does Litokol Italia intend to achieve with the ZERO project? A. Turini: “Let's take a quick look at our company history.

Litokol's core products in the 1980s weretraditional products, such as adhesive powders and grouts, which are now produced in other countries at lower cost. In the decades that followed, the reduction in our competitive edge and consequent loss of market share in “traditional” products was offset by our high-value-added, epoxy products, which gave the company a pivotal role in the industry.

To carry this strategic role for Litokol forward into the future, we need to work in two directions: to increase the added value of our existing products, while at the same time adding new types of product to our range. The ZERO project therefore has a dual goal for the company: firstly to introduce new, certified (VOC-free, ADRfree) high environmental performance into our existing products (glues and grouts, adhesives and primers, decorative products for wall applications) through the use of water-based substances. In this respect, I would like to make it clear that Litokol is the first player in the industry that is aiming to fulfil this objective with labelling that genuinely reflects the results achieved, unlike certain debatable greenwashing policies that are sometimes found in various markets. The second objective that Litokol has set itself as part of the ZERO project is to develop totally innovative products, which do not currently exist on either the national or international market, namely structural mortars capable of eliminating seismic risks.”

Tile International: - So basically you're aiming to meet the latest needs of the architecture and construction industry, such as eco-sustainability, safety and products offering extremely high levels of innovation? A. Turini: “Definitely, and that's how the company will be able to meet two types of demand from the market. The first relates to bio-compatible products, driven by European REACH/CLP regulations. These regulations came into force

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on 1 June this year, and transpose the requirements established by the Globally Harmonised System (GHS) instigated by the United Nations and aimed at harmonising labelling and classification criteria to encourage the free circulation of goods and ensure a high level of protection, by progressively restricting the use of substances that pose a threat to the environment and human health. The second is the demand generated by the market for remodelling and safety upgrade projects, for which we intend to offer products with high ductility and low conductivity, to minimise seismic risk while enhancing thermal insulation.”

Tile International: - Do you have any other projects in the pipeline? Luciano Cottafavi: “We're planning new investments aimed at updating and upgrading our production plants, and we have also embarked on a new digital project, which will open up unexplored new avenues in terms of commercial strategies that will provide practical solutions for installers and final customers. All this is in line with the strategies that we have adhered to over the course of our first 50 years, which have involved following a constant development process on every front and keeping a close eye on the practical aspects of our everyday business. Although the anniversary of our next 50 years seems a long way off, with a bit of healthy ambition, we're now back on track with a new primary objective… continuous improvement!”

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In the spotlight

Ceramiche Piemme: creating value, together

Davide Colli Ceramiche Piemme has maintained the upward trajectory it embarked upon a few years ago, and closed 2017 with revenues of 104 million euros. The company owes these good results partly to its exports, which account for over 85% of its total revenues, and partly to a constant increase in sales under its own brand, which afford higher margins in economic terms and a higher brand profile in terms of

image.

On 16 July, Davide Colli was appointed Chief Operating Officer, with a specific brief to develop new sales and marketing strategies aimed at sustaining current growth.

We interviewed Davide Colli, who built up many years' experience working for Gruppo Concorde, one of Italy's leading ceramic tile manufacturing groups.

Tile International: - What prompted you to move to Piemme? Davide Colli: "My career started in 1998 in the sales area of Ceramiche Caesar, where I was tasked with developing new markets and building new networks of customers and importers.

This obviously gave me invaluable experience, because it involved working for one of Italy's

leading ceramic tile manufacturers. So what prompted me to take up the challenge that Piemme was offering?

Primarily the fact that Piemme is a highly dynamic outfit, with young, creative, enthusiastic staff across all its departments, and because since 2015, it has shown that it knows how to implement an effective relaunch plan to get

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Pictures: “Shades� by Piemme, design Gordon Guillaumier 87

it out of the crisis it was facing, and to start growing again, in terms of both image and corporate solidity."

Tile International: - What challenges do you expect to find in your new role? D. Colli: "Since September 2016, Ceramiche Piemme has increased production at its Solignano plant by 500,000 sq.m per year, to 7.7 million sq.m per year. It has made major investments in technology, with the result that all its Durst digital printers were upgraded over the course of 2017 so that they can produce distinctive new textural effects. The company has also made substantial investments in boosting its logistical performance and delivering a complex rebranding plan. Now we obviously need to bring some new input to our sales and marketing strategies in order to fuel the increase in sales under our own brand, and turn to account all the work the company has done over the past three years. What I've found here is a very cohesive, determined team, at every level, so I'm confident we have the right people to achieve our goals."

Tile International: - Does this mean that production for third parties is set to account for a diminishing share of your overall output? D. Colli: "No. Manufacturing for third parties is still a a strategic business for Piemme, it

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In the spotlight

simply needs to go on enhancing its status and avoid preventing the company from recognising the importance of own-brand sales, which offer higher margins."

Tile International: - Can you tell us a bit more about your strategies and how you intend to step up Piemme's rebranding work? D. Colli: "I intend to continue implementing the relaunch of the company's brands, which I think have been coherently shaped. We will continue to divide our production between two brands, and draw a clear distinction between them: Ceramiche Piemme is geared towards the design world and aimed at a mid-to-high residential and commercial market, while Valentino by Ceramiche Piemme, is a premium brand with a refined style, featuring a wealth of accents to suit the tastes of all types of customer. I also plan to step up our presence on markets that are still secondary for us at the moment. I think we need to approach new distribution channels in addition to the traditional network, and launch a far-reaching but deep-rooted drive to influence new decision-makers.

This is the programme that I've embarked upon, and that will inform our work in the months to come."

Tile International: - What will distinguish the sales and marketing policies you have in mind for the Piemme and Valentino brands in the medium term? D. Colli: "As regards Piemme, as well as strengthening and consolidating our positioning

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in the retail market for medium-high segment residential and commercial customers, I would like to make the brand the first port of call for specifiers and designers working on major international architecture projects, by making a big drive to develop this channel, which is still unexplored territory for Piemme. As for the Valentino by Ceramiche Piemme brand, as we know, the luxury segment is counter-cyclical and tends to perform best at times of stagnation in other parts of the market. Here at Piemme, we have the privilege of being able to work with one of the best-known and most prestigious designer labels in the world, and I would like to harness the full potential of this segment by focusing closely on research and the positioning of this top-level product, especially in markets where Italian-made luxury goods exert particular appeal."

Tile International: - Is this the message you intend to emphasise at this year's Cersaie? D. Colli: "For Cersaie 2018, we have decided to send out clearly distinct messages about the two brands, so we have separated the two display areas, to emphasise the expressive differences of each brand and clearly convey the different values with which each is associated. Piemme and Valentino - naturalness and vanity - two opposites with outstandingly high added value, which coexist under the aegis of a company that has written countless fascinating chapters in the history of ceramic, and intends to write

plenty more, as from the forthcoming edition of Cersaie."

Tile International: - What can you tell us about the new line

by Gordon Guillaumier and the Valentino collection? D. Colli: "At Cersaie, the Ceramiche Piemme brand will be presenting Stone Concept and Freedom - two stone products of exceptional aesthetic and commercial value plus a new collection called Shades by Guillaumier, which expresses the creativity and imperfection of hand-crafted materials through the precision of the industrial process.

This is a truly unique collection that has everything it needs to bring Piemme another step closer to the world of interior design. With the Valentino brand we'll be presenting Majestic, which represents the latest state of the art in ceramic marble, from both an aesthetic and a technological point of view.

This elegant, original collection, crafted with the utmost attention to detail, gives us what we need to get involved in top-level projects for the most discerning international customers.

Tile International: - What's happening in the market?

What are the most promising areas? D. Colli: "There's a slight fall in imports to the USA, which we need to offset swiftly with specific initiatives already planned for this important market. We also need to take action to consolidate our performance in competitive and quality-conscious markets closer to home, such as France, Germany, Austria, the

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UK, the Netherlands and Scandinavia, by stepping up our sales and logistical efforts and intensifying our marketing. Logistics plays a highly strategic role in meeting the challenges of the market these days, and the Logistics department at Piemme is keenly aware of this and responsive to commercial stimuli. We also need to focus on promoting growth in the Middle East and Far East, where there are still opportunities to sell high volumes at good margins; and I'm determined to explore more complex opportunities, such as in South America, which still holds a lot of potential for us."

Tile International: - Let's go back to the company again for a moment: what is the general direction of the key decisions being made by the owners with regard to investments in technology and strategies for the medium and long term? D. Colli: "The owners of Piemme have a very stable outlook and are determined to boost the company's growth by means of coherent, wide-ranging, long- and medium-term investment plans, which testify to their far-sightedness and spirit of enterprise. One of the reasons I was pleased to accept the appointment is that the owners are hands-on and future-oriented, and like my colleagues in the company's management, I fervently support this dynamic approach, with the aid of teamwork and ongoing debate. Here at Piemme, that's just another aspect of "Creating Value Together". " 5

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In the spotlight Paola Giacomini

EnergieKer: “No stopping now�

from left: Antonio Bellei, Riccardo Monti and Giuseppe Servadei Pavullo, August 2018. A new plant equipped with Continua+ technology for the production of large-size slabs and panels was successfully started up a few weeks ago at the EnergieKer facility, ready to manufacture the new products that the company will be presenting at Cersaie in September. This start-up marks the latest step in a radical restructuring operation that in the space of just two years has transformed EnergieKer from a solid player in the traditional porcelain segment to a

leading brand in the high end of the market.

Being well aware how important it is not to stand still in a market evolving at this pace, CEO Riccardo Monti and his determined team show their enthusiasm for this challenging new venture: from Antonio Bellei (technical director) and Giuseppe Servadei (sales director), along with the marketing department, the sales network and the workforce (270 employees), all highly committed to the company and the local area.

Tile International: - Mr. Monti, could you tell us what you have been doing to reposition the EnergieKer brand? Riccardo Monti: “Based on our observations of the market and new trends, it was clear that our brand repositioning efforts re-

quired serious changes to our product range. In 2013 we made an initial investment on the traditional line with the aim of producing larger sizes up to 60x120 cm, but the real turning point in terms of product quality came in early 2017 with the installation of the

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spray drying and body preparation plant, coupled with a cogeneration plant for the production of electric energy.

This was a major investment which allowed us to move to a complete pro-

duction process, with a proper quality control, and which helped us to reduce energy costs.

By that stage we had succeeded in consolidating our good position in the market, but we immedi-

In the spotlight

Exmà Massive

ately realised there could be no going back. Our production capacity (8.6 million sq.m/year) was beginning to become saturated, and at the same time our entire team was keen to further raise the level of the brand by expand-

ing the range to large and very large sizes. The project for a large slab and panel production plant was already in the pipeline and the launch of the National Industry 4.0 Plan by the previous Italian government in the summer of

2017 persuaded us to bring the project forward by at least a year.”

Tile International: - EnergieKer presented its first range of large size slabs at Cersaie 2017. -

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Giuseppe Servadei: The very large size panel and slab market was completely new for us, so we needed to test the waters and gain familiarity. Cersaie was the first opportunity for us to do this when we unveiled the 120x120 cm and 120x240 cm sizes. This clean break with the past was clearly perceptible to the market and customers began to look at us differently. This boded well for our project. Throughout the year we continued to promote the product, which we also presented at Cevisama, Coverings and ICE, an event for architects held in June in Leipzig.

Tile International: - How did your sales force react to these changes? G. Servadei: “The reaction of our sales staff was one of surprise and encouragement, as they found they had access to products that were not previously available. Moreover, the introduction of large slabs enabled us to cater for new customers we couldn’t previously reach without losing ground amongst our traditional clientele. The real strength of the EnergieKer range today is the sheer variety of sizes in our catalogue. It now covers all market segments, from standard products for building projects through to high-end luxury products. At the same time, it offers a unique variety of sizes capable of meeting any

Tile International 2/2018

In the spotlight Calacatta Gold

need, from the smallest 15x30 cm and 20x20 cm through to 160x320 cm. This is the message we’re trying to convey through all our new communication platforms, from the international exhibitions to the new website launched 3 months ago and our profiles on the main social media channels.”

Tile International: - How is the new plant you started up in June structured? Antonio Bellei: “It’s a latestgeneration plant with an annual production capacity of around 3 million sq.m in a new 22,000 sq.m building. The heart of the plant is obviously the Continua+ line from Sacmi with a system for pre-fire cutting to produce submultiples. Powder feeding takes place on a complete LB line equipped with an Easy Color Boost dry body colouring plant. Digital decoration is performed using an HD 8 col-

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our bar printer from Sacmi Intesa. BMR supplied the entire slab finishing department, consisting of two dry squaring and cutting lines and a honing line made up of two polishing machines, an acid treatment system with satellite applicators and two brushing machines, all capable of processing surfaces up to 1600x3200 mm.”

Tile International: - What products do you plan to produce on the new line? Giuseppe Servadei: “In this initial stage we have developed a wide and versatile range of sizes to cater for a variety of market segments.

These include a 160x320 cm (6 and 12 mm thick), which is also meant for the marble processing industry; a 120x270 cm, an in-demand size for complete wall coverings from floor to ceiling, as well as 80x80 and 120x120 cm. We also plan to add the 27x180

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Oxidatio Palladium

In the spotlight cm and 40x180 cm wood-effect strips for both interiors and exteriors. As for thicknesses, we will focus on 6, 10 and 12 mm, while as for finishes, we are producing full-field honed and matt marble along with concrete and wood effects, which are the result of our continuous research on aesthetic and quality.”

Tile International: - How are you set for Cersaie? Riccardo Monti: “We have completely revolutionised the architecture and image of our stand to reflect the new content of the EnergieKer brand. At the exhibition we will be presenting products manufactured on the new line. We have decided to go further this year, by presenting our first “through-vein” slab which will be the protagonist together with many other innovative materials. For example, these include a 160x320 cm marble and concrete effect slab with a 12 mm thickness requested by the marble processing in-

dustry and by several foreign customers operating in the architecture materials segment.

Amongst the large sizes we will be presenting three marble-look collections (Sahara Noir, Calacatta Gold and Bernini book match), the metal-effect Oxidatio, the Exmà series concrete and two wood effect series: Wood Break and the 2 cm thick Deck for exteriors. EnergieKer doesn’t just produce large-size slabs and panels, so at Cersaie we will also be showcasing our new conventional size products.”

Tile International: - What demand is there for large-size products in your various markets? Alex Giusti (sales manager Italy): “In Italy, outside the marble processing industry most demand is for concrete-look slabs and sizes up to 240-270 cm but no larger. Abroad we are mainly seeing demand for marble, both honed and matt.”

Tile International: - The growing number of players in the

large-size segment is pushing down prices. What’s your strategy for dealing with this? R. Monti: “We aim to combine aesthetics, quality and service while remaining as competitive as possible. The choice to introduce the through-vein extra-large slabs for bathroom and kitchen countertops confirms that our aim is to innovate the product from a technical and aesthetic point of view. Our investment in logistics (new spaces and automation) was crucial for offering the market an improved service.”

Tile International: - What are your expectations now that the transformation of EnergieKer is almost complete? R. Monti: “We are pleased with the way our customers have responded to our efforts and hope to make the market increasingly aware of the big changes we have introduced in the last two years. We have invested more than 40 million euros in the last 3 years (20162018), a highly significant fig-

ure for our company. These efforts have also been recognised by the local administration, which has appreciated the positive impact that our expansion will have on local employment and has approved a road variant to improve our logistics.

We must now demonstrate our ability to consolidate and make full use of our assets, including a production capacity of 12 million sq.m/year, cutting-edge plant and high-end products that can compete with the best brands on the market, from the raw material to the finished product and respecting both the environment and the local area.

I am confident and optimistic because I’m surrounded by a highly motivated team with unflagging commitment to the company and an ability to work together towards a shared goal. I thank all employees, customers, suppliers and institutions that are participating in our ambitious project.”

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Sahara White 93

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In the spotlight

La Fabbrica Ceramiche opens a superlative showroom in Imola La Fabbrica Ceramiche S.p.A., which was acquired

by Italcer in April 2017 and specialises in the production of top-end Italian ceramic, opened a truly superlative showroom in the 15th Century Palazzo Dal Monte Casoni in Imola.

The showroom occupies an area of 750 sq.m within the historic mansion and is spread over two floors: the ground floor – whose vaulted ceilings are decorated with frescoes of landscapes by 18th Century painters including Alessandro Della Nave and Antonio Villa – is dedicated to La Fabbrica collections, while the imposing first floor, which is reached via a broad staircase, showcases the large-format porcelain ceramic panels manufactured under the AVA brand.

The architecture of the interiors, the sculptures of mythological figures by Domenico Morelli and the frescoed walls and ceilings provide a magnificent backdrop that is emblematic of the highest Italian virtues. “It's an incredibly evocative experience, especially for our top-level clients,” explains Graziano Verdi, Managing Director of Italcer Group, which owns Mandarin Capital Partners.

Graziano Verdi with Alberto Forchielli

Tile International: - Why did you choose to locate a showroom in such an illustrious historic building? Graziano Verdi: “Because we wanted to create a truly superlative display space that would highlight the combination of unrepeatable Italian cultural and artistic tradition and the unrivalled technological leadership that is still the hallmark of Italian ceramic tiles. Our chosen communication concept, whose centrepiece is this magnificent mansion dating back to the 15th Century, expresses this unique combination perfectly and provides an ide-

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al showcase for the contemporary philosophy of a luxury product adopted by Italcer.”

Tile International: - What brought you to Palazzo Dal Monte Casoni? G. Verdi: “Our choice of this location reflects a highly ambitious stylistic and entrepreneurial approach. I suggested to Alberto Forchielli, the founding partner of Mandarin Capital Partners, that we should use this historic building as a magnificent showcase to add even more value to our materials, and to turn it into a unique “calling card” for foreign clients visiting Italy. This is a vital factor be-

cause La Fabbrica Ceramiche's two brands – AVA and La Fabbrica – generate over 80% of their turnover from exports, and because to successfully sell Italian ceramics worldwide, we need, as Forchielli says, to ensure that they are perceived as luxury goods. During the course of Cersaie, for example, Palazzo Dal Monte will provide a wonderful backdrop for our products and a stupendous location for offering our customers from all over the world some truly refined Italian hospitality.”

Tile International: - What proportion of the capital of Mandarin Capital Partners comes

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from China? G. Verdi: “The biggest investor in Mandarin is Banca Intesa, an Italian bank; we also have investors from America and Europe, and Chinese capital accounts for about 10% of the total. So Italcer Group is owned by Western investors, but the fact that Mandarin Capital has Chinese shareholders gives Italcer Group a huge advantage in one of the world's richest markets.”

Tile International: - Which are Italcer Group's largest markets at present? G. Verdi: “North America, Europe and the Far East.”

Tile International: - The ac-

In the spotlight

vinced that these will take us exactly where we want to go… and we might even exceed our target of 300 million, thus bringing forward the achievement of our other goal: a stock market flotation.”

Tile International: - But so far, the Group has confined its acquisitions to medium-sized companies… G. Verdi: “We have acquired the best of what was for sale… and the days of “small and beautiful” are over: now we need to go and sell our products in America and the East, because it's there that the markets are growing and it's there that we can maximise our leverage of the Made in Italy label.

The high-end market now lies mainly beyond the borders of Europe, and to sell into distant markets you need capital, organisation, effective planning of distribution systems and communication aimed at architects.

So there are small and medium companies that feel the need to join forces, and could be interested in becoming part of a major Italian ceramic “hub” with highly developed overseas and Eastern markets.

Obviously these companies need to have a product that's up to the mark and need to be financially viable…”

Tile International: - What can you tell us about the other two acquisitions you made in

pictures: Marco Isola

quisition of La Fabbrica Ceramiche dates back to April 2017, but in that same year, Italcer also acquired Elios Ceramica, in August, and Devon&Devon, in December.

So have you achieved the first goal you set yourself, namely to generate consolidated turnover of 100 million euros by the end of 2017? G. Verdi: “It's fair to say that we have achieved our first goal.

Now we're working on a major new acquisition, and we're also going ahead with the construction of a production facility for large-format panels in Tennessee.

I don't want to talk about our forthcoming acquisitions yet, but the benefits of setting up a production facility in the USA are clear, because tile consumption there increased from 200 million sq.m to 283 million sq.m over the five years from 2012 to 2017.

There has been a similarly big increase in local tile production in the USA, with output reaching over 90 million sq.m in 2017, representing a yearon-year increase of more than 3%.”

Tile International: - So are Italcer's sights firmly set on achieving its second goal: turnover of 300 million euros by the end of 2019? G. Verdi: “Definitely. I've already touched upon several major acquisitions in the near future, and I'm con-

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In the spotlight

2017, of Elios Ceramica and Devon&Devon? G. Verdi: “The Florence-based company Devon&Devon is a perfect example of the philosophy of “luxury aggregation” that we've just talked about.

Devon&Devon is one of the world's leading brands in bathroom furnishing and it exports to over 80 countries through a network of boutiques, retailers and flagship stores located in some of the world's most prestigious capitals, spanning Europe, the USA, Russia, the Middle East, China and Australia.

Devon&Devon has always been owned by Gianni and Paola Tanini, and as a result of this operation, they have become significant shareholders in Italcer by reinvesting a substantial part of the capital generated by the sale.

The other acquisition we made last summer was the Emilia-based company Elios Ceramica, which we took over from the Levoni family together with Elle Ceramica.

This acquisition provides the perfect complement to La Fabbrica in terms of formats, positioning and the geographical areas covered.

It's a strong, historic, well positioned brand, that we can

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definitely relaunch successfully. In terms of industrial efficiency, furthermore, the production plant represents another strength."

Tile International: - So everything is going to plan then? G. Verdi: “The industrial plan we announced at the beginning of 2017 is being implemented on a daily basis, not least in terms of the quality of the acquisitions we're making. Italcer's latest acquisition, Devon&Devon, confirms our focus on top-end brands and Italian creativity.

We aim to extend our portfolio of brands by the end of 2018, launch production in the United States in 2019 with an "Industry 4.0" facility, and make a number of major new acquisitions in the meantime.”

Tile International: - How will you be presenting the Group at Cersaie? With a single stand covering all the brands? And what is the key message you want to communicate to the market? G. Verdi: “We'll be at Cersaie 2018 with separate stands for each of our brands, in other words AVA, La Fabbrica Ceramica, Elios Ceramica and Devon&Devon, all of which represent the true essence of the Italcer Group”.

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DECO ANTHOLOGY The culture of decorating with tiles

24-28 SETTEMBRE 2018 HALL 26 / STAND A74-B75

In the spotlight Poala Giacomini

Fondovalle to present My Top 20 mm through-vein slab at Cersaie

Federico Tusini Ceramica Fondovalle (Torre Maina, Modena) is continuing to deliver an excellent performance.

Following 24% growth in 2016, it closed 2017 with a further 9% upturn in revenue to 33 million euros, 75% of which was generated by exports. Federico Tusini, sales director of the company led by chairman Maurizio Baraldi, commented: “This is the result of a series of new in-

vestments aimed at continuing our technological innovation in the large-size slab sector”, an increasingly important product segment for the company.

The latest investment involved the development of 2 cm thick “through-vein” slabs presented in collaboration with the technology supplier LB at Cevisama, Coverings and at the Fuorisalone 2018 in Milan ahead of the official launch at Cersaie.

Tile International: - Mr Tusini, Fondovalle made a further 20 million euros of investments over the two-year period 2017-2018. Where were they targeted?

Federico Tusini: Part of the investment was used to complete the logistics centre constructed in Ubersetto, not far from the final slab machining centre (cutting, rectification and fibreglass back-

ing application). This is not just a physical space but a new-generation automatic warehouse devoted exclusively to products in a 120x240 cm size and larger. It is designed to process orders rapidly and is capable of handling highly complex large-size slab picking operations.

Another significant portion of the investment went on developing

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the My Top range, the brand that covers our production of large horizontal non-floor surfaces with a thickness of 12 mm and now also in a 20 mm thick through-vein version.

This latter version marks a significant step forward in terms of technology and was achieved through

collaboration with LB, the company that developed the Naturtech technology installed on the Continua+ line. It consists of a hitech full-body slab in which the vein passing through the entire 20 mm thickness is created from dry-coloured powders using LB’s Easy Color Boost

In the spotlight

and Freestile technologies. We spent several months finalising the process and began production at the end of August. We are the first ceramic company to produce 20 mm thick porcelain slabs in a size of up to 160x320 cm with a through-vein effect, with all the pros and cons associated with being a pioneer.

Tile International: - Fondovalle’s output is still just 1.8 million sq.m/year. Is that correct?

F. Tusini: Yes, it is. Porcelain slabs account for a growing percentage of these output volumes, confirming Fondovalle’s strong focus on this technology and its markets.

First introduced in 2014 and

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In the spotlight

followed consistently over the last four years, this strategy has proved to be highly successful, allowing us to enter new and non-traditional markets and become a major player in this market niche on a par with much larger companies. I would go so far as to say that this strategy is now a necessity rather than a choice. Whereas sales volumes of conventional size tiles have fallen since the last quarter of 2017, large and very large size slabs have seen positive growth, enabling Fondovalle to avoid the downward trend experienced by the rest of the sector. As a result, our production line has now reached saturation and we are thinking about doubling it.

Tile International: - With the My Top range you have intensified your collaboration with the marble industry.

F. Tusini: We have started up partnerships with leading Italian and international players in the marble industry for both the 6.5 mm and 12 mm thickness slabs. We are also expecting the presentation of the 20 mm through-vein slab at Cersaie to be a big commercial success. The 12 mm thickness has already seen an excellent market response, but for some applications for bathroom and kitchen countertops we are receiving specific requests for larger thickness through-vein slabs. The 20 mm slab has precisely the same characteristics of machinability as marble and can be used by any marble processing company, making it a key component in our range.

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Tile International: - What materials are you offering for the residential segment?

F. Tusini: Our catalogue includes seven 6.5 mm thick floor and wall sizes (60x120 cm, 120x120 cm, 40x80 cm, 80x80 cm, 120x240 cm, 160x160 cm and 160x320 cm) along with conventional sizes in a 10 mm thickness. Our best-selling product to date is the 120x120 cm Portland slab with a concrete finish, but we are also pleased with the strong growth of the Infinito 2.0 collection.

Tile International: - Where are your main markets?

F. Tusini: We have previously only had a limited presence in Italy, but the market is now growing rapidly. It currently accounts for 15% of our brand sales and we see it as a key market for the growth of Fondovalle. For such high-end products, the Italian market has the big advantage of allowing us to exploit the keen awareness of trends and products.

As for international markets, we export to Europe and North America, especially Germany and the United States. We are perceived very differently in these three markets: in Germany, Fondovalle has been a strong brand for many years; in Italy, where we mainly work to order, competition is fierce but here too we are a recognised brand; but in the United States it was not until we introduced the My Top range in 2017 that we were able to gain a foothold in the market.

Tile International: - What’s your assessment of the de-

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In the spotlight

cline in Italian export sales since the beginning of this year?

F. Tusini: The fall was bigger than forecast for a number of reasons, including the slower demand in Germany and the Spanish industry’s aggressive sales policy in the United States and elsewhere. Political tensions along with trade wars and protectionist policies pursued by a number of countries also don’t help.

Tile International: - What impact has your shift towards the large-size slab segment had on Ceramica Fondovalle’s productivity?

F. Tusini: Despite fierce price

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competition caused by the rapid increase in the number of players and offerings at an international level, we have seen our productivity improve due to strong turnover growth.

And while a downward price trend is perfectly normal in any area of innovation, it is important to maintain an effective pricing policy for hi-tech products. In this context it’s obvious that the only weapon at our disposal is a constant commitment to differentiation, which is why we’re proud to come to Cersaie as pioneers in the field of large-size, highthickness through-vein slabs.

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Tile International 2/2018

ADVERTORIAL

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No more accessories precariously fixed to your walls with glue or suction cups!

The french company Mat Inter brings the solution to the market: fixMI® is the world’s first patented tile trim designed to be fitted during installation of ceramic wall tiles, that fulfils two functions brilliantly:  decorative finishing trim  secure mounting system, with impeccable styling, for fitting a wide range

of accessories specifically designed for kitchens and bathrooms.

With fixMI®, not only can you fit accessories along the full length of the trim, you can also change the position of them whenever you want! fixMI® looks right with any style, adapts to an unlimited range of kitchen and bathroom requirements, and offers an exclusive line of accessories with the following features:  strong and stable, with good load-bearing capacity

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a concealed screw  exclusive lines of accessories specifically designed for kitchen and bathroom applications  elegant, minimalist design COMING SOON two new versions of fixMI®:  an electric version for fitting lights and/or electronic devices in areas of kitchens and bathrooms subject to humidity  an electric version for fitting lights and/or electronic devices in other rooms in the home, such as living-rooms, studies and bedrooms.

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Project

Hi-Line Rooftop Bar

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Project

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At the Hi-Line Rooftop Bar, in the Crown Resort in Perth, Australia, Balance pedestals by Impertek support over 600 sq.m of ultra-luxury flooring.

Crown Resorts operates some of the world's most modern and chic luxury hotel complexes - complete with casino, spa and various types of entertainment - including the Crown Melbourne, Crown Sydney and Crown Perth in Austral-

ia, and Crown Aspinnalls in London.

The Crown Resort in Perth opened in 1985, and across the three hotels that make up the complex - the Crown Metropol, Crown Towers and Crown Promenade - it now has almost 6,000 employees and manages over 2,500 gaming machines and 1,000 accommodation units, spanning bedrooms, suites and villas.

The complex boasts a

golf course, an international convention centre and a 2,300-seat theatre, as well as gaming salons, a spa, resort pools and a wide range of restaurants, bars, night-clubs and luxury stores.

One of the jewels of this sumptuous resort is the Hi-Line Rooftop Bar, built on a terrace above the Crown Theatre, along the walkway that connects the three hotels to the casino.

Photo Credit: Stevie Jane Langford 105

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Project

The terrace affords a magnificent view of the skyline of the central business district and the heart of the city, not to mention the Swan River and the Burswood Peninsula, from which you can see the brand-new, 60,000-seat Optus Stadium.

The Hi-Line Rooftop Bar represents the pinnacle of relaxation, where guests from the hotels and gaming salons can enjoy the chic,

Tile International 2/2018

spacious feel of an open-air venue furnished in a modern, welcoming style, and a young, informal environment offering cocktails and bar bites.

Wood and metal structures painted white or black; simple, geometric shapes, and stools and armchairs lit by rows of LED lights alternate with evergreen plants and parasols.

The flooring, consisting of dark and light grey ceramic tiles in size 60x60 cm, covers over 600 sq.m and is raised above the sub-floor by means of 2,300 Balance adjustable pedestals with self-levelling head and heights ranging from 47 to 112 mm.

Forming part of the Impertek Pedestal line, these supports are equipped with the essential installation accessories. In addition to the Balance self-

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levelling head, which automatically compensates for the slope of the ground by up to 5%, the Pedestal line includes pedestals with heads fitted with special tabs for stone flooring, and pedestals with heads designed for decking, CP gradient correctors and Impertek's latest product - the new Clips for creating perfect steps and vertical joints.

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WE’LL EXHIBIT AT

24-28

SEPTEMBER

2018

BOOTH 9 _ AREA 44

display systems & showroom solutions via Ghiarola Nuova, 18/20 - 41042 Fiorano Modenese (MO) - Italy - Tel. +39 0536 995511 - info@polcart.it

Project

Ristorante Cracco, Galleria V. Emanuele (Milan)

From left: Francesco Freri, Dario Sbaraini (chairman of Posami), Chiara Freri, Chef Carlo Cracco and Dennis Bordin (chairman of Progress Profiles).

At the end of February, after three years of work, Carlo Cracco opened his new restaurant in Milan, overlooking the central octagon of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, with the ground-floor windows occupying the space formerly used by Mercedes.

This is a major, multi-storey project designed to integrate the different spirits of the restoration into a single, harmonious whole: on the ground floor, along the walkway covered by the arcade, there's a Bistro-Café serving breakfasts and quick meals; on the first floor, there’s the Ristorante Cracco, featuring the typical décor and furnishing of a refined 19th Century Milanese residence; on the second floor there’s the Sala Mengoni, where events are held; while the lower-ground floor pro-

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vides the ideal climate and location for the cellars and wine bar.

The multi-faceted design context derives from the desire to create a harmonious blend of tradition and innovation, while keeping in step with the refined retro style of late 19th Century Milan.

The thinking behind the project, which was developed by Studio Peregalli, Laura Sartori Rimini and Roberto Peregalli, has been explained in some detail by Carlo Cracco himself: "This place is like a dish that expresses itself through the ingredients, sensations and fragrances it encompasses. Its narrative is about more than architecture and cuisine, it’s about what used to happen here."

It was a demanding task that required close attention to

detail, but, as the award-winning chef points out: “We chose to proceed with care, to bring out the best in this unique setting, and I think that was the right decision”.

This sense of belonging to the city is reflected in the painstaking choice of furnishings, colours and materials, involving special attention to the top-quality finishings, which play a vital role in imbuing the interiors with a touch of elegance.

Progress Profiles: profiles for creating kitchens…

To ensure aesthetic perfection in the installation and finishing of the floor and wall tiles, the designers selected various products by Venetobased Progress Profiles, the leading player in its field.

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Project

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While the membranes and installation systems used for the flooring are no longer visible, the trim profiles definitely are, and they ensure that the kitchen tiling is impeccably laid and suitably protected.

Rounded shells and profiles take pride of place in the complex’s three kitchens (bistro, restaurant and patisserie), while also ensuring easy cleaning and first-class hygiene.

All three kitchens use Proshell and Prointer concave trim profiles in satin-finish stainless steel, because they are outstandingly hygienic, easy to clean and suitable for contact with foodstuffs. To protect the external corners of the wall tiles, furthermore, the de-

Proleveling System, in the bathrooms

Proshell

Proterminal

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Project Prodeso

*POSAMI – expert professional installation Based in Milan, Posami specialises in the supply of turnkey projects.

Posami takes care of every stage of construction, from design to drawing up specifications, selecting materials and installing them to the highest professional standards.

Posami is the ideal contractor for clients who need top-quality workmanship, done on time, in accordance with European standards.

Posami is based in Milan but operates worldwide, using specialist teams and selected, Assoposa-certified personnel.

Posami’s partners include: Mapei, Marazzi, Mosaico+, Progress Profiles, FILA signers opted to fit Projolly, Projolly Quart and the Lshaped Proterminal profiles, all made of stainless steel.

The chef’s kitchen looks magnificent, with its 4-curve ceramic tiles from the Progetto Triennale by Marazzi collection designed by Gio’ Ponti and Alberto Rosselli in 1960.

with gloss finish and thickness of 6mm, decorated with a gold-effect mosaic consisting of a layer of AISI 316 stainless steel over a porcelain ceramic base, from the È Metallo collection by Mosaico+.

The luxurious bathrooms on the various floors also make extensive use of Progress Profiles products, alongside tiles from the Lastre by Marazzi collection (in size 120x60 cm)

The floor and wall tiles were laid by POSAMI*, which installed the entire flooring system, starting with the waterproofing and decoupling of the substrate using Prodeso

… and for the floor and wall tiles

Membrane and Proleveling System by Progress Profiles.

• Prodeso Membrane is a special uncoupling membrane that enables the tiles to be laid without cuts or support joints, thus drastically reducing construction times; • Proleveling System ensures that tiles are laid totally flat, with zero unevenness.

The adhesives and grouts for installing the floor and wall tiling were supplied by Mapei.

The contractors used Ultralite Flex and Kerapoxy CQ grout

by Mapei.

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The work also included delicate operations such as the installation of the restored historic parquet on the first

Proleveling System

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floor, for which Progress Profiles supplied the Proterminal profile.

Proleveling System, in the kitchens

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See you at CERSAIE 2018

Come visit us at HALL 15/A, BOOTH H16 24 > 28 September

FOCUS ON Cersaie 2018

Cersaie 2018

Welcome to the 36 CERSAIE th

The 36th edition of Cersaie opens on Monday 24 September 2018.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony is due to take place at 10.45 am in Piazza Costituzione, the main entrance to the Bologna trade fair complex.

This will be closely followed by the much awaited Inaugural Economic Conference, in Sala Europa at Palazzo dei Congressi.

The opening day of Cersaie will come to an end with the International Press Conference, at Palazzo Re Enzo in the centre of Bologna. The conference will include the awards ceremony for the Ceramics of Italy Journalism Award At 11.00 am on day two (Tuesday 25 September), the KEYNOTE LECTURE by Richard

Rogers, the award-winning British architect and 2007 Pritzker Prize winner, will take place in the Europaauditorium at Palazzo dei Congressi.

The keynote lecture will be preceded by an introductory presentation by the architectural historian Francesco Dal Co. Lord Rogers (who was knighted by Queen Elisabeth in 1991 and was awarded the title Baron Rogers of Riverside in 1996) was born in Florence in 1933 and studied at the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London and at Yale University.

After gaining experience with Team 4, the firm he set up with his first wife Su and with Wendy and Norman Foster, he met Renzo Piano in 1969, with whom he formed a partner-

ship.

In 1971, this partnership (together with Peter Rice, Gian-

franco Franchini and Su Rogers) won the international tender for the Georges Pompi-

"SCACCO BAGNO"

the poster for Cersaie 2018 Scacco bagno, created by the White Stuff team, is the poster for Cersaie 2018: the aim of the poster's designers, a team of students from the Accademia di Brera - Artistic Design for Business, made up of Naima Annoni, Enrica Caiello, Riccardo Piovesan and Maria Cristina Ziviani, was "To create an unexpected solution, imbued with a subtly ironic spirit."

The "Scacco bagno" image was chosen from among the 43 sketches entered in the 8th Beautiful Ideas competition

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for students from Italian universities and higher education institutes. The notice for this 8th edition of the award invited students from IUAV Venezia, Accademia Brera and UniversitĂ di Bolzano to produce an effective portrayal of Cersaie as an international meeting place for people and professionals with an interest in ceramics, architecture and bathroom design. The jury tasked with picking the winning entry was made up of design professionals such as Anna Steiner, a lecturer at the Polytechnic of Milan, and Gianluigi Colin, art director of the Corriere della Sera, and of representatives of Confindustria Ceramica.

COME TO VISIT US

Enrico Montecchi - Fabrizio Mariani per Cersaie 2017

25-29 Settembre 2017

We are waiting for you!

Settori Merceologici

Pavimenti e rivestimenti in materiali non ceramici* - Marmo Pietra Naturale - Pietra Ricostruita - Legno - Parquet - Laminati in Genere - Polimerici - Fibre Naturali - Compositi - Vetro - Rivestimenti in Carta

15 ingresso CALZONI

15 A

14

Arredamenti per ambiente bagno - Complementi ed oggettistica per il bagno - Mobili per bagno - Specchi e specchiere - Tende, tappeti e coordinati in genere - Lavelli - Piani d’appoggio - Elementi di arredobagno per disabili Arredoceramica e Caminetti - Caminetti per arredo - Stufe in ceramica - Cucine piastrellate

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19 22

44

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Gall. 21/22 Galleria dell’Architettura

42 ingresso COSTITUZIONE

CENTRO SERVIZI

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Città della posa: ampia area riservata alla dimostrazione delle nuove tecniche di installazione e posa in opera di pavimenti e rivestimenti.

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TILE EDIZIONI

ingresso NORD Mostra: MILLELUCI Italian Style Concept

ingresso MICHELINO

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Gall. 21-22

Materie prime, attrezzature per prodotti ceramici - Supporto (biscotto) - Coloranti, smalti e fondenti - Prodotti per serigrafia, decalcomanie Attrezzature e materiali per la posa e l’esposizione di prodotti ceramici - Macchine ed attrezzi - Adesivi, impermeabilizzanti e sigillanti - Prodotti per finiture e per il trattamento delle superfici Mobili espositori, espositori per campionari, arredi per sale mostra

LIAN STYLE CONCEPT ITA

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* Settore merceologico in contitolarietà con BolognaFiere

Apparecchiature igienico-sanitarie - Apparecchi igienico-sanitari - Cabine doccia - Vasche da bagno e idromassaggio - Rubinetteria sanitaria - Termoarredo - Saune

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Gall. 15-18

Gall. 25-26

Pavimenti e rivestimenti di ceramica - Bicottura - Clinker - Cotto Gres porcellanato - Gres rosso - Monocottura chiara - Monocottura rossa - Mosaico - Battiscopa, listelli, tozzetti, altri pezzi speciali Frangisole e grigliati in ceramica - Pezzi speciali per piscine - Tegole ceramicate - Pareti ventilate - Pavimenti sopraelevati

• Main Entrance, service centre • Pad. 26, Press Gallery

30 45 26

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25

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Spedizionieri ingresso ALDO MORO

TILE EINTERNATIONAL AT Cersaie 2018 - COME TO VISIT US!

Editoria tecnica - Associazioni, centri di ricerca e di informazione Servizi alle imprese

dou Centre in the renowned Beaubourg district of Paris, which became an icon of contemporary museum architecture.

In 1977, he founded the Richard Rogers Partnership, which was renamed Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners (RSHP) in 2007, to reflect the major contribution made to the firm by Graham Stirk and Ivan Harbour.

As well as winning the prestigious Pritzker Prize in 2007, Richard Rogers also won the RIBA Gold Medal in 1985, the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation Prize for Architecture, the Praemium Imperiale Prize for Architecture in 2000, the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the Venice Biennale in 2006 and the Tau Sigma Delta Gold Medal. In 2008 he became a member of the Order of Companions of Honour, an order of the Commonwealth realms founded by King George V in 1917. RSHP was awarded the Stirling Prize for Terminal 4 of Madrid Barajas airport in 2006 and for the Maggie's Centre in London in 2009.

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Cersaie 2018

Building, Dwelling, Thinking 2018 Launched in 2009, 'Building, Dwelling, Thinking', Cersaie's cultural programme focusing on design and architecture, is now in its 10th edition.

Every year, the programme includes conferences led by renowned architects and designers from all over the world, who present their projects and their vision of architecture and contemporary design.

Over the years, contributors have included Renzo Piano, Shigeru Ban, Enzo Mari, Eduardo Souto de Moura, Patricia Urquiola and Kazuyo Sejima; the topics have ranged from emergency architecture to social housing, Soleri's arcology and women in architecture, and the countries covered have included Italy, Japan, Spain, China and India.

Over the course of nine years of conferences and seminars, the event has hosted over 100 public meetings and 200 speakers, including 5 Pritzker Prize winners.

la Tolerancia y la Inclusión Social” (LUM), the Museum in Lima dedicated to the memory of the civil war that tore Peru apart between 1980 and 2000.

Mario Botta and Guido Canali will take the stage on 27 September at 4.00 pm, while the Photographer Silvia Camporesi will lead "Lesson in Reverse 2018" on 28 September at 10.00 am in the Europauditorium of Palazzo dei Congressi.

In this year's Lesson in Reverse, Silvia Camporesi, who was born in Forlì in 1973 and has a degree in Philosophy, follows in the footsteps of a long series of designers such as Enzo Mari, Elio Caccavale, Alessandro Mendini, Riccardo Dalisi, Riccardo Blumer, Massimo Giacon, Ugo La Pietra and Fabio Novembre.

For more information and programme updates, visit Https://www.cersaie.it/ en/k_cap.php

For the 2018 edition, the programme includes conferences led by Camilo Rebelo (26 September at 10.30 am) and Carla Juaçaba (26 September at 4.00 pm).

Sandra Barclay, Jean Pierre Crousse and Vincenzo Latina will lead the conference entitled The Architecture of Tolerance (27 September at 10.30 am), which will present “Il Lugar de la Memoria,

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24 - 28 September Area 44 - Stand 29

Patent 102015000050917

DISPLAYS & SHOWROOMS - CONCEPT, DESIGN & MANUFACTURING Marocchi s.r.l.

Via G. Di Vittorio, 3 40020 Casalfiumanese (Bologna) Italy

Tel. +39 0542 666136 Fax +39 0542 666762

marocchi@marocchi.com www.marocchi.com

Cersaie 2018

THE SOUND OF DESIGN Italian Style Contract Exhibition event

The Sound of Design

Music becomes the soundtrack of timeless design, as it accompanies visitors on an emotional journey.

The Sound of Design - Italian Style Contract is the title of the collective exhibition taking place at Cersaie 2018.

Held in Hall 30, the exhibition is now in its fifth edition and remains faithful to its transversal approach, with a focus on the world of contract furnishing and beacons of Italian Style.

Music and design are spawned by creativity, stir the emotions and break down barriers: this was the starting point from which the two curators, Angelo Dall'Aglio and Davide Vercelli developed The Sound of Design, whose aim is to demonstrate the value of music and design over the course of time, and its ability to adapt to trends and fashions, and fuel new ideas.

The soundtrack to the exhibition is made up of songs released between 1976 and 1983, which have become timeless icons. Those fertile years were accompanied by an unprecedented mix of musical genres - spanning rock, disco, pop, heavy metal, electro, punk, reggae, ska and hip-hop - which reflected a burst of creativity that was not merely confined to music, but also pervaded and influenced the world of design. Just think of how far design influenced the creation of the musical instruments of that period, and how, at the same time, music became a model for trailblazing designers, and informed the conceptual and

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spatial development of their ideas.

The Sound of Design is an exhibition divided into sets, each with different scenery, in which products are the building blocks of the exhibition space. And of course music, images and video clips from those years accompany visitors on an emotional journey that expresses the flexibility and features of the ceramic and bathroom furnishing products, which are the true stars of the event.

Boosted by the success of the four previous eventexhibitions - CerSea in 2014, CerStile in 2015, CerSail Italian Style Concept in 2016 and Milleluci in 2017 - which attracted a total of 39,800 visitors and 243 exhibitors - the collective exhibition for Cersaie 2018 puts a selection of high-profile companies in touch with an international audience of buyers and professionals constantly on the look-out for new creative cues.

The exhibition’s curators: Angelo Dall’Aglio was born in Bologna in 1969 and took a degree in Architecture, specialising in Industrial Design and Furnishing, at Politecnico di Milano. Since 2015, he has been organisational head of Promos srl, the Operational Secretariat of Cersaie.

Davide Vercelli was born in Varallo in the Italian province of Vercelli in 1966 and holds a degree in Engineering from Politecnico di Torino.

A designer and art director, he has been selected twice for the Compasso d’Oro and received a number of other prestigious international awards, including: Design Plus, the International Design Award, and the Good Design Award.

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www.lafabbrica.it www.avaceramica.it

From ultra-stylish ceramic tiles to extra-large slabs for architecture.

Elegance, innovation, quality - we have the answer for every design need.

La Fabbrica S.p.A. - Via Emilia Ponente, 925 - 48014 Castel Bolognese (RA) Italy - Tel. +39 0546 - 659911 - Fax +39 0546 - 656223 - www.lafabbrica.it - info@lafabbrica.it F O L L O W

U S

Cersaie 2018

Bologna Design Week Following on from the success of the first three editions of Bologna Design Week, the 2018 edition is also based on a partnership with Cersaie aimed at making the historic centre of Bologna another setting in which to celebrate the week of Architectural Ceramic and Bathroom Furnishing, foster interest in design culture and highlight the role of design as a means of continuous cultural innovation.

From Tuesday 25 to Saturday 29 September, vernissages, exhibitions, workshops, competitions, film projections, guided tours and design talks will take place every evening in the historic centre of Bologna, as an accompaniment to the content on display at the 36th Cersaie.

- The night of Wednesday 26 September will come alive with Design Night, held in partnership with Confcommercio Ascom Bologna and involving shops, clubs, Ascom members, city users and visitors in unprecedented itineraries and out-of-hours openings that will change the perception of the historic centre and fill the streets with life.

- A varied range of full-length and short films on the theme of creativity and design will be shown. These are restored films from the archives of the Fondazione Cineteca di Bologna, which will be partnering BDW again this year.

- In conjunction with the Emilia-Romagna Region, the Artistic Directors of the MAMbo - Museo d’Arte Moderna di Bologna has invited the architects Elena Brigi and Daniele Vincenzi to curate an exhibition dedicated to the architect and designer Kazuhide Takahama and his 10 "initiatic" pieces, to be held in the Padiglione de l'Esprit Nouveau, a unique piece of architecture and the gateway to the trade fair complex.

by Stile Bottega Architettura, with the collaboration and sponsorship of BDW; "Future brand identity", an exhibition of projects by students of the University of Bologna for Fiorentini+Baker.

The Bologna Design Week headquarters, info and press point will be at Palazzo Isolani, whose lavish eighteenth-century rooms will host a selection of original show-piece installations by historic design companies, while the courtyard outside will host a lounge bar tended by the Bologna Cocktail Week team.

Other key sites for BDW will be the former Chiesa di Santa Maria della Neve, home to Insidesign Studiostore, and Galleria Cavour, the historic meeting point between fashion, art and design.

BDW 2018 will be a multi-sensory experience thanks to a collaboration with IRMA Records, a Bologna-based record label which was invited to develop the sound design for BDW, in the form of a specific soundtrack that will be played in all

- Then there's a broad programme of events aimed at showcasing the biggest strengths of the region, in which design, fashion, food and cuisine remain significant drivers of economic growth. These events include: "Tutti a tavola. I tavoli da pranzo del design italiano dal 1950 al 1990", a project by experienceIN.it that showcases Italian-designed tables from 1950 to 1990, promoted by the FICO Foundation in collaboration with BDW; "Custom Brand, feel the difference", a project developed

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the participating locations. To accentuate the multi-sensory nature of the user experience and bring holistic appeal to the locations hosting the events, a fragrance will be released along the route. Once over, therefore, Bologna Design Week will leave a lasting legacy of sound and fragrance.

are invited to post a photo of their favourite product on Instagram: the winner will be a special guest at the Design Night, at the headquarters of Bologna Design Week, the eighteenth-century Palazzo Isolani (the contest notice is available for download from bolognadesignweek.com).

BDW 2018 will be making use of social media more than ever: since 24 April, entries have been open for an international photo contest called Design Victim, held in collaboration with Sinverb, a start-up that designs online contests aimed at unearthing creative professional skills for businesses.

Design Victim is a video game for design enthusiasts, who

Lastly, there's a new initiative for visitors: during Bologna Design Week, all participating stores will be offering discounts to people who take part in the "Justselfie" project, which aims to offer a new way for shops to interact with the public, by encouraging sharing on social media to generate interest and promote products.

Advertiser's list Abk 23

Ghelfi 70

Original Parquet

Batimat Russia

159

Impertek 89

Piemme 27

29

Intono 157

Pietre D’arredo

Buzon 49

Italgraniti 53

Polcart

Cerambath 153

Kajaria 111

Polis 63

Cerrad 25

La Fabbrica

Progress Profiles

Inside Front Cover

Cevisama 57

Lasselsberger Rako

Profilpas

Inside Back Cover

Cicpe 85

Laticrete

Dr Tecnica

Made Expo

Bora Celik

77

119 7

Back Cover; 72-73

4-5

39; 34-35 107

Provenza - Emilgroup

19

173

Raimondi 21

Dural 51

Marocchi 117

Rak 6

Eco Design

Materialicasa.com

Revestir 167

Ege 71

Maticad 112

Rondine Group

Elios 97

Matinter 102-103

Savoia

Energieker 1

Mlts Europe

Schluter-Systems Cover

Flaviker 33

Montolit 45

Serenissima-Romani Group

61

Foppiani 135

Niro 143

Top Cer

37

Francesco De Maio

Ng Kutahya

Unicera 176

Fustecma 131

Nuovo Corso

133

47

2-3

10

129

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ABK WIDE.12 (on the left page) extends ABK’s range of large-format panels manufactured using Continua+ technology.

The new 160x320 cm panels have a thickness of 12 mm, making them ideal for producing custom-made worktops, especially for kitchen applications, in view of the strength, immutability and ease of cleaning of the material.

The WIDE range also underpins the Bath Design project: a collection of furniture elements that coordinate perfectly with floor and wall coverings, which ABK designed with bespoke bathroom environments in mind.

Elegant suspended shelves, washbasins and shower trays featuring minimalist design, can be made to measure in line with the Mix & Match philosophy embraced by the company based in Finale Emilia (Italy).

By juxtaposing different textures, this philosophy gives designers infinite scope for originality.

ABK has also extended its offering with PLAY, a trend-setting project that brings back the more playful and decorative spirit of ceramic.

The 20x20 cm square tile is the leading light of this collection and features patterns and colours that draw inspiration from majolica and cement-based tiles.

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EMILGROUP LEVEL is a new line of large-format ceramic panels, measuring 160x320 cm, in which exquisite aesthetics meet the excellence of porcelain tile, to give rise to innovative design projects.

The two variants - one measuring 160x320 cm with a thickness of 6.5 mm in an edge-ground format, and the other measuring 162x324 with a thickness of 12 mm in a non-edge-ground format - are ideal for creating continuous tops and backsplashes for kitchens and bathrooms, worktops, tables, doors and floor and wall coverings, including for outdoor environments, with unprecedented scope for detailing, customisation and cross-coordination.

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MLT SYSTEM

TM

MLT SYSTEM™ (Mechanical widespread use of ultra-slim Lippage Tuning System) is a tiles (3-5mm) and large forpatented, simple and revolumats has prompted the detionary floor and wall instalvelopment of special technilation system, integrating cal solutions that meet the 100% Italian technology and needs of working with miniquality, as a result of an Italmal joints. One such solution ian-American partnership is the Slim line, whose reusawhich has strengthened the ble T1 straps enable tilers to company’s presence on forcreate joints as narrow as eign markets in recent years, 0.5 mm, which is impossible particularly in the United with any other system on the States. market.

In this respect, the system fully The Ready strap T2 line, by concomplies with the new instaltrast, meets the needs of lation standards for thin malarge-scale commercial interials as required by the new stallations. Because they are ANSI 108.19 regulation isalready connected to the sued by the Tile Council of plate, they require no pre-asNorth America (TCNA). sembly, so reduce installaMLT System™ is simple, fast to tion times. use and reliable, and enables Furthermore, two Starter KITS both professionals and (Ready and Slim series) have non-professionals to tile been put together to enable floors, walls and ceilings users to test the quality of quickly and impeccably. The the products at minimum most successful products in outlay. Sold in handy conrecent years have been the tainers, they include Slim and Ready lines of everything you need for tile straps. The increasingly setting (photo).

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MARAZZI MINERAL is the Marazzi tile collection based on reflective, iridescent, metallic effects, designed with contemporary, minimalist environments in mind. The 75x75 cm format is available in three different surface finishes, Natural, Velvet and Brill, and five colours that reprise the hues of different metals: platinum, iron and silver for the cold colours Black, iron and silver; and bronze and corten steel for the warm colours, which reveal deep traces of copper in its various nuances.

Technical specifications: • Porcelain tile • 5 colours: black, bronze, iron, silver, corten steel • 5 edge-ground formats: 75x150 - 25x150 - 75x75 - 60x60 30x60 cm • 3 surface finishes: “natural”, available in all sizes and colours; “velvet” and “brill” available in size 75x75 cm in all colours • accents and mosaics: “rough cut”, “decorative” and “traditional”.

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PROGRESS PROFILES At Cersaie 2018, Progress ble is an electrical caProfiles is presenting a ble, with a new diamenew version of the ter of 6.5 mm, equipped PRODESO HEAT with several resistors in GRIP SYSTEM, the parallel. It’s made in electric heating system such a way that if damthat combines flexibiliaged, it shuts down the ty, innovation and enoperation of only a very ergy efficiency. This small area of the sysrevolutionary system tem as a whole. for floors and walls pro- Prodeso Heat Grip System vides warmth in a matcan be installed in a ter of minutes, only single day, on an existwhere it’s needed and ing floor and only in the without wasting enerareas of the home gy. where it’s needed. It’s The system consists of two the most innovative elements: and flexible solution of • Prodeso Heat Grip its kind, and enables Membrane, a wateryou to get your bathproofing, decoupling room warm and commembrane with a thickfortable in minutes. ness of just 7.5 mm, With Prodeso Heat Grip made of polythene and Thermostat, you can alequipped with a heatso monitor the system sealed polypropylene when you’re away from non-woven fabric on home, by programming the bottom. The new the heating cycle from form of the membrane you phone. The digital is suitable for any type thermostat enables you of floor or wall coverto differentiate being. It vents out vapour, tween different areas of optimises performance the home, thus optimisand ensures better aning comfort and minichoring to the adhesive, mising costs. to offer five times more Prodeso Heat Grip System tear strength than the is covered by an interprevious model. It’s alnational patent which so equipped with slots testifies to the firstso that you can fasten class quality, strength the electric heating caand performance that ble easily and only make it incomparable where needed. to any other product on • Prodeso Heat Grip Cathe market.

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BIGSLABS

STATURE IS A STATUS. www.nuovocorso.it

Cersaie 2018

ECO DESIGN Some representative pictures showing the business of ECO DESIGN srl who has been working for 27 years designing and producing EXHIBITION STANDS, showroom furnitures and display systems.

Here we see a booth made at Cersaie 2017 and some show-room concepts focused on big-size products for which the company is conceiving new ideas.

Study and development of every single project are done searching for the perfect union between the respect of customers' needs and the use of the most innovative architectural trends so that the place of sale is functional for the employees and appealing to the public.

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DISPLAYS&SHOWROOMS CONCEPT · DESIGN · MANUFACTURING

Photo by Jennifer Burk on Unsplash

...tailored for you.

export@fustecma.com

Cersaie 2018

PROFILPAS At this year’s Cersaie, Profilpas is presenting XL DESIGN, a new range of profiles dedicated to large-format tiles and panels. Thanks to their length of 320 cm, these profiles are the perfect finish for even the largest formats, and bring an air of elegance and refinement to any environment.

XL Design includes a new line of decorative listels, profiles for external corners and skirting boards, featuring modern lines that generate original effects of light and shade. The new skirting board and decorative listels with LED lights make the line even more special with their distinctive light effects.

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Cersaie 2018

DR TECNICA ML.XL009 FREE is the latest metal display system for large-format tiles and panels from DR Tecnica, a designer and manufacturer of ceramic tile display systems.

ML.XL009 Free is designed for the display of different sizes - 60x120 - 90x90 - 75x150 - 90x180 - 120x120 - 80x80 - and can hold up to 10 carriages of various sizes, making it extremely flexible and practical for a huge range of different display requirements.

ML.XL009 Free is a DR Tecnica’s latest addition to its range of metal display systems which, with Metal Line, has complemented the company’s traditional wood-built systems for some years.

DR Tecnica’s Metal Line now consists of the following series: CLASSIC in 11 versions for different formats, KUBE with drawer units in 6 versions, and XL in 12 versions.

Continuous research and customer contact are the strengths of the company, which has significantly developed and extended its product range over a short period of time, while also stepping up its coverage of the various markets it operates in.

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relax. we take good care of your shippings.

small, with great numbers.

Foppiani Shipping & Logistics Srl Via Chemnitz 4 - 59100 Prato ď‚•+39.0574.7295219 foppianishipping.it info@foppianishipping.it

Cersaie 2018

GHELFI CLICK LEVELLING SYSTEM is • Zero is a levelling base designated the latest addition to the Ghelfi “universal”, as it is compatible with family of tile levelling systems: feathe vast majority of third-party turing screw-in bases and levelling wedges currently on the market, caps for fitting from above, it incorand is also recommended for slimporates an array of patented imgauge tiles. It is designed for instalprovements compared with previlation on the side of the tile and ous-generation screw-in systems, supports a minimum joint of 1.5 while remaining compatible with mm. many of them.

• Click, Ghelfi’s latest patented prodThe most significant innovations inuct, comprises linear, T- and clude the mechanism for rapid exX-shaped screw-in bases and builttraction of the screw after breakin spacers for joints of 1, 2, 3 and 4 age, and the anti-scratch system inmm. tegrated into the bottom edge of the The caps have ergonomic dimenlevelling cap. sions and are easy to tighten by • SPS is a patented Ghelfi product hand, so there’s no need for other featuring modular bases for instaltools. The product’s stand-out fealation at the corners of tiles, wedgtures include its mechanism for es that can be fitted without pliers quick extraction of the screw, its anand built-in spacers for 1.5 mm, 3 ti-scratch system and its compatimm and 5 mm joints. bility with many existing systems.

Sistema POSA FACILE

WORKS YOUR WAY SPF

ZERO

The levelling wedge in the corner

The universal levelling clip

NEW

1,5 mm

3 mm

Now 1, 2, 3, 4 mm thickness also available

5 mm 1,5 mm

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CLICK

The quick and reliable levelling cap

1 mm

2-3-4 mm

2-3-4 mm

CERASARDA ABITARE LA TERRA is a project by the designer and ceramicist Maria Luisa Brighenti, which inaugurates the Cerasarda Design section with an innovative product.

This unprecedented collection draws inspiration from the warm, rich, generous soil of Sardinia, and is characterised by a strong sense of texture and chromatic harmony.

It’s an original ceramic material that combines craft knowhow - in keeping with the hand-made approach of the designer - with state-of-the-art production technologies, to cater for an infinite range of of floor and wall covering requirements.

Abitare la Terra is aimed at an international market of architects, specifiers, interior designers and private customers with discerning tastes.

Technical specifications: • Porcelain tile and double-fired white-body ceramic • Colours: Barbagia: 6 shades of green; Ogliastra: 6 shades of blue; Bosa: 6 shades of clay; Sulcis: 2 blacks + 4 tones of grey; 3 Whites • Formats and finishes: glazed porcelain tile 80x80 40x80 - 40x40 - 20x80 - 6.5x80 - 6.5x40 - 6.5x6.5 cm; on 20x20 cm mesh • Double-fired white-body ceramic 20x20 - 6.5x20 6.5x6.5; on 20x20 cm mesh • Accents: Rodo and Tracce

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RONDINE GROUP With GIOIA 3D, the marble effect continues to amaze with its veins faithfully reproduced in a three-dimensional version..

This collection represents the perfect combination of practicality and design, for modern spaces with a sophisticated flavor.

Ideal for modernizing a studio, elegant bedroom or refined bathroom, Gioia 3D is the optimal result of the union between the safety and practicality of porcelain stoneware and the timeless beauty of marble.

All the realism of the marble stone available in five different shades, in the 15x61 format, and with a thickness ranging from 7 to 11 mm, to create scenographic rooms.

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POLIS CERAMICHE At Cersaie 2018, Polis Ceramiche is previewing its SPEZIE collection of wood-effect porcelain tile, which offers immense appeal without compromising on the strength of ceramic.

The collection is available in two edge-ground formats - 20x120 and 30x120 cm - and five different wood effects that evoke the fragrance of Cumin, Cardamom, Tamarind, Turmeric and Horseradish.

Ideal for use in gardens, terraces and swimming pools, the version with a thickness of 2 cm, available in three colours in the edge-ground 30x120 format, is a perfect synthesis of technical performance, aesthetics and versatility.

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SCHLÜTER-SYSTEMS Schlüter-Systems will be showcasing a wide range of new developments at the 36th edition of Cersaie.

First of all, it has a brand new stand! For the first time in its history, the company from Iserlohn (Germany) will not be exhibiting in the external area, but in Hall 31/A, stand A25, with an area of 200 sq.m.

The stand will be displaying a wide range of products, including the new SCHLÜTER-SHELF wall shelves, which can be installed without drilling through tiles and are available in brushed stainless steel, aluminium and in the colours of the Schlüter-TRENDLINE range.

Featuring the elegant CURVE and FLORAL motifs, they are available in five variants, which can be installed in bathrooms and kitchens alike.

The corner shelf comes in three different shapes, and the classic linear wall shelf comes in two different sizes. These sizes reflect the measurements of the SchlüterKERDI-BOARD-N prefabricated flush-fitting niches, so the shelves can also be used as separating elements within the niche.

One of the distinctive features and big advantages of Schlüter-SHELF is the fact that it can be installed either at the same time as the ceramic tiles or at a later date, after the wall tiling has been done. The shelves are equipped with small fixing tabs 2 mm thick, which are easy to insert into the joint between two tiles by simply cutting into the grout.

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ITALGRANITI LOFT, the latest collection from Italgraniti, faithfully interprets the vintage appearance of reclaimed wood in five on-trend shades.

The new line inspires architects and designers with new, original creative options, thanks to its versatility in combination with other collections, resulting in unique crossovers of styles and materials.

Available in two thicknesses (9.5 and 20 mm), the product fosters dialogue between indoor and outdoor environments, while the technical performance of porcelain tile makes it ideal for use in both.

Intimate and contemporary, Loft provides new textural evocations and unexpected harmonies of colour.

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MONTOLIT PROJECT 300 ... to 3 meters and beyond…

Brevetti Montolit from the entrance on the market of the tiles called “large formats” (porcelain stoneware slabs from 125 up to 360 cm length), has created, in collaboration with the most prestigious producers of giant tiles, specific “ide-as” and equipment to favor the handling, working and laying, in compliance of the Montolit philosophy: research and study new solutions to build robust tools that can simplify even the most professionally complex jobs.

The result was “Project 300”, a set consisting of machines and equipment in continuous development following the constant evolution in the technical characteristics dictated by the market of these slabs consisting in aesthetic specifica-tions and different dimensions or thickness.

During the next Cersaie Exhibition from 24th to 28th September (new loca-tion Stand B48 PAD 31) will be the opportunity to present the innovations already present in the 2018 catalog (www.montolit.com).

Starting from the handling of materials, the specific products are: SUPERLIFT totally modular steel frame (unique in the market) for lifting and positioning of giant tiles, designed to ensure maximum safety and stability, it’ s equipped with large diameter suction cups (200 mm) with safety vacuum gauge and new clamps clamping system that make every regulation quicker and safer.

GOAL EVO new version of the trolley for moving on wheels the slabs, Tile International 2/2018

grown in size and strengthened to therefore extreme precision, the poincrease its ca-pacity up to 260 kg, sitioning of the handles to improve it’ s characterized by the steel strucergonomics, the high perfor-mances ture and the large diameter rubber of the new vacuum system that wheels, that make it even more “ adapts to all types of aspirators easy “ the movement on uneven guarantees the total absence of dust. floors. Interfacing with Superlift Very im-portant is the sliding platthrough specific supports, becomes form made of scratch-resistant maan indis-pensable tool for slabs positerial but easily replaceable. The tioning and glue spreading operarange of diamond wheels is comtions. plete, from those for the creation of The slabs normally require different bevels / Jolly (up to 15mm thick) processes such as cutting, bevelling, available depending on the materidrilling, etc. to realize these operaals with diamond grain “ medium tions in complete safety and ergo“or” fine “, to those for bevels (3 and nomics way, Brevetti Montolit has 5 mm) up to tools for creating radii created Table-one a modular sup(3.5.10 mm). Sold in the professionport table in aluminum / steel strucal protective bag, Toprofile is a “Plug ture that can be modeled in order to and Play” machine, it is supplied fulprovide full support for the tiles in ly assembled, adjusted and ready for all configurations up to maximum use.In the area of diamond tools, we size of 240 x 150 cm. created the diamond blades Slim Cut The cross bars, with anti-scratch rubber and the Kit of diamond core-drills inside, can be easily moved sideways FSS-KIT expressly developed for thin and / or slide back and forth as needslabs. The first ones, made exclusiveed, also the height of the worktop is ly in the 100 and 150 mm diameadjustable in three positions to ters, are to be used exclusively with adapt to the height of the installer Tutor-Cut (Ø100) the patented and and the operations needs. Table-one exclusive guide system to obtain perbeing completely disassembled,it fect cuts and on Moto Flash-Line (Ø proves to be extremely easy to move 150mm). Extremely thin, with speand transport. cial diamond grits they allow fast New Item concerning the equipment and free cuts. The same concept for for the slabs beveling and profiling, the diamond core drills for grinder is added to the already very popular FSS, sold in a complete kit consisting Flash Line (manual cutting system) of the three most used diameters and Moto Flash Line (electric saw (25-35-50mm). machine sliding on the same bar) the TOPROFILE a pro-filer machine A lot of resources have been dedicated to for the creation of bevels and differdevelop the revolutionary thumping ent radius. The main features are the suction cup BATTILE. die-cast aluminum structure, which Powered with lithium ion batteries it’s a ensures lightness and rigidity, offers compact and light item and allows, in a wide and safe con-tact surface and the case of small / medium sized tiles, 146

the positioning by suction cup while the vibration move-out any bubbles air from the below of tiles, that if trapped between the adhesive and the tile could cause breakage.

In the case of big slabs, the use of Battile is essential to ensure perfect

adherence of the adhesive and to avoid annoying and dangerous “voids”. The intensity of the vibration it’s adjustable from 5.000 to 18.000 vibrations / minute by the potentiometer located near the handle.

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PROFILITEC FLOORTEC is an uncoupling membrane placed between a ceramic tile flooring and the substrate, using an appropriate adhesive.

The membrane is composed of high density polyethylene, laminated with Spunbond non-woven fabric on the underside, with a total thickness of 3mm.

The geometric configuration of the membrane is designed as circular cavities 3mm deep, arranged at regular horizontal and vertical intervals. During the installation phase, the circular cavities contain the adhesive, forming a solid column structure. The membrane carries out 4 functions: • TENSION COMPENSATION (uncoupling characteristic) The membrane is able to absorb differential movement in all directions, neutralizing tension and movement between the support structures (concrete mortar bed or wood structures) and the flooring, hence preventing stress build-up and tile cracks.

• VAPOR MANAGEMENT The membrane mediates the moisture rising from a concrete mortar bed through the floor installation, allowing the flooring to be installed without waiting the usual curing time for concrete (28 days). The humidity evaporates through the interstitial spacing between the waterproof membrane and the non-woven fabric.

• LOAD RESISTANCE The column structure of the membrane provides increased load resistance: the adhesive collects in the circular cavities, forming a solid column support structure. FLOORTEC is the first thin uncoupling membrane on the market to pass Level 14 (Extra-Heavy Commercial) of the Robinson Wheel Test, an industry standard from the Tile Council National Association (ASTM C627).

• WATERPROOFING The membrane material, HDPE (high density polyethylene), is waterproof. The top layer of the membrane blocks water infiltration, facilitating the natural water evaporation process. The mortar bed is therefore protected from water percolation and not subjected to damage due to ice formation caused by low temperatures during the winter months.

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PIEMME The new STONE CONCEPT collection reprises the white Burgundy stone that typically adorns the reception areas of medieval French châteaux along the Loire. A form of sedimentary limestone, it has light, variegated vein patterns, in colours ranging from white to beige to grey. Stone Concept tiles are designed for installation in residential, commercial and public areas, to create internally and externally coordinated environments, and to enhance walls with three-dimensional surfaces.

The collection is available in four sizes and with two accents, in line with its inspiration from reclaimed historic finishes and installation patterns.

Stone Concept recreates the natural effects of stone for residential and contract-furnished environments.

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SERENISSIMA COSTRUIRE is a fine porcelain tile collection that expresses the most intense textures of contemporary architecture: the typical softness of clay and the primordial appeal of oxidised metal lie at the heart of an innovative, versatile, on-trend range.

Five soft colours underline the elegance of clay, and four intense shades bring out the full power of metal.

The collection’s strengths include its wide range of modular formats and thicknesses: from the traditional 30x60, 60x60, 40x80, 30x120 and 60x120 cm sizes, with a thickness of 10 mm, up to the new large formats measuring 80x180, 20x180, 20x80, 100x100 and 50x100 cm, with a thickness of 8.5 mm. Lastly, for outdoor applications, there’s a 60x60cm tile (R11) with a thickness of 19 mm, which is suitable for dry installation, and 3 different mosaics, including in a brick format, for creating elegant decorative inserts on wall coverings.

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NUOVO CORSO The large size of the BIG SLABS by Nuovocorso (160x320 cm) recalls the different graphic varieties of marble to offer creativity and multiple uses, from furniture to coverings to ventilated walls, thanks to the play of veins that create unexpected shapes. The two thicknesses (12 and 6.5 mm) reinforce the technical characteristics of the product, resistant to freezing and high temperatures, suitable for contact with food, anti-scratch and easy to clean.

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ORIGINAL PARQUET “AN INFINITE PALETTE OF COLOURS FOR CREATING YOUR OWN WORK OF ART” At Cersaie 2018, Original Parquet will be presenting its vast range of colours for wood flooring. This extensive range is as varied as the palette of a painter about create a colourful work of art.

As a dedicated follower of design and fashion, Original Parquet is a dynamic company with an instinctive feel for the latest market trends. This makes it uniquely able to meet the requirements of private customers and, more particularly, businesses and designers who need a high-profile product or a specially targeted product produced to a specific design.

That’s why Original Parquet is permanently on the look-out for new sources of inspiration, which it finds by investing in research into new materials and finishes, brand communication and trade fairs, events, partnerships and sponsorship agreements.

For several years, the company has been taking steps to consolidate its sales and retail network, and promote its brand by means of a specific strategic marketing plan involving the opening of single-brand stores in Asia and the implementation of other projects in Europe and increasingly far-flung markets such as Hong Kong, Taiwan, the Philippines and New Zealand.

This undoubtedly gives Original Parquet even more appeal on the market, because it furthers the company’s reputation as a trendsetter and benchmark for firms and architects in the interior design world and contract furnishing sector.

Original Parquet has always succeeded in expanding, year by year, thanks to its ability to keep its finger on the pulse of the global market and speak the universally understood language of image, product quality, professionalism and customer focus.

Original Parquet continues to invest in equipping its plants with the latest technologies for wood flooring production, with a view to setting ever higher standards in a selected market.

Cersaie 2018 will be the ideal opportunity for the company to present its latest products, which are the result of sophisticated, high-tech research aimed at offering elegant, design-oriented products that are also durable and high-quality, so as to meet all kinds of stylistic and technical expectations.

One of the company’s flagship products for 2019, which will be on display at the Original Parquet stand at Cersaie 2018, is the JUMBO SPINA collection. This is an original interpretation of the herringbone installation pattern, involving the use of short, wide floorboards to give it a more modern appeal.

Another product not to be missed at Cersaie is the CALIBRO 50 collection, which starts in a small size with an elegant range of colours and the possibility of herringbone or classic staggered installation, plus a surface finish called VISSUTA (meaning “lived-in”), created using a state-of-the-art processing machine acquired by the company in the past year.

This new machine yields a product with an extremely natural sawn appearance, by replicating the lines of many sizes, ranging from fine to coarse, that typically appear on sawn floorboards. This same technology is also used to produce the surface appearance of Original Parquet’s all-new HEAT-TREATED OAK HERRINGBONE FLOORBOARDS. On this product, prior to oil-finishing, the rigorously selected oak is treated in a drying chamber that uses heat only, rather than the ammonia vapour used on conventional heat-treated flooring.

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RAIMONDI RLS: tiles chipping (and scratching) preventing platform and multi-size spacer There are tiles that have a particularly delicate top finishing.

To avoid potential accidental damage during their installation, Raimondi presents a new (patented) anti-chipping and anti-scratch platform to be used in combination with the well-known RLS leveling system.

To avoid potential accidental damage during their installation, Raimondi presents a new (patented) anti-chipping and anti-scratch platform to be used in combination with the well-known RLS leveling system.

The platform performs two functions at the same time: • Anti-chipping: prevents the stems of the RLS clip to touch the edge of the tile during wedge insertion. • Anti-scratch: prevents the wedge to touch the tile.

Furthermore, to give further added value to the product, the platform can also be used as a removable and reusable multi-size-spacer (1,5, 2 and 3 mm).

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Media planning and advertising.

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Media relations.

→

Direct e-mail Marketing.

Restrained Measured

G e n t l e FORCEFUL a c c o m o d a t i n g

E m p h a t i c

Emphatic

Familiar

Sophisticated

Humorous

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Content for websites, blogs and social media.

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Database creation.

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Dignified

Solemn

R e s p e c t f u l

Economic and technical articles, case histories, interviews and product data sheets.

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HUMOROUS

Respectful Determined

Forceful

EMPHATIC Restrained F i r m L i v e l y Determined CONSIDERATE

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Direct Passionate

gentle

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National and international press office.

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Passionate Discreet

Sophisticated

Diplomatic

Lively

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Organisation of events, technical conferences, open houses, workshops and educational initiatives.

INtono Comunicazione offers the services of Villa Marchetti, an eighteenth-century villa in Baggiovara (Modena) that has rooms equipped for any kind of event. www.villamarchetti.it

INtono Comunicazione S.r.l. - Via Martinella, 71 - 41043 Maranello (MO) - c/o Omniadvert S.p.A.

ufficiostampa@intonocomunicazione.it www.intonocomunicazione.it

Cersaie 2018

BUZON The POLYPROPYLENE SUPPORTS proposed by Buzon respond promptly to the market needs on the front of raised floors, presenting an ergonomic design, a highly resistant structure and an adjustable height that makes them particularly suitable for the realization of terraces of different sizes.

These adjustable floor pedestals can be used with different types and forms of terrace coverings.

The extensive range of BUZON solutions ensures easy, stable and durable installation of concrete tiles, natural stone, ceramic.

Moreover, the range of levelling accessories can correct the level by up to 5% and in some cases 10%. In specific, the pedestal collection includes 3 series - PB, BC, DPH – with different properties depending on the context of use.

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RAIMONDI MEGATITINA: floor preparation machine for abrading, scratching and sanding surfaces.

Raimondi introduces MEGATITINA, a single-disc machine ideal both for scratching porcelain surfaces (but also marble, resin, concrete, etc.) as well as for sanding and smoothing irregular surfaces.

The power (4 hp for 400V three-phase version, 3.4 hp for 230V single-phase version) combined with the relatively compact diameter of the tools holder disc (Ø 280/380 mm) and the adjustable weight (from 67 to 73 kg) confers the machine an impressive effectiveness.

Furthermore, MEGATITINA is equipped with a pair of 3 Kg (each) ballasts (which can be positioned near the motor unit or near the handle or removed completely) that allow to modulate the pressure exerted on the surface to be treated as well as to balance the machine at best.

MEGATITINA è studiata per riuscire a lavorare senza problemi fino a filo parete grazie a ruote e manico traslabili e alla protezione disco adattabile ad ogni situazione.

The tools holder dick is designed for mounting both tools with Frankfurt attachment (maximum 3) and with 12x40 mm diamond segments (3 or 6).

Equipped for dust extraction. Separable motor and handle units to facilitate transport.

400 V version equipped with two tool-holder discs and two disc-cover casings: Ø 280 mm and Ø 380 mm.

230 V version equipped only with tool-holder discs disc-cover casing Ø 280 mm.

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FLAVIKER As well as presenting its latest collections of inspirational materials at Cersaie 2018, Flaviker is also exhibiting a broader, more versatile and more creative application of large formats, involving the world of interior design and bathroom furnishing. Ceramic coverings make a top-quality alternative to natural materials for the creation of furniture and worktops, partly because of their extreme practicality and high technical performance. To make the most of this potential, Flaviker has introduced the WIDE.12MM range of ceramic panels measuring 160x320cm with a thickness of 12mm, which are ideal for kitchen worktops.

The multi-form aesthetics of WIDE 7MM panels, by contrast, finds expression in the Bath Design collection of bathroom furnishings to pair with floor and wall tiles.

Customers can also use the Flaviker material library to order shelves, accessory-holders, washbasins, shower trays and bath tubs with elegant, minimalist design, in standard or made-to-measure sizes. There’s also a choice of panels from the Supreme collection, which replicate the most sought-after types of marble, and the contemporary character of Hyper, with its hyper-realist, post-industrial concrete effects.

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CERRAD Cerrad presents a new premium brand from the company – ULTIME: three collections of large format tiles, 160 x 320 cm, in different surface effects.

The CONCRETE collection embodies simplicity and elegance. It combines the beauty of raw concrete with impressive dimensions, allowing the creation of minimalist and sophisticated designs. It is available in matte or polished finish, in three colour variations: grey, graphite and anthracite grey.

The slabs from the MARQUINA and STATUARIO collections focus on smooth, glossy surface and original and dynamic patterns.

Cerrad presents also a new collection of terrace tiles: CERRAD 2.0.

The tiles form the MONTEGO (20mm) and LUKKA (18mm) collections offer not only beautiful design but also have exceptional performance parameters. Due to their high breaking strength, non-slip qualities and low water absorption it is possible to use them in driveways and garages, regardless the weather conditions. The tiles are available in five colour variations: grey, desert, dust, graphite and anthracite grey.

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KAJARIA CERAMICS ULTIMA is a glazed porcelain tiles collection with high flexural strength, made with mould based technology.

Marble effect slabs are available in format 120x180 cm and with different surface finishings: polished, matte, gloss matte, metallic, translucent.

Ultima can be used for both indoor and outdoor environments to enrich floors and walls.

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DURAL The profile manufacturer Dural presents new mat systems for tile and natural stone, as well as shower channels which expands the current level-access shower system product range.

The new DURABASE ET-S sealing system includes all the required components such as sealing tape, brackets and polymer adhesive.

The new Durabase FGT mat system made of fibreglass matting and fabric is dedicated to substrate stabilisation and decoupling: thanks to this special design, it prevents the transmission of stress from the substrate to the floor covering and thus effectively prevents the formation of cracks.

Dural presents further development of its well-known linear shower channel with the Vario-Line Plus.

It has an EPS core, available in a variety of lengths and supplied completely pre-assembled.

Furthermore, the Xflat line is the successor to the proven Basic-Line product range, featuring a second drainage level, and Wall Line to be installed directly on the wall.

The system therefore allows for a level shower floor which can be tiled without interruption.

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12 – 15 MAR 2019 12-13 MARCH 2019 BUSINESS DAYS — BUSINESS AND NETWORKING

Promoted by

Co-located Events

14-15 MARCH 2019 CREATIVE DAYS — TRENDS AND CONTENTS

Organization

Brazilian Exhibition of Coverings, Sanitary Ware, Faucets and Finishing Materials Expo Revestir has a new way to welcome you.

Special days focus on different interests.

Online registration www.exporevestir.com.br

Cersaie 2018

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NG KUTAHYA 120x240 cm sized ALBATROS and VISTA, equipped with modern desings, are preffered by who can not dispense with nature.

Albatros’ unique design and Vista’s minimal visual provide the perfect combination in contemporay spaces.

30x240 cm sized IROKO reflects the pure beauty of nature with the texture of the wood, while BLUETTA - sized 120x240 cm – reveals a unique appearance thanks to special patterns. 120x240 sized Statuario is among the classics with its dark gray lines floating on white Italian marble effect, making a difference with its high technology.

STELLA, which can be applied both indoors and outdoors, creates stylish places with glamorous design. 60x120 cm sized, Stella provides a variety of color alternatives and surface texture beyond what is known.

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NIRO With cohesion and character, NATURAL & ABSTRACT tells a brand new design story.

The beautiful curation gracefully emulates the dynamic kaleidoscope of the world around us as it fuses different designs into one, from the organic sensibilities of nature-inspired effects to the urban vibes of abstract patterns.

The result is an unusual visual depth and eclectic expression at home.

The ceramic collection is suitable for floor and wall and all the designs can be used for mix&match solutions.

It also comes in various surfaces and sizes of 60x120cm and 80x80cm.

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TOPCER HOLLYWOOD, SAN FRANCISCO, SAN DIEGO, SEATTLE and PORTLAND. These are the names of the new tile proposal based on pressed lozenges back mounted on fiberglass nettings in modules of 284x305mm. An eclectic coating for interior with a contemporary and bold taste.

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13/16 INTERNATIONAL TRADE SHOW FIERA MARCH FOR A RCHIT ECT URE AN D MILANO RHO 2019 THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY ITALY

PICK NEW IDEAS MADE IN MILAN madeexpo.it

THE LEADING TRADE SHOW IN ITALY TO DESIGN, BUILD & RENOVATE. CONSTRUCTION AND MATERIALS, BUILDING ENVELOPE & WINDOWS, INTERIORS AND FINISHES, SOFTWARE & TECNOLOGIES. Promoted by

Partner

Cersaie 2018

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RAK CERAMICS Among the latest Rak Ceramics tiles presented at Cersaie 2018 emerges MPROJECT: a sophisticated and exclusive concept that comes from the integrated development of materials such as putty, spatulate resins and woods, coordinated in a single color palette.

The environments designed with MProject return an elegant result of strong aesthetic impact, obtained thanks to the fusion of different textures, formats and warm or cold shades. The spatulas and woods tell the gestures of a craftsman’s knowledge, the passion for the refinement and the character of environments conceived as unique and unrepeatable creations. The different sizes (20x120 - 120x180 - 60x120 - 75x75) lend themselves to any installation method, while the surfaces enhance the encounter between light and matter, with surprising effects able to improve every room.

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PROFILES FOR LARGE-SIZE SLABS: THE DETAIL ENHANCES THE DIMENSIONS Large-size slabs give the possibility to create new architectural solutions and to revolutionise the concept of space, but what enhances the design, the light and the beauty is the detail.

The new profiles for external corners, decorative listellos and skirting boards of XL Design line add value to large-size slabs, highlighting the surfaces and creating special effects of light and shade. Thanks to their shape, these profiles create original plays of suspension, thus becoming real decorative elements.

Profilpas Spa Via Einstein 38, 35010 Cadoneghe (PD) - Italy - Tel. +39 049 8878411 - Fax. +39 049 706692 - info@profilpas.com - www.profilpas.com

Green has never looked so good

Better products for a more sustainable world.

Find out more at the LATICRETE booth Area 31, Stand A61-B56 RESPONSIBLY

™

GREEN

Introducing the new LATICRETE Green Flooring System – a self-levelling system that will revolutionise the flooring industry and help the environment. ®

LATICRETE EUROPE SRL. www.laticrete.eu A-8521-0718 ©2018 LATICRETE Europe SRL. All trademarks shown are the intellectual properties of their respective owners.