Tile International 3/2019

Search ‘Tile Edizioni’ and ‘MaterialiCasa’

ISSN2039-8301

cevisama

2020

www.progressprofiles.com

A World of warmth and comfort in respect with the nature.

PATENTED 002748822 US 8,176,694 B2 US 9,188,348 B2 US 9,416,979 B2 US 9,518,746 B2 US 9,625,163 B2 US 9,719,265 B2 US 9,977,931 B2 US 10,006,644 B2 US 10,107,505 B2 US 10,215,423 B2 Patents Pending

PRODESO® HEAT SYSTEM Progress Profiles innovative and patented PRODESO® HEAT SYSTEM for electrical walls and floors heating ensures pleasant warm and comfortable environment with short laying times and at low cost. The system can be used on all kinds of substrate thanks to the membrane uncoupling and waterproofing properties. Temperature and operating times can be controlled from a latest generation thermostat that also guarantees significant savings in energy costs.

The system is quick and easy to install in all conditions and has an overall thickness of only 5.5 mm, far thinner than any alternative system. It is also maintenance free over time.

This smart, responsible technology supports the growing demand for sustainable solutions and energy saving while also satisfying the needs of contemporary architecture and evolved home automation. A world of natural, warm wellbeing.

GET IT ON

UNCOUPLING CRACK ISOLATION

VAPOR AND MOISTURE MANAGEMENT

WATERPROOFING

LOAD DISTRIBUTION

Erhältlich bei

Progress Profiles SpA

Certificated company UNI EN ISO 9001:2015

Maximum flexibility, protection, safety, indoors and outdoors.

PATENTED 003368984

PRODESO® MEMBRANE SYSTEM PRODESO® MEMBRANE SYSTEM is an uncoupling and waterproofing system for problematic substrates, balconies, terraces and horizontal surfaces of any dimension.

Thanks PRODESO® MEMBRANE SYSTEM is possible not to make fractional/expansion joints in the screed before the laying of tiles and natural stones, if the screed has already been cut it is possible to lay the tiles on the existing joints. There are many advantages to use the system of Progress Profiles, which gives the utmost laying flexibility, floor protection and long-time guarantee indoors and outdoors.

Time saving: installation time are drastically reduced. Membrane, tile installation and grouting can be completed in the same day.

Versatile: it can be used on any supports, both indoor and outdoor.

Waterproofing: it guarantees the laying of any floor and the waterproofing of the substrate in overlapping too, or for cracked and not perfectly cured supports with possible vapour pressure.

P R O FIL ES & SYSTEM S

UNCOUPLING

VAPOR AND MOISTURE MANAGEMENT

WATERPROOFING

LOAD DISTRIBUTION

Sanitaryware Wall Floor

RAKCERAMICS.COM

: RAK-ILLUSION : MAXIMUS MEDICEA MARBLE : LAVA CONCRETE

aplusbcomunicazione.com

XL DESIGN, the line of profiles for large-size slabs. concrete white

concrete smoke

metal dark

concrete crete

concrete mud

metal light

concrete graphite

concrete sand

solid white

The new decorative listellos, external corner profiles and skirting boards of XL Design line add value to large-size slabs, enhancing 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.

QUADRASTUDIO

The wooden floor with the installation in chevron pattern has very ancient origins. It dates back to ancient Rome with the establishment of the use of wood for the floors of the houses and the palaces of the nobles.

Today, the wooden floor is re-evaluated in a more modern form, with modern and design pattern, but which still maintain the soul and the taste of noble times.

The “Jumbo Spina� collection is an extremely modern and trendy product with its French-style cut formed by very wide and not too much long planks: the result of the installed floor is of great effect and makes the chevron installation unusually current and of great aesthetic impact.

www.originalparquet.com

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

THE MOST COMPLETE RANGE OF TOOLS FOR LARGE FORMAT TILES

PAVILION N2-P3 BOOTH D76

raimondispa.com

SCORE CUTTING

HANDLING

LEVELING SYSTEMS

WET AND DRY 45° BEVEL CUT

WET AND DRY 90° AND 45° BEVEL CUT

CIRCULAR CUTS

CORNERS PROTECTION

VIBRATION (AIR REMOVAL)

PUBLISHER: Tile Edizioni S.r.l.

Capitale Sociale: Euro 51.400,00 R.E.A. 329775 Periodico bimestrale registrato presso il Tribunale di Reggio Emilia al n. 751 in data 20/10/89 Iscrizione al ROC n. 9673 OFFICE: 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.MaterialiCasa.com EDITOR AND PUBLISHING COORDINATION: CHIARA BRUZZICHELLI - c.bruzzichelli@tiledizioni.it © 1989 Tile Italia

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS: Federica Andreini Milena Bernardi Salvatore Curatolo Sara Falsetti Paola Giacomini Sabino Menduni Sabrina Tassini

ni srl. Spedizione in abbonamento postale presso la Filiale di Modena. L’IVA sugli abbonamenti, nonché sulla vendita dei fascicoli separati, è assolta dall’Editore ai sensi dell’art 74 primo comma lettera C del DPR 26.10.72 N. 633 e successive modificazioni.

SECRETARIAT: info@tiledizioni.it

ADVERTISING: • Paola Giacomini • Elisa Verzelloni Tel. +39 059 512 103 Fax +39 059 512 157 p.giacomini@tiledizioni.it e.verzelloni@tiledizioni.it • Alberto Tolomelli +39 335 594 8681 a.tolomelli@tiledizioni.it

GRAPHIC LAYOUT: Sara Falsetti EACH COPY: Euro 4 SUBSCRIPTION: www.tiledizioni.it/subscription • Italy, 1 year: Euro 50 • Abroad, 1 year: Euro 70 • Italy, 2 years: Euro 70 • Abroad, 2 years: Euro 90 L’abbonamento decorre dal mese di distribuzione.

Tariffe speciali per gli abbonamenti collettivi sono disponibili su richiesta Conto Corrente Postale 20026415 intestato a Tile Edizio-

PHOTOLIPHIE: Vaccari Zincografica Srl Via E. Salgari, 61 - 41126 Modena Italy PRINT: Faenza Printing Industries SpA Via Vittime Civili di Guerra 35 48018 Faenza (RA) - Italy

http://www. .com Tutti i diritti di riproduzione e traduzione degli articoli pubblicati sono riservati. E’ vietata la riproduzione anche parziale senza l’autorizzazione dell’Editore. Manoscritti, disegni, fotografie e altro materiale inviato in redazione, anche se non pubblicato, non verrà restituito. L’Editore non accetta alcuna pubblicità in sede redazionale. I nomi, le aziende e i prezzi eventualmente pubblicati sono citati senza responsabilità a puro titolo informativo per rendere un servizio ai lettori. La Direzione non assume responsabilità per opinioni espresse dagli autori dei testi redazionali e pubblicitari.

Entire contents Copyright Tile Edizioni srl All right reserved.

Opinions expressed by writers are not necessarily those held by the publisher who is not held responsible.

ADVERTISING

ABOUT US

CONTENTS 9

10 12

EDITORIAL Cersaie 2019 report: trends in ceramic

FOTO NEWS Krionâ„¢ K-Life glides into Roma-Fiumicino airport Litokol and Colombo City Centre

14

TILENEWS

26

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Chiara Bruzzichelli

Original Parquet marks 25TH anniversary

REPORT ON CERSAIE 2019

FOCUS:

33 39

The viewpoint of Tile International Best in show: shot exclusively for Tile International - by Giancarlo Pradelli

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

50 54 58

26

Lasselsberger Group, strategies for competitiveness

Paola Giacomini

Excellence in simplicity La Fenice Group goes against the prevailing trend

50

54

6 T I L E I N T E R N AT I O N A L 3 / 2 0 1 9

CONTENTS

STATISTICS

64 72 76

World production and consumption of ceramic tiles The world’s top ceramic tile manufacturers The top Italian tile producers

82

CERAMIC & DESIGN

PROJECTS

84 86 88 90 92

Luca Baraldi, MECS (Acimac Research Department)

Federica Andreini

The “Il Sereno” swimming pool on Lake Como BiAuto: Jaguard & Land Rover La Veduta di Vertine. Siena, Tuscany Ariostea chooses Schlüter-Systems for outdoor paving Cotto d’Este takes centre stage in Uptown Milano

COVER PICTURE BY: Novoceram • www.novoceram.com • Photographer: Giancarlo Pradelli @ Cersaie 2019 ADVERTISER’S LIST: pag. 20

58

33 REPORT

CERSAIE

7 T I L E I N T E R N AT I O N A L 3 / 2 0 1 9

00219 Visual Comunicazione – VE

find your Slopes' changes

BALANCE AUTOMATICALLY ADJUSTS THE SLOPE UP TO

PEDESTAL LINE · ADJUSTABLE SUPP ORTS FOR OUTDOOR FLOOR S HEIG HT F ROM 1 0 TO 1 0 2 0 M M FO R T I L E A ND D ECK I N G · 1 00% R ECYCL E D A N D R ECYCL A BL E MEET US AT D OM OT E X ( H A LL 1 3 STA ND D 5 8 ) A ND C E V ISA M A (H A L L N 2 P3 STA N D 6 4 ) MAD E I N I TA LY · I M P E RTE K .COM

5%

Cersaie 2019 report :

trends in ceramic

As regards results for financial year 2018,

the 25 largest international groups in the industry also reflect the complex moment that the world market is going through: their total production accounted for 13.7% of world tile production (approximately 1,800 million sq.m).

The majority of them have seen their volumes and revenues fall or remain unchanged, but a few, such as the Indian manufacturers Kajaria and Somany and the Spanish companies Pamesa and STN have bucked the trend and posted enviable results (see page 60).

Increasingly fierce global competition is also undoubtedly the main cause of the slowdown in the Italian ceramic tile industry, which, after five years of uninterrupted growth, reported revenues of 5.4 billion euros in 2018, representing a 3% fall on the previous year (see page 64).

This generally “stable” situation in the market was also reflected to some extent by the 37th edition of Cersaie, which received 112,340 visitors (+0.2% on 2018), about half of whom came from outside Italy (47.2% of the total).

The show featured 889 stands in total (49 more than last year), 342 of which belonged to foreign exhibitors. Originating from 40 different countries, foreign exhibitors accounted for 38.5% of the total number of 869.

Our Cersaie 2019 report focuses on the product trends expressed by some of the major manufacturers and photographed exclusively for TILE Edizioni by Giancarlo Pradelli. ✕

9 T I L E I N T E R N AT I O N A L 3 / 2 0 1 9

Chiara Bruzzichelli c.bruzzichelli@tiledizioni.it

CERSAIE 2019

889 342

STANDS, OF WHICH

FOREIGN EXHIBITORS

40

COUNTRIES

<112k VISITORS

EDITORIAL

The difficult international climate that characterised 2018 (and is still with us) has had a profound impact on the performance of the world ceramic market: tile production and consumption have fallen by 3.6% overall, dropping to 13.1 and 12.8 billion sq.m respectively.

Import-export flows are stuck at 2017 levels, amounting to 2,749 million sq.m, which equates to 21.5% of total consumption.

These are the key indicators to emerge from the panoramic snapshot set down in the annual report published by the ACIMAC Research Centre (Italian association of ceramic machinery and equipment manufacturers) entitled “World production and consumption of ceramic tiles” (see page 52).

Among the overall data, it’s worth studying the inevitable discrepancies that exist between one country and the next.

But the best way to sum up the defining feature of 2018 in a single image, is to juxtapose the lines describing the contrasting fortunes of two giants: on the one hand, the decline suffered by the Chinese ceramic industry (production down 11%, exports down 5.6% and revenues down 28%), and on the other, the marked expansion of the Indian industry, which recorded a 6% rise in production and a 20% rise in exports.

The same trend has continued into the current year, with Chinese exports losing a further 9% by volume, while their Indian counterparts enjoy continued growth of over 20%.

Krion™ K-Life glides into Roma-Fiumicino airport

FOTONEWS

The architect Giovanna Pontecorvo has used Krion™*- a latest-generation, 100% recyclable solid surface that can be reprocessed and reused - in the creation of the new check-in desks at Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci airport, which is undoubtedly one of the busiest in the world.

The colour she opted for was Snow White EAST 1100: the purest hue in the Krion™ colour palette, whose 99.8% white suffuses any environment with a sense of brightness.

10 T I L E I N T E R N AT I O N A L 3 / 2 0 1 9

*Krion™ is a latest-generation, 100% recyclable solid surface that can be reprocessed and reused. Since it is lightweight, resists shocks, chemicals and UV radiation, has low thermal conductivity and is highly ductile, it is being used more and more frequently in both public and private buildings.

Incorporating KEAST technology, Krion™ K-Life reduces environmental pollution, thus improving quality of life.

Its density and non-porous structure make it easy to clean and give it impressive soundproofing qualities. Since the joints between installed panels are imperceptible, furthermore, Krion™ is ideal for creating smooth, seamless, unbroken surfaces with unlimited design possibilities.

11 T I L E I N T E R N AT I O N A L 3 / 2 0 1 9

Litokol and Colombo City Centre The Sri Lankan capital, Colombo, has recently seen the inauguration of Colombo City Centre, an imposing building designed in a contemporary style, which encompasses both a shopping mall and a residential area with 192 luxury apartments.

Colombo City Centre is Sri Lankaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest shopping mall, which plays host to a string of international brand stores, restaurants and entertainment venues, including a 700-seater multi-screen cinema.

FOTONEWS

Van Strien Designer Tiles is the commercial partner that handled the supply of the Litokol* and Genesis* products used for the installation of the porcelain coverings that adorn most of the commercial areas.

12 T I L E I N T E R N AT I O N A L 3 / 2 0 1 9

*Litokol Products: Litokol X12, Litoflex K80, Hyperflex K100 cement adhesives; Litochrom 1-6 cement grout and Starlike epoxy grout.

Genesis products: Genesis expansion joints (MSA.125.35); ESA extruded aluminium profiles.

13 T I L E I N T E R N AT I O N A L 3 / 2 0 1 9

TILENEWS

Marazzi redesigns London showroom Marazzi, a leading manufacturer of ceramic tiles for design and architectural applications, has redesigned its London showroom, inaugurated in 2017 in the heart of Clerkenwell, to showcase its new extra-large-format panels from the Grande collection and The Top solutions for kitchen countertops, tables, bathroom countertops and furnishing elements.

The stars of the remodelled 300 sq.m London showroom inaugurated on 17 October are Marazzi’s large-format porcelain panels, which have been used in the construction of the walls, bookcases, reception desk and kitchen corner, to highlight the infinite possibilities these new materials offer.

The centrepiece of the showroom entrance is the handmade effect of the Zellige tiles from the all-new Crogiolo collection, which features painstaking research into craft production techniques and revisits traditional, coloured, decorated ceramic.

The countertops in the kitchen area are made with Marble Look Elegant Black large-format panels from the new The Top line: these panels have matt, satin and polished finishes and are intended for use in the design of countertops, backsplashes, tables, storage unit doors and a limitless ar-

ray of tailor-made furnishing options.

Marazzi’s London showroom is an important space for co-working with clients, architects and designers, which not only displays innovative products and solutions, but also hosts events and meetings on specific design-related topics.

The inauguration of the remodelled showroom on 17 October hosted two “Design Talks”, one on the design of everyday living and working environments, led by Stephanie Woodward, Partner and Head of the Interior Design Division at Cushman & Wakefield, and a second, on the circular economy in large-scale design, led by Giovanni Iasevoli, Head and Founder of GI Development Consulting.

Iris Ceramica Group opens new FAB During the course of Cersaie 2019, Iris Ceramica Group inaugurated the new FAB (Fiandre Architectural Bureau) – a totally remodelled showroom for design professionals and design lovers, situated in Castellarano in the Italian province of Reggio Emilia. The architectural plans for the remodelling project were drawn up by Iosa Ghini Associati, which worked alongside Fiandre to rewrite the design language and dis-

14 T I L E I N T E R N AT I O N A L 3 / 2 0 1 9

play logic of both the indoor and outdoor space.

The remodelling programme included the 1,500 sq.m indoor area and the 5,200 sq.m courtyard outside. Every single architectural detail involved the use of large-format ceramic panels prepared with the utmost attention to detail. The indoor space of the showroom was divided into two large areas dedicated to the brand’s two core products: large-format panels and traditional formats.

The first area includes the reception hall and a bar-kitchen area featuring an island finished with SapienStone 12mm and Maximum 6mm large-format panels by Fiandre. Visitors are guided through the display space by a lattice of tubular profiles made of brushed brass, which also frames the product and creates an almost metaphysical landscape.

The second area showcases some of the design possibilities of traditional formats by means of a display sequence inspired by the various areas of a boutique hotel, including the lobby, reception desk, wellness area, spa, suite, bathrooms and the areas that connect the rooms and provide access to them.

The approach emphasises the brand’s ability to fulfil the needs of the Horeca and luxury residential sector with floor and wall coverings and made-to-measure furnishings.

The FAB showroom, overlooking a 5,200 sq.m raised courtyard previously used as a car park, has been transformed into a pedestrian zone plant-

ed with trees and fitted out with urban furnishing elements finished with Porcelaingres and Granitech outdoor coverings. The Granitech outdoor ventilated facades are clad with Arabescato Orobico large-format panels by Marmi Maximum. Using ACTIVE technology, the designers also created an area of greenery and a semicircular wall clad in Calacatta Light and Premium White Active large-format panels by Fiandre.

Mapei appointed main partner of UCI for next three years During the 98th UCI Road World Championships in Yorkshire, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and Mapei announced the renewal of their partnership for the period 2020-2022. Mapei has thus confirmed its support for the UCI as Main Partner for the next three UCI Road World Championships to be held in Aigle-Martigny in 2020, Flanders (Belgium) in 2021 and Wollongong (Australia) in 2022. The strong bond between Mapei and the world of cycling originates from the fact that Rodolfo Squinzi, the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s founder, was a passionate cyclist.

Mapeiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s collaboration with the UCI, which started with its sponsorship of the 2008 Championship in Varese, marked its 11th anniversary this year in Yorkshire. Mapei also collaborated in the opening of the UCI World Cycling Centre in 2002, through its Mapei Sport Research Centre. The partnership will involve a high degree of brand visibility along the entire route and in the city, the appearance of the Mapei logo on all official vehicles, communication materials and digital platforms, and ample opportunities for VIP Hospitality.

ADVERTISING

VISOFT PREMIUM 2020 easy & digital planning visualizing selling

www.visoft.de

Litokol lands in india with pidilite industries

pansion across world markets. Over the past few years, furthermore, Litokol has continued to strengthen its competitive position in Russia, China and the United States. We are proud to entrust our experience and technology to Pidilite, which is a best-inclass partner in a hugely important and competitive market.”

Bharat Puri, CEO of Pidilite Industries Limited, added: “Our collaboration with Litokol is in line with Pidilite’s commitment to continuously improving its already solid market position in all the segments it covers.

In fact Pidilite’s status as a leading player on the Indian market is visible in various segments of consumer products, always with extremely well known brands, developed and built to meet the specific requirements of the local market.”

TILENEWS

Last August, Litokol SpA – which has been manufacturing adhesives, grouts and special products for the building industry for over 50 years from its base in Rubiera in the Italian province of Reggio Emilia – signed a joint venture agreement in India with the chemical group Pidilite Industries Ltd, which is listed on the Mumbai stock exchange and has revenues of almost one billion euros.

Litokol’s decision to embark on this new challenge is backed up by the experience it has already gained in Russia, China and over 90 other markets to which it exports its range of covering installation solutions.

The aim of the new joint venture is the production of epoxy, polyurethane and

other two-component reactive adhesives for the ceramic and construction industries, in which the company has long been a leading worldwide player.

With an initial investment of around 4 million euros, the two companies have set up a newco headquartered in Mumbai, to develop products aimed at the Indian subcontinent.

In exchange for the transfer of Italian know-how and technology, Pidilite Industries will take care of distribution on the Indian market, by using its well established sales network and extending the range of products sold under the ROFF brand, which specialises in products for ceramics and construction.

“The opportunity that Pidilite Industries has offered Litokol by entering into a joint venture in India,” explained Litokol’s Chairman, Luciano Cottafavi, “marks another step forward in our ex-

READ IT ONLINE

CLICK HERE:

www.materialicasa.com/mc-EN/magazines/

http://issuu.com/tiledizioni  Click on “follow”!

WE DESIGN BEAUTY

delconca.com Floor / Wall: Stelvio - Porcelain stoneware collection

TILENEWS

Silestone®: new advertising campaign with Cindy Crawford Silestone® by Cosentino presents “Tops on Top 2019”, an advertising campaign with Cindy Crawford, a top model and successful entrepreneur, which strengthens the bond between the Cosentino brand and the world of fashion and design and consolidates its positioning in the quartz coverings sector.

The campaign was launched at an exclusive event at the ZELA restaurant in London on 17 September, which was attended by some of Cosentino’s leading European customers and partners.

The stars of the advertisement are the magnificent Cindy Crawford next to a spectacular countertop in Silestone® Eternal Noir, a new tone that combines premium aesthetics with all the most advanced technical characteristics of Cosentino surfaces.

Natural quartz makes up over 90% of the composition of Silestone® by Cosentino, a world leader in the quartz surfaces sector. This high-tech material boasts exceptionally high resistance to stains, knocks and scratches, as well offering extremely low liquid absorbency.

Silestone® is produced using exclusive N-boost technology, which simplifies the cleaning and maintenance of surfaces, while at the same time enhancing their intensity and chromatic sheen.

Available in over 90 colours, three finishes and various formats, Silestone® surfaces are the ideal solution for kitchens, bathrooms and large-scale pro-

jects such as hotels, restaurants, hospitals and laboratories. The Silestone range also includes Eco Line, a line of products made with a minimum of 50% of recycled materials.

Pradesh in September, with annual production capacity of 5 million square metres of porcelain tile, and is forecasting further growth in sales volumes of 12-13% for the current year.

Kajaria ceramics reports good growth

Florim opens in Singapore

Kajaria Ceramics, India’s largest manufacturer of ceramic tiles, closed the tax year to 31 March 2019 with a 9% increase in revenues to 378.7 million euros (29.5 billion rupees), marking even stronger growth than last year’s figure of 6%.

Sales volumes, meanwhile, saw double-digit growth of 12%, from 72 to over 80 million square metres (65.6 million sq.m manufactured directly and 14.7 million manufactured under outsourcing agreements).

These results are in marked contrast to the general trend prevailing in India’s construction industry and ceramic sector, which is far less vigorous.

“Throughout 2018,” explained Ashok Kajaria, the Group’s Chairman, the slowdown in the Indian property market caused by falling confidence among consumers, was accompanied by a gradual increase in the number of building projects put on hold and more difficult access to credit for developers. This situation had a negative impact on the construction materials sector and India’s ceramic industry.”

Kajaria Ceramics brought a new production plant on-stream in Andra

After Milan, New York and Moscow, Florim announced the opening of a new flagship store in Singapore (63 Mohamed Sultan Road, #01-14 Sultan Link – Singapore 239002) on 29 November.

The company has also announced the imminent opening of other flagship stores in various parts of the world in 2020: “For 50 years, we have been committed to transforming the tile into a design element,” explains Claudio Lucchese, Chairman of Florim Ceramiche “and we want to show the world what we’ve achieved, because Florim is no longer a ceramic company that aspires to producing design products, it is a design company that produces ceramics.

So our network of newly opened stores is entirely consistent with this logic.”

The individual showrooms, which incorporate refined display systems and are designed to meet the needs of designers from all over the world by facilitating dialogue between architects/ interior designers and manufacturers, play host to all of the Group’s various brands (Floor Gres, Rex, Casa Dolce Casa – Casamood, Cerim, CEDIT – Ceramiche d’Italia and FLORIM Stone).

18 T I L E I N T E R N AT I O N A L 3 / 2 0 1 9

TILENEWS

European expansion for Laticrete Laticrete® International, a US-based multinational and leading manufacturer of adhesives and building materials, has acquired the Italian company Benfer Schomburg based in Castelnuovo Rangone (Modena). Benfer produces grouts and adhesives for ceramic and natural stone floor and wall tiles and has a constantly growing business, supported by a vast clientele. Under the terms of the agreements, Giorgio Cocchi, the former owner of Benfer, will continue to run the company, with the support of Edmondo Bonucelli, Laticrete’s Manager for Europe. “This acquisition marks an important step forward in our strategy of international expansion by equipping our Group with new sales and production bases in Europe. Especially,” added Erno de Bruijn, Chairman & COO of Laticrete International Division “as the Benfer product portfolio is entirely complementary to ours.” The new products recently developed by Laticrete Europe include new continuous surfaces for indoor and outdoor flooring in resin and other materi-

als, which offer high technical and aesthetic performance and an unlimited range of sizes and colours (polyaspartic, epoxy and polyurethane coatings, a Green Flooring system and a range of waterproof roofing products).On the sales front, meanwhile, Laticrete Europe has announced a new success in the United Kingdom, where, as of June this year, all 370 stores belonging to the Topps Tiles Group have started selling Hydro Ban® (an insulating shower membrane), manufactured by Laticrete UK and its partner Palace Chemicals and supplied in 5-litre containers.

Ferrari & Cigarini clebrates 50th anniversary Founded in 1969, Ferrari & Cigarini, based in Maranello (in the Italian province of Modena), started life producing glazing lines and automation systems for the loading/unloading of kilns and storage facilities.

As from the late 1980s, it then started specialising in the production of systems for cutting and profiling mosaics, listels, skirting boards, bullnoses and steps in ceramic, marble, granite, agglomerates, brick and glass. With a constant focus on technological innovation and high standards of quality, Ferrari & Cigarini has also made substantial investments in the development of robotised islands for automating feeding, decartoning and palletisation on cutting, profiling, edge-grinding, polishing and lapping lines.

Since 2010, in addition to its line of machines for large-scale industrial production, Ferrari & Cigarini has been manufacturing equipment for tiling professionals, under its new Compactline range of machines for cutting, profiling and grinding. These are all compact in size and easy to use, so even less expert personnel can achieve high-quality machining results.

In response to the growing uptake of large-format ceramic coverings, the company has developed the BigSlim system, consisting of machines designed to produce worktops, kitchen and bathroom countertops and stair treads, obtained from large-format panels measuring up to 360x160 cm, in porcelain, marble, granite and agglomerates (Okite, Silestone, Neolith).

ADVERTISER’S LIST Cerambath..............................................................................................................................79 Del Conca................................................................................................................ 17, 62-63 Ferrari & Cigarini..................................................................................................................31 Fila.................................................................................................................................................... 5 Fustecma..................................................................................................................................21 Impertek......................................................................................................................................8 Insca.............................................................................................................................................78 Intono..........................................................................................................................................49 Kajaria .................................................................................................. Inside Back Cover Montolit......................................................................................................................23, 94-95 Mosbuild 2020......................................................................................................................71

Original Parquet................................................................................................................ 2-3 Piemme......................................................................................................................................19 Progress Profiles.........................................................................................Cover, 24-25 Profilpas.........................................................................................................................................1 Raimondi...................................................................................................................................... 4 Rak Ceramica..................................................................................Inside Front Cover Revestir...................................................................................................................................... 75 Schlüter-Systems........................................................................................ Back Cover Tecnargilla..............................................................................................................................96 Top Cer....................................................................................................................................... 53 Visoft........................................................................................................................... 15, 80-81

Search Tile Edizioni and MaterialiCasa

export@fustecma.com

...tailored

for you SHOWROOM NEOLITH MILANO

DISPLAYS&SHOWROOMS CONCEPT · DESIGN · MANUFACTURING

TILENEWS

Wienerberger celebrates 200th anniversary

Boero repaints Havana 500 years after its foundation

On 27 July, Wienerberger threw a big party to celebrate the 200th anniversary of its foundation and the 150 years since our stock market listing. More than 2,000 people, including distinguished guests, business partners and employees, took part in the gala evening held in the prestigious Marx Halle in Vienna where they enjoyed good food, music and entertainment.

Founded in Vienna in 1819 by visionary entrepreneur Alois Miesbach, Wienerberger rapidly expanded beyond national borders and by 1845 had become one of the most important brick and tile manufacturers in Europe.

The company’s continued success from one year to the next has demonstrated the effectiveness of its corporate policies, culminating in the record 2018 economic results with revenues of 3.3 billion euros and an EBITDA of 470 billion euros. In the first half of 2019, the Wienerberger Group reported the best results in its 200-year history.

Revenues grew by 8% to 1.73 billion euros (compared to 1.6 billion euros in the same period the previous year). In 2018, Wienerberger also continued the vigorous implementation of its sustainability strategy and made significant progress towards realising its Sustainability Roadmap 2020. Photo caption: Heimo Scheuch, CEO Wienerberger Group

To mark the 500th anniversary of its foundation, the centre of Cuba’s capital city, Havana, whose image is inextricably linked with its brightly coloured architecture, will be repainted in colours from the Boero. The Italian company, whose production hub is located in Rivalta Scrivia in the province of Genoa, will supply a total of over 3 million litres of paint to restore the colours of the historic buildings of Havana.

The regeneration project, which will continue throughout 2020, has already seen the repainting of some of the bestknown avenidas, including Paseo, 10 de Octubre, Presidentes and Galliano.

The most representative buildings there include the Teatro America, a symbol of Cuban culture overlooking Avenida Italia.

Boero has allocated a team to provide consultancy and run over 200 hours of practical courses to train the painters and the Vitral staff assigned to producing the paints. Boero has supplied the Cuban company Vitral with the wherewithal to enable its factories to produce the outdoor paints and coatings autonomously. These high-quality products are ideally suited to the local climate, because they are tropicalised, to withstand high temperatures and high levels of humidity. From February 2019 to date, about 120 shipping containers have been sent to Cuba from Genoa, carrying the necessary raw materials, semi-finished products and equipment for the production staff, as well as the containers for the custom-made “La Habana 500-Boero-Vitral” paints.

“The work done so far, which is the result of our collaboration with Vitral, was presented at the 37th Feria Internacional de Habana, from 4 to 8 November,” explained Carpanese. “This supply for Havana, amounting to over 3.5 million litres and offering enough coverage to

22 T I L E I N T E R N AT I O N A L 3 / 2 0 1 9

paint over 3,000 buildings, marks a crucial step in the international development of the Boero Group. And our partnership with Vitral is now going to be extended, with the co-design of other products for the Cuban market and perhaps also Central America.”

The Boero Group’s first contact with Cuba involved the supply of interior and exterior paints for the maintenance of international hotel chains in Varadero. In the course of this first contract, the city of Baracoa was destroyed by Hurricane Matthew, in October 2016, and Boero decided to contribute free of charge to the reconstruction of the town hall, the Columbus Museum, the Veterans’ House and the historic Church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción.

MANUAL TILE CUTTERS

THE professional choice

Reinforced frame

Elastic stop

Incision assistance from 0 to 22 mm

Integrated lubrication point

Dual splitting system

Square rotation -45° to +45°

High visibility of incision wheel

Measurement square with reversible nosepad

3-7 FEBRUARY 2020 Hall N2-P3/Stand D83

100% Made in Italy

montolit.com

ADVERTORIAL

NEW SUPPORTS FOR RAISED FLOORS PP LEVEL DUO BY PROFILPAS, FIXED OR SELF-LEVELLING HEAD, IN AN INSTANT.

With PP Level DUO, there is the possibility to choose between fixed and self-levelling head in an instant, directly during the installation.

PP Level DUO is the new line of supports for raised floors, designed and produced by Profilpas.

With PP Level DUO, there is the possibility to choose be-

tween fixed and self-levelling head in an instant, directly during the installation.

A choice that can be made easily, thanks to the special converter Perfect Ring.

Indeed, if you insert it between the head and the screw, the support becomes fixed.

On the contrary, if there is the need to compensate the slope of a surface up to 6%, it will be

ADVERTORIAL

sufficient not to insert the ring to obtain a self-levelling system. PP Level DUO is a system of supports not only for the installation of ceramic tiles, but also for decking, thanks to the specific head, and for single-format and multi-format ceramic planks.

The latter can be laid with ex-

ceptional precision and stability, thanks to the double joist installation system, designed and produced by Profilpas.

This is a system composed of two joists in natural aluminium that must be fixed on a special head, thus creating a rail for the positioning of the spacer.

All the PP Level DUO supports

can be adjusted in height from the top thanks to the adjustment key, that allows both to correct the smallest imperfections and to compensate big slopes.

Moreover, there is a full system of clips in stainless steel for the creation of perfect steps and vertical risers.

PROFILPAS Via Albert Einstein, 38 35010 Cadoneghe (PD) Tel. 049 887 8411 www.profilpas.com info@profilpas.com

ORIGINAL PARQUET MARKS 25 TH ANNIVERSARY exposed to a complex dynamic over the past year that has seen it squeezed between falling demand in Italy and Northern Europe and increasing competition from a wide range of other

coverings designed to replicate wood effects. So how has Original Parquet carried on growing, while still proudly retaining the all-Italian pedigree of its products? “We don’t work for people

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Original Parquet, founded in 1994 by Roberto Ballardini in Alfonsine di Ravenna (Italy), is now one of Italy’s leading manufacturers of wood flooring.

The wood flooring sector has been

@cersaie 2019

@domotex 2019

the latest technologies for the factory

26 T I L E I N T E R N AT I O N A L 3 / 2 0 1 9

who are looking for “fake” stuff, we have simply carried on working for all those people worldwide who recognise the value of carefully selected, FSC-certified, natural raw

materials and also want the painstaking finishing that is the hallmark of Italian design.” We interviewed Roberto Ballardini, the founder and Chairman of Original Parquet, and

Tile International: So Original Parquet is aimed at an

his son Giovanni Ballardini, who has been the company’s General Director for four years now, and was already combining work at the company with his studies back in his university days.

for us.”

Tile International: What prompted your entry into the

international clientele?

Roberto Ballardini: “We have an ongoing commitment to raising our profile on the international stage.

There’s no doubt that we still have some way to go, as exports currently account for 35% of our turnover, whereas our five-year plan is to reach a 50/50 split between export and domestic sales. There’s also no doubt, however, that our philosophy of top-quality production is reaping rewards: we closed 2018 with a 5% increase in our domestic sales and we’ve been maintaining those same levels throughout 2019, while still increasing the value of our exports. Our 2019 export figures have benefited from a marked increase in sales in the United States, although Europe is still our largest market, where our top performers are the UK, France, Switzerland and Luxembourg, in that order. Our largest non-EU market is China, which is still very important

US market?

Giovanni Ballardini: “It’s actually very simple: a gentleman from Georgia came to see us at our stand at Cersaie 2018, and by October, having placed his first orders, became our leading customer in the USA. At the same time, we had just entered into an agreement with an agency whose staff have the capacity to cover the majority of the US market. Our agents are currently promoting the Original Parquet brand right across this vast country, where we also took part in the Domotex trade show in Atlanta, Georgia, in February 2019.”

Tile International: How is business with China shaping up?

G. Ballardini: “In China we have a well established distribution agreement with a major player who has eight proprietary showrooms in the major cities and

Roberto Ballardini

Giovanni Ballardini

27 T I L E I N T E R N AT I O N A L 3 / 2 0 1 9

We’ll be opening a new 2000 sq.m site just 200 metres away from this

50 sub-distributors scattered ne. It’s an industrial building with across the coun2,000 sq.m of indoor floorspace try. To maintain a and our plan is to inject a big “wow high level of brand factor” into this new showroom, so visibility in this imthat we can showcase the design mense market, and quality of our product range we also took part against the kind of backdrop they in Domotex in deserve.

Shanghai in 2019.

And we’ll definitely be investing part of our marketing and communication budget in these two Domotex international trade shows, plus Cersaie, again in 2020.”

Tile International: Talking of investments, what direction are you heading in on the investment front?

Roberto Ballardini: “Let me just clarify something before we go on: Original Parquet has always had a single shareholder, who has been totally dedicated to the life of the company, underpinned its continuity and taken sole responsibility for deciding the path it takes. Even now, despite the fact that the generational changeover is under way and my son Giovanni is gradually taking the reins, the company still has a single centre of decision-making to guarantee its continuity.

This is the solid basis on which we have made new investments, in three main areas: plant and technology, new certifications and logistics.”

Tile International: Let’s start with the first of those: what investments have you made in production technology?

Giovanni Ballardini: “We decided to embrace the philosophy of Industry 4.0 and take advantage of the Sabatini law to upgrade our production lines and install an IT network that enables the production system to communicate directly with

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

production facility here in Alfonsi-

“Jumbo Spina” collection

28 T I L E I N T E R N AT I O N A L 3 / 2 0 1 9

Becoming “green specialists” takes determination, but it is the future.

our internal quality assurance systhe same time.

FSC certification already guatem. It’s a state-of-the-art solution, rantees that our raw material is Our plan is to inject a big “wow facfully in keeping with the develop- sourced from managed forests, and tor” into this showroom, so that we ment of high-value-added products, we are now moving on to guarante- can showcase the design and quality and is managed directly by our engi- eing that our production process of our product range against the kind neer in charge of the Quality Assur- and our product are free from of backdrop they deserve. As always, ance Laboratory.” we’ll be assigning the design work to health impacts on our workforce Tile International: What have you and our final customers respecti- Quadrastudio and Christian Buratti, got in the pipeline on the logistics vely. who has been looking after initiatives front? of this kind for us for almost twenty Roberto Ballardini: “We’ll be years.” opening a new 2000 sq.m site just 200 metres away Tile International: So your third area of investment is from this production facility here in Alfonsine. It’s an in- certifications and environmental sustainability? dustrial building with 2,000 sq.m of indoor floorspace, R. Ballardini: “Having obtained FSC certification in which will become the new site of our sales and admin- 2011, Original Parquet now also has PEFC certification istrative offices and an extensive new showroom de- and all our supplies comply with the EUTR. These acsigned to give the right visibility to our entire range of ronyms are no doubt most familiar to industry insidproducts. One of the reasons for this decision is that ers, but they play a vital role in making our collections we are getting more and more visits from foreign cus- recognisable and appealing, not only from an aesthettomers, and this will give us a suitable environment to ic and technological point of view, but also in terms host them in, but it is still situated close to the produc- of their adherence to the highest standards of foresttion unit, so we’ll be able to show them round there at ry sustainability. All this has boosted our development

“Georgette” collection

29 T I L E I N T E R N AT I O N A L 3 / 2 0 1 9

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

in the American market, which is undoubtedly more sensitive to the “Made in Italy” label and the certifications that go with it. It is worth remembering that we now produce wood flooring with zero emissions of formaldehyde on a daily basis, and this is highly appreciated by the Japanese market too.

First and foremost, of course, all our products meet the criteria for CE marking.”

Tile International: So the race is on to achieve sustainable products and processes?

Giovanni Ballardini: “A lot of effort goes into all this in terms of external consultants and internal updating: becoming “green specialists” takes determination, but it is the future.

FSC certification already guarantees that our raw material is sourced from managed forests, and we are now moving on to guaranteeing that our production process and our product are free from health impacts on our workforce and our final customers respectively.”

Tile International: How did Cersaie 2019 go?

And what is the role of the Bologna-based trade fair in supporting further growth in your exports?

Roberto Ballardini: “We took part in the latest edition of Cersaie with a stunning new stand, which confirmed Original Parquet’s status as one of the leading exponents of Italian taste and creativity in the production of high-end wood flooring. Cersaie gave us the opportunity to make important new contacts with major foreign distributors and there was also no shortage of visits from our loyal, long-standing customers, who have been coming to this well established event for years.”

Tile International: Do you expect to close 2019 with growth in revenues? And are you planning to take part in any new international trade fairs?

Roberto Ballardini: “Yes, we expect to close 2019 with continued growth in revenues, especially on our export markets.

As for trade fairs in 2020, I can confirm that we’ll be at CERSAIE next year and at DOMOTEX in Shanghai, and that we’ll soon be finalising plans to take part in another leading trade fair in a non-EU market.” ✕

“Euclide” collection

30 T I L E I N T E R N AT I O N A L 3 / 2 0 1 9

by

Milan Design Week COME TO VISIT US

Via Statuto 13 Brera Design District

Design Week

An open space of 100 sq.m overlooking a prestigious Milanese courtyard.

2018

in collaborazione con

info & booking: info@materialicasa.com

format di ades pacchetti di co

report on Cersaie 2019

CERAMIC TILES & MORE

picture: Ariostea @ Cersaie 2019 - photo by: Giancarlo Pradelli

22 T I L E I N T E R N AT I O N A L 3 / 2 0 1 9

AROUND CERSAIE 2019 The viewpoint of tile international T H E S H O W S F E AT U R E D A T O TA L O F 8 8 9 S TA N D S ( 4 9 M O R E T H A N L A S T Y E A R ) , 3 4 2 O F W H I C H B E LO N G E D TO FO R E I G N E X H I B I TO R S .

REPORT CERSAIE 2019

O V E R A L L , F O R E I G N E X H I B I T O R S R E P R E S E N T E D 3 8 . 5 % O F T H E T O TA L

Cersaie 2019 - the 37th edition of the event - received 112,340 visitors (+0.2% on 2018), almost half of whom (47.2% to be precise) came from outside Italy.

As usual the ceramic tile sector was the best represented, with 458 companies, followed by bathroom furnishings, which underscored its importance by fielding 214 exhibitors (30 more than last year).

There was a good turnout for the events held under the aegis of Cersaie, with about 2,500 people attending the conferences forming part of the cultural programme â&#x20AC;&#x153;Building, dwelling, thinkingâ&#x20AC;?, held in the Architecture Gallery.

Over 10,000 people visited the Famous Bathroom exhibition, dedicated to the bathrooms of 32 well known figures from 19th and 20th Century history, which kicked off with an introduction by Philippe Daverio.

There was also wide acclaim for the first edition of Archincont(r)act, held in Hall 29, where 10 international architecture firms met with representatives of real estate companies and property developers.

34 T I L E I N T E R N AT I O N A L 3 / 2 0 1 9

Tiling Town generated high levels of interest and participation, as usual, with its technical seminars on the installation of large formats and various other demo areas providing training.

The Cersaie Business delegation, organised in conjunction with the Emilia Romagna regional council and ICE (the Italian foreign trade agency) was made up of about 100 firms of architects from the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, the Baltic States, Scandinavia and the Gulf States.

Cersaie for Students this year involved 3,600 high school and university students, who attended meetings on the topics of artificial intelligence and job building, and took part in the Lesson in Reverse, delivered by Francesca Molteni, which was attended by over 2,000 people.

The partnership with Bologna Design Week, which is now in its fifth year, gave rise to a busy schedule of evening events in the city, which were well attended by visitors to Cersaie and will be developed further in future editions.

35 T I L E I N T E R N AT I O N A L 3 / 2 0 1 9

D E S I G N AWA R D S

REPORT CERSAIE 2019

ADI CERAMICS & BATHROOM DESIGN AWARD: THE WINNERS OF THE SIXTH EDITION The 37th Cersaie hosted the 6th edition of the ADI Ceramics & Bathroom Design Award, which picks out a selection of the most innovative Italian products from each sector represented by the trade show.

• The natural stone category was won by Corneli with Iride. Iride is a system for reusing waste material generated by the machining of marble, which is reconstituted into blocks that can then be used to produce sustainable new objects.

• The winner of the ceramic category was Leonardo with Map Red-Overcome by Andrea Bacci, in which digital control of the clay body yields large-format panels offering high technological performance combined with a decorated background that represents an idealised underground railway map.

An award also went to Fittile for “Fuggo” by Sebastiano Canzano, a product in which the joint, in its capacity as a spatial punctuation mark, becomes the leitmotif of the wall covering.

Target Group earned a special mention for “Fuoriformato”, for its combined use of digital decoration and manual painting techniques.

1

2

5

6

• In the bathroom furnishings category, awards went to Rubinetterie Treemme with “Q30” a project that fuses design and engineering to create an innovatively shaped and sized tap; Albatros which picked up a trophy for Secret System®, an innovative hydromassage system incorporating concealed technology that offers fresh design input, reduces resource consumption and makes exclusive use of regenerable materials; and “Syraka” and “Modula Pool”, the two award-winning bathtubs on display at the trade show.

The jury also singled out Provex for an award for “Iunix”, a frameless shower cabin that reduces the amount of work that needs to be done on the wall, thanks to a support structure featuring minimalist design. R&D Bertocci earned a special mention for its Officina Bertocci project, which revolves around the reintroduction of craft production techniques.

The products picked by the jury at Cersaie 2019 represent a pre-selection for the ADI Design Index 2020, which is published annually by ADI and presents the best examples of Italian design put into production.

3

1 - Target Group 2 - Fittile 3 - Corneli 4 - Leonardo 5 - Rubinetterie Treemme 6 - Albatros

4

A D I B O OT H D E S I G N AWA R D 2 0 1 9

FIANDRE STAND WINS THE ADI BOOTH DESIGN AWARD 2019 Solid Drapery, the stand designed by Studio MILO for Fiandre Architectural Surfaces at Cersaie 2019, won the ADI Booth Design Award 2019: “For its ability to break the rigidity and constraints of the rectangular format, by inventing a kind of perimeter curtain that affords a degree of visual permeability, while at the same time emphasising the expressive and compositional potential of ceramic, and its ability to devise new exhibition systems integrated with the concept of the stand.”

The 2019 ADI Booth Design Ward was the inaugural edition of the event, developed in collaboration between ADI (the Italian industrial design association) and Cersaie, with a view to shining the spotlight on those stands that most effectively promote the products and brand values of the trade fair’s exhibitors.

The jury was made up of Cecilia Bione, a professor at the Bologna Academy of Fine Arts and an expert in Exhibit Design; Pierluigi Molteni, an architect, lecturer in Advanced Design and expert in Exhibit Design; and Wladimiro Bendandi, a member of ADI’s Emilia Romagna Delegation and an expert in communication and brand identity.

The winners of the award represent a pre-selection for the ADI Design Index 2020, which is published annually by ADI and presents the best examples of Italian design put into production and selected by the ADI’s Permanent Design Observatory.

The accolade highlights the ability of Fiandre Architectural Surfaces to innovate in design, production and communication.

37 T I L E I N T E R N AT I O N A L 3 / 2 0 1 9

EXHIBITS

“Famous bathrooms” event-exhibition imagined with irony and a sense of fun, to give rise to an exhibition of amusing, sometimes irreverent but invariably stimulating sets.

Each of the intimate, self-contained environments was furnished with top-quality products from leading companies. The brands that took part in the exhibition included Slamp, Flaminia, Glas Italia, Lea Ceramiche, Seletti, Minacciolo and Pedrali.

All of these internationally recognised brands made their products available to create magnificent sets featuring refined, iconic styling, while at the same time providing an opportunity for exhibitors to meet international trade professionals, designers, architects and contract furnishing companies.

CERSAIE 2019

Famous Bathrooms, curated by Angelo Dall’Aglio and Davide Vercelli and now in its 6th edition, is an event-exhibition that combines the presentational approach of an art gallery, i.e. just a few products exhibited and well represented for each set, with the needs of a B2B exhibition.

Famous Bathrooms presented a series of freely interpreted show-installations inspired by and dedicated to well known figures from 19th and 20th Century history, such as The Beatles, Sigmund Freud, Coco Chanel, Piet Mondrian, Le Corbusier and Maria Callas.

A series of bathrooms, connected with prominent figures from a disparate range of fields, were

38 T I L E I N T E R N AT I O N A L 3 / 2 0 1 9

CE RSAIE 2019 B EST IN SHOW

PHOTOGR APHS IN THE ARTICLE S H O T E X C L U S I V E LY F O R T I L E I N T E R N AT I O N A L

BY G IAN CARLO PR AD E LLI COT TO

WE LOVE: Th e e l e g a n t r i g o u r o f t h e m e ta l l i c e f f e c t s , s h o w c a s e d i n a s m a l l s q u a r e f o r m at

39 T I L E I N T E R N AT I O N A L 3 / 2 0 1 9

CE RSAIE 2019 B EST IN SHOW

REPORT CERSAIE 2019

D E C O R AT O R I B A S S A N E S I

WE LOVE: Th e r e f i n e d t e x t u r e s a n d s u r fac e c o lo u r s , i n a w i d e r a n g e o f f o r m at s

40 T I L E I N T E R N AT I O N A L 3 / 2 0 1 9

RAK CERAMICS

WE LOVE: t h e w e a lt h o f d i f f e r e n t t e x t u r e s ava i l a b l e f o r t h e e x t r a - l a r g e - f o r m at p a n e l s

41 T I L E I N T E R N AT I O N A L 3 / 2 0 1 9

CE RSAIE 2019 B EST IN SHOW

REPORT CERSAIE 2019

FRANCESCO DE MAIO

WE LOVE: Th e s h a r p f o c u s o n t h e evolution of cer amic, with t h e at r i c a l e f f e c t s a n d p o p colours

42 T I L E I N T E R N AT I O N A L 3 / 2 0 1 9

ELIOS

WE LOVE: Th e g l o s s i n t e r p r e tat i o n o f a n o b l o n g b r i c k f o r m at w i t h a touch of powder blue

43 T I L E I N T E R N AT I O N A L 3 / 2 0 1 9

CE RSAIE 2019 B EST IN SHOW

EMILCER AMICA

WE LOVE:

REPORT CERSAIE 2019

Th e j a w - d r o p p i n g p i x e l l at e d e f f e c t o n l a r g e - f o r m at p a n e l s w i t h h i g h - g lo s s s u r fac e s

44 T I L E I N T E R N AT I O N A L 3 / 2 0 1 9

FIANDRE

WE LOVE: Th e c h r o m at i c p o w e r o f t h e m a r b l e a n d m i n e r a l d e ta i l i n g

45 T I L E I N T E R N AT I O N A L 3 / 2 0 1 9

CE RSAIE 2019 B EST IN SHOW

F O N D O VA L L E

WE LOVE:

REPORT CERSAIE 2019

Th e w ay i n d u s t r i a l m at e r i a l s , i n s p i r e d b y n at u r a l m a r b l e , c a n l o o k t o ta l ly d i f f e r e n t t h a n k s t o m at t o r g l o s s f i n i s h e s

46 T I L E I N T E R N AT I O N A L 3 / 2 0 1 9

I TA L G R A N I T I

WE LOVE: Th e w ay m e ta l l i c e f f e c t s ta k e t h e p l a c e o f j o i n t s t o c r e at e n e w g r a p h i c p at t e r n s

47 T I L E I N T E R N AT I O N A L 3 / 2 0 1 9

CE RSAIE 2019 B EST IN SHOW

O R N A M E N TA

WE LOVE:

REPORT CERSAIE 2019

Th e w e a lt h o f f o r m at s , textures and colours.

A l l t o ta l ly m i x a b l e , f o r b o u n d l e s s c r e at i v i t y

48 T I L E I N T E R N AT I O N A L 3 / 2 0 1 9

CONSULTANTS IN ENTERPRISES COMMUNICATION

STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION PRESS OFFICE & PR SOCIAL & WEB MARKETING

EVENTS

INtono Srl MODENA - MILAN - TURIN ph: +39 059 7400579/80 ufficiostampa@intono.it eventi@intono.it

www.intono.it

LASSELSBERGER GROUP, STR ATEGIES FOR COMPETITIVENESS Paola Giacomini

As one of the world’s largest ceramic tile producers, Lasselsberger Group is uniquely positioned to observe the various

markets of Central and Eastern Europe.

The Pöchlarn, Austria-based multinational is the market leader

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Tile International: Firstly, how do you judge the re-

in Romania, Hungary and the Czech Republic, where it has its own manufacturing facilities, and it also has a factory in Russia.

an investment of around 40 million euros on the new production line and logistic centre. The success of the 60x60 cm size with a 20 mm thickness has exceeded our expectations.

Tile International: Have you also continued to invest in your other factories?

M. Hofmann: We have also installed a wall tile line for sizes up to 30x90 cm in the Czech Republic and two porcelain lines in Hungary and Romania. These investments partially replace old lines but are also aimed at increasing capacity, enlarging our assortment and achieving higher efficiency and lower energy consumption.

Tile International: What about the future?

M. Hofmann: We always have more projects we would like to do than we can actually manage at the same time. The rebuild of the next line in our Czech factory in Rakovnik is currently getting under way. The investment will give us the opportunity to automate the production flow of the entire factory and improve our ability to work with our own raw materials. In Hungary and Romania we have to finalize the rebuilding of the

sults of Lasselsberger Group in 2019?

Martin Hofmann: Out of our three divisions - raw materials, building materials and ceramics - the first performed very well and exceeded the other two in terms of its contribution to the group’s total turnover. We are also satisfied with the results of the ceramic division.

Although we won’t achieve the ambitious goals we had set ourselves (it’s more difficult to meet targets today than it was two or three years ago!), our sales forecasts are higher than the 2018 figures. As for profitability, our Group’s results are influenced by the significant increase in energy and labour costs. In general it’s becoming more and more difficult to achieve the margins needed to invest in new technologies for improving efficiency or introducing new products.

Tile International: Which activities have you concentrated on most this year?

M. Hofmann: We have focused in particular on the launch and marketing of larger sizes and higher thicknesses. For this purpose, we started up a new plant in Pilsen in the Czech Republic in 2018, which involved

Rako “Saloon Outdoor”

Rako “Betonico”

50 T I L E I N T E R N AT I O N A L 3 / 2 0 1 9

The group has a ceramic tile production capacity of around 50 million sq.m/year and also operates in the segments of raw materials

and building materials.

We discussed the group’s prospects and strategies with managing director Martin Hofmann.

existing factories, while in Russia we want to proceed with a new expansion step in production capacity. We are also investing in the raw materials division.

Tile International: Extra-large sizes are amongst the most innovative products to have emerged in recent years. Do you see this as an interesting segment for Lasselsberger?

M. Hofmann: In the last few years there has been a huge investment in capacity for the production of large slabs, both in Italy and elsewhere. We are watching the market performance of these products very closely, although our priority up to now has been to produce traditional sizes that can be placed on a normal pallet.

High-thickness tiles (20 to 30 mm) are also a very interesting product segment. This is an area where ceramic tile can gain market share against other materials.

Tile International: It’s a widely held opinion that digitalisation and logistics will play an increasingly important role in the future of the ceramic industry. Do you agree?

M. Hofmann: At Tecnargilla a few years ago I remember the words “Industry 4.0” were highlighted in big letters on every booth. Some people shortsightedly saw this simply as a marketing strategy, but in the space of just a few years it has become the focus of attention for numerous plant suppliers and an opportunity for producers like us. Starting from the machinery purchasing stage, we establish which data are needed to analyse the information within our systems. This helps us plan activities like preventative maintenance to increase useful machine lifetime and also has a positive effect on sales by making customer service more efficient and controllable.

Tile International: What is the trend in ceramic tile demand in the markets you operate in?

M. Hofmann: We’re not expecting an increase in demand next year and instead are anticipating a slight decline in consumption of between 3% and 5%. In Hungary there are fewer large projects in the pipeline. In the Czech Republic our sales team expects vinyl and lam-

inate to gain market share. And if we look at total sales Bruzzichelli of ceramic tiles in Germany, it doesn’t seem toChiara me that c.bruzzichelli@tiledizioni.it ceramics are succeeding in stemming the rise of these alternative materials.

In Russia, where up to now tile has enjoyed strong growth in production and consumption, we are expecting a stable market and, unfortunately, fiercer competition in 2020.

Then there are Western European markets that account for one third of our sales, partly due to the close proximity of our Czech factories to Austria and Germany. To strengthen our presence here, we have invested heavily in developing dedicated products with suitable technical characteristics and in improving services by boosting our two logistics centres. These efforts have made us a reliable partner for our customers and have also allowed us to grow in France, Benelux and Northern Europe.

Tile International: Is your relationship with dealers and distributors changing?

M. Hofmann: There’s nothing new about the fact that

Martin Hofmann

51 T I L E I N T E R N AT I O N A L 3 / 2 0 1 9

We in

are

observing

demand

ces them

for to

capital

for

an

customers reduce and

increase

logistic to

their

servienable

working

inventory

risk.

As a result, we have become the

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

biggest warehouse for our cu-

everyone wants customer branded stomers in the heart of Europe, a manufacturers? products. In our home markets we service that is now expected but M. Hofmann: Not if it’s fair competihave the advantage that our local unfortunately is still undervalued. tion at the right price. However, interbrands like Rako, Zalakeramia and national competitiveness is in many Cesarom have a high awareness, an cases influenced by subsidies or tax advantage we are working hard to maintain! In the pro- advantages provided by individual countries. European ject business we want to stimulate demand by offer- energy policy is also making us less competitive coming a wide, highly professional and well-structured as- pared to countries with less stringent environmental sortment, which would be almost impossible to handle policies. I personally believe that a tile produced in Euwith a private label. rope with modern, low-energy technology and sold in One thing we are observing is an increase in demand the local market has a better CO2 balance than a tile for logistic services for customers (product availability, imported from a distant location. picking & transport services) to enable them to reduce Tile International: Do you see more challenges or their working capital and inventory risk. As a result, we opportunities in the future of the sector? have become the biggest warehouse for our custom- M. Hofmann: As a ceramic engineer, I must say that ers in the heart of Europe, a service that is now expect- ceramic tiles have undergone astonishing developed but unfortunately is still undervalued. ment in the last few years with the advent of large slabs Tile International: The growth in non-ceramic floor- in thicknesses from 3 mm to 30 mm that offer a pering materials like LVT owes much to their greater fect imitation of wood and natural stone along with the ease of installation. How are you responding to this technical advantages of ceramics. Unfortunately, the challenge? fierce price competition means that tiles have an exM. Hofmann: In most of our markets it’s becoming in- cessively low market value, especially considering their creasingly difficult to find qualified ceramic tile layers. lifetime. Moreover, installation costs (including adheThe reintroduction of the examination for the tile lay- sives, grout and tile fixing) are often several multiples er’s certificate in Germany is a step in the right direction. of the cost of the tile itself. The fact that everyone usWe too have started up our own activities to address es the same technology also makes product differentithe problem. For example, this year we invited 600 tile ation more difficult. installation professionals to our centres in Hungary to Within our group we are looking closely at how we can attend specialist training courses organised together make best use of our opportunities and competitive lewith our partners. vers to prepare for future challenges, focusing in parTile International: Are you concerned about the in- ticular on the availability of our raw materials and our creasingly fierce competition between ceramic tile strong local market position. ✕

Rako “Blend”

Rako “Play”

52 T I L E I N T E R N AT I O N A L 3 / 2 0 1 9

ISO 9001 & ISO 14001 CERTIFIED

www.topcer.com

EXCELLENCE IN SIMPLICITY Italian ceramic tile manufacturers, Luca formed his commercial company for the specific purpose of creating floor tile collections inspired by Scandinavian design.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Terratinta Ceramiche was founded by Luca Migliorini in 2008, when he was 25. The son of a Swedish mother and an Italian father who enjoyed a long career as a manager for various major

Terratinta Group @Cersaie 2019

54 T I L E I N T E R N AT I O N A L 3 / 2 0 1 9

His stated intention was â&#x20AC;&#x153;to build a clear product and project identity,â&#x20AC;? so the first Terratinta collections, unveiled in 2010, encompassed a gallery of greys that were ideal for creating

minimal and functional interior design, characterised by rigorously designed pieces inspired by international masters such as Alvar Aalto and Arne Jacobsen, to name but two.

Chiara Bruzzichelli c.bruzzichelli@tiledizioni.it

Tile International: So your aim for Terratinta Ceram-

tra-competitive sector.”

Tile International: And the results speak for themselves because in 2017 you then formed Terratinta Group, which now comprises four different brands. Can you talk us through the various stages that led to this?

L. Migliorini: “Terratinta Group now comprises the brands Terratinta, Magica, Sartoria and Micro., all with a unique vision: to create something that represents a clean break from the past.

Terratinta Group was formed as a result of our acquisition in 2014 of Ceramica Magica, a historic Italian manufacturer with a high-profile generalist range, which took us out into the world, beyond the borders of Europe, to America and Asia. Despite the fact that it has a cross-cutting range that is much wider than Terratinta’s, Magica has also always stood out in the ceramic world as a producer of things that are different, in terms of both technology and thinking: Mauro Cappelli, the

iche is to conquer the markets of Northern Europe…

Luca Migliorini: “Our starting point was a desire to offer a ceramic flooring product specifically designed to suit the tastes of a target market that I felt was ready for this kind of approach. We clearly made the right call, and a range of countries made up of the Benelux nations, Scandinavia, the UK and Ireland, has shown that we were tapping into existing demand. Obviously we had to earn our credibility in the field, by showing professionalism, passion and punctual customer-service, as these are always key factors in establishing commercial companies. I have to say that we started from humble beginnings and we launched our business at the dawn of the global economic recession, but we built it up on a strong set of core values that have enabled us to create a young, cohesive group that is continuing to thrive and grow every day, even in this ul-

Terratinta Group @Cersaie 2019

Luca Migliorini

55 T I L E I N T E R N AT I O N A L 3 / 2 0 1 9

Terratinta

Group

now

com-

prises the brands Terratinta, Magica, Sartoria and Micro., all with a unique vision: to create something that represents a clean break from the past.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Micro. “I Frammenti Glossy Red”

Magica “Antica”

L. Migliorini: “Exactly, and the fourth brand, Micro –

brand’s creator, has product vision and market vision.

The two brands together, with their complementary individual identities, have enabled Terratinta Group to cover over 50 countries worldwide, with the supply of high-end Italian porcelain tile.”

Tile International: And then you added the Sartoria brand almost immediately afterwards?

L. Migliorini: “Four years later, in 2018 we launched a third new brand: Sartoria. At the 2017 Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair we spotted clear signs of a decisive return to “return to colour” in Northern Europe, and we had in fact already presented the Hexa collection under the Terratinta brand, which was winning wide acclaim for its rediscovery of the colours of Scandinavian design.

So we decided to invent a brand that draws inspiration from the contrast between tradition and innovation, and vintage and modern, and expresses it through colour. The process involved extensive research: the Sartoria range includes the innovative character of small formats, reinterpreted with modern technologies, as well as hand-made pieces, for people looking for traditional craftsmanship. The aim of the Sartoria brand is to take tradition and use it as a basis for innovation, so that it can combine with the minimalism of Terratinta. The cross-fertilisation of trends, designs and cultures, after all, is what best represents the future. Sartoria is the new Terratinta Group project that aspires to creating spaces tailored around the people who live in them.”

Tile International: So you have various brand identities that complement each other without overlapping?

which derives directly from Brix and is managed by the same Bonini brothers who founded that totally innovative brand – joined Terratinta Group in the middle of 2019. It expresses the same innovative philosophy and aims its technically and aesthetically exclusive products at architects and high-end customers. Micro is already working with top-flight partners, including Silvestrin, Benedini and Cicchiné, and is a brand that’s always on the lookout for ergonomics and synthesis and for those little things that really can change our everyday lives for the better: a lighter, stronger material; a covering that you can shape, without ever overlooking beauty, practicality and intended use.”

Tile International: What kind of a welcome did your new products get from Italian and foreign visitors to Cersaie?

L. Migliorini: The trade fair exceeded our expectations and we got plenty of positive feedback from our main markets in Northern Europe, North America, the Far East and Australia.

Sartoria and Micro. attracted a lot of attention because their designs are so innovative and always feature fresh, new decorative options.

On the European market in general and the Italian market in particular, the Voices project made a very positive impact, with its total look for bathrooms, involving combinations of ceramic finishes and bathroom furnishing elements, such as vanity units, heated towel rails and shower trays.

56 T I L E I N T E R N AT I O N A L 3 / 2 0 1 9

We have 35 direct employees, almost all of whom are young people careers

who

started

during

the

their reces-

sion, so are very careful and determined. We have faith in the future, but we keep our

Visitors were also very appreciative ing. We follow our vision with our crefeet firmly on the ground: we of the fact that we have added prod- follow our philosophy and ativity and faith in our instincts, while ucts with a thickness of 6mm to our market demand, and we keep keeping a watchful eye on the market large-format range.” and the needs of customers, so we’re our finger on the pulse so as Tile International: Have you tak- to keep pace with the rapid not fearful of taking risks and making en part in any other international trade developments to which the our own choices. events this year?

We have 35 direct employees, almost market is subject.

L. Migliorini: “We were among the all of whom are young people who exhibitors at Stockholm Light & Furnistarted their careers during the recesture from 4 to 8 February. We’ve been taking part in sion, so are very careful and determined. We have faith this trade show for years, where we are the only lead- in the future, but we keep our feet firmly on the ground: ing Italian brand dedicated to North European design we follow our philosophy and market demand, and we in the ceramic floor and wall tile sector. It’s an essen- keep our finger on the pulse so as to keep pace with tial opportunity for us because it enables us to show- the rapid developments to which the market is subject. case all our latest developments and emphasise our It’s no easy task, but having started the business in capacity for innovative design, based on the dialogue 2008, we’re mentally prepared for difficulties. between tradition and new technology that informs our Even this headquarters was a major investment: we research. It’s an ability that is always rewarded by the have 2,000 square metres of showroom and office North European market, where we’ve achieved growth space here. It’s unusual for a commercial company to of 5% in 2019, despite the fact that it has been a gener- have such a large show-room, of course, but we wantally complex year.” ed to showcase our brands as effectively as possible Tile International: So Terratinta Group is still grow- and highlight the cross-fertilisation of ideas that they ing at the brisk pace that it has set in recent years, as generate. We’ve also provided plenty of shared areas witness the impressive new headquarters you inaugu- on this site to meet the needs of employees: we have a rated in 2017 ... do you have any concerns about the gym, a kitchen and a children’s area so that parents alfuture? ways have access to a safe place to bring their children L. Migliorini: “We’re a small company with revenues when they need to. of about 23 million euros and we’re continuing to make We all work more happily in a nice environment and I investments, but it’s vital to keep the ideas flowing and firmly believe that happy staff make a happy company.” maintain the continuity of our sales and service offer- Tile International: Which markets are showing the most promise at the moment?

L. Migliorini: “To date, exports account for almost all of our revenues, and go mainly to Northern Europe, North America and the Far East, but central Europe, France, Germany and Switzerland are also important markets for us.

The Italian market, which has only been getting to know us for about a year, is still in the early stages for us, but it’s showing good margins for growth, as we saw from the interest shown in us at the latest edition of Cersaie.

We now have about a hundred customers scattered across Italy who display our brands’ products in their showrooms – our agents in Italy and abroad sell products from the entire Terratinta Group portfolio – plus a lot of designers. Italy has a special taste for innovation and design, furthermore, so we’re expecting good reTerratinta “Hexa” sults even in as complex a year as this one.” ✕

57 T I L E I N T E R N AT I O N A L 3 / 2 0 1 9

LA FENICE GROUP G OES AGAINST THE PREVAILING TREND and logistics hub serving the Keritaly brand.

La Fenice Group - which includes the La Fenice, GresItalia and La Fenice Iberia brands - was founded in 1998 as a purely commercial

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

La Fenice Group has invested 40 million euros in regenerating the former Cisa-Cerdisa plant in Gonzaga di Bondeno, which had been left abandoned for 10 years, and transformed it into an Industry 4.0 production

58 T I L E I N T E R N AT I O N A L 3 / 2 0 1 9

business but became a manufacturer as well in 2014. The Group closed 2018 with consolidated turnover of 85 million euros and is the most active Italian company in the major retail chain segment, particularly in

France. Sales to major retail chains now account for 60% of the Group’s turnover, with traditional clientele accounting for the remaining 40%.

We interviewed Enrico Guidetti,

Chairman of La Fenice Group, and Zoello Cavazzuti, Chairman of KerItaly SpA, La Fenice Group’s production company. We asked them to talk us through the thinking behind their decision to go against the prevailing

trend and invest in traditional formats, by setting up such a substantial production facility, whose production capacity, once fully ramped up, will be 7.5 million sq.m of porcelain floor and wall tiles in nine formats.

Chiara Bruzzichelli c.bruzzichelli@tiledizioni.it

Tile International: When does your decision to ac-

man of La Fenice Group.

It was a major decision, which led us, over the course of 18 months, to transform the 40,000 sq.m plant, built on a total area of 126,000 sq.m, into an Industry 4.0 plant, by removing 40,000 sq.m of Eternit fibre cement from the roofs, upgrading all the structures in compliance with anti-seismic regulations and equipping them with latest-generation technologies.”

Tile International: Who did you approach to supply your production systems and machinery?

Z. Cavazzuti: “Our main supplier of production systems was Sacmi and its associate companies, such as NuovaFima and Eurofilter, but System Creadigit supplied our digital machines. For our production capac-

quire the Cisa-Cerdisa plant in Bondeno date back to?

And how long did the regeneration work last?

Zoello Cavazzuti: “I worked for the Cisa-Cerdisa Group for years, including a period as Managing Director for the Ceramiche di Mantova brand, which used to produce dry-ground, red-body, single-fired tile in the Bondeno plant we have just acquired, and another period at the company based in Finale Emilia, which specialised in the production of technical porcelain. I was therefore very familiar with this building and aware of its potential, so when the chance to buy it came up, at the end of 2017, we decided to go ahead with the investment, with the approval of Enrico Guidetti, Chair-

from right: Zoello Cavazzuti, Elisabetta Galeotti (mayor of Bondeno di Gonzaga) and Antonella Forattini (councilor of the Lombardy region)

Enrico Guidetti

59 T I L E I N T E R N AT I O N A L 3 / 2 0 1 9

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

ity of 7.5 million sq.m of porcelain The decision to acquire the Ci- ly replace the old Fiorano Modenese tile, we currently have two kilns, one sa-Cerdisa plant in Bondeno led us, plant. Over 60% of the sum we investof which is 135 metres long by 3.30 over the course of 18 months, to ed was channelled into digital mametres wide, and the other is slight- transform the 40,000 sq.m plant, chines, automation and robotics, all ly shorter and narrower. By adding a built on a total area of 126,000 for the purpose of producing small third kiln, we could boost the plant’s sq.m, into an Industry 4.0 plant, by formats. The plant is already fully opproduction capacity to 10 million removing 40,000 sq.m of Eternit erational and has 55 employees in fibre cement from the roofs, production and another 20 in the adsq.m.”

Tile International: What is your upgrading all the structures in jacent logistics hub.” aim and reasoning for making such compliance with anti-seismic re- Tile International: Italy’s ceramgulations and equipping them with ic cluster has invested over 2 bila substantial investment? lion euros in recent years, primariEnrico Guidetti: “The decision was latest-generation technologies. ly in technology for the production of driven by powerful commercial forces, because La Fenice shipped over 10.5 million sq.m large-format panels, so your decision runs totally counof tile in 2018, and it’s not sustainable to source those ter to what everyone else is doing… kinds of volumes from external suppliers. So we decid- E. Guidetti: “Yes, without a doubt, what we’re doing ed to double our production capacity for glazed por- goes against the prevailing trend. But manufacturers celain tile, from 4.5 to 7.5 million sq.m, and increase the of large formats are now faced with excess production number of formats we produce from four to nine (from and market demand that is not ready yet. We took the 30x30 to 90x90, 15x60 to 60x120 and, for edge-grind- decision to do the job we’ve been doing for decades ing, 20x120 and 30x120). All our production will now be now, which is making high-quality Italian floor and wall concentrated in this new facility, which will complete- tiles at competitive prices, while incorporating a high

60 T I L E I N T E R N AT I O N A L 3 / 2 0 1 9

level of service input. port market, but we’re seeing solid in our line of business, we see The stakes are high for us: we ex- plenty of scope for development in growth right across Europe, including pect to raise consolidated Group the mid-segment of the market, with in Greece and Spain, where we have turnover to 100 million euros in 2020, customers who want to pay a rea- our own company for the purposes of as against 85 million in 2018, and sonable price without sacrificing direct distribution. We’re also openachieve double-figure growth, at quality. And we continue to defend, ing up a channel with the USA, which a time when average growth rates tooth and claw, the Italian origins is a very attractive market for our in the ceramic cluster are close to of our workforce, our production high-quality, Italian-made tiles, which zero.” and our know-how. are priced at a point that makes them Tile International: How do you competitive even against our arch-riplan to boost your sales? vals, the Spanish. We intend to bet on Zoello Cavazzuti: “We are the leading supplier of mid- this overseas market, despite the fact that figures for range products for major retail chains in Europe, but we the first half of 2019 reveal a sharp slowdown in Italian also have traditional distribution channels covered by exports (-8% by volume).” a network of 50 agents in Italy and a similar number in Tile International: Would it be fair to define La Fenexport markets. The Italian market currently accounts ice as the Italian group that’s taking on the middle band for about 30% of our total turnover, with the remaining of the market?

70% coming from sales on export markets. We intend Enrico Guidetti: “Our decision is to carry on manufacto keep this ratio as we grow, thanks to new ranges of turing high-quality tiles at competitive prices, and offer tiles, efficiency gains in logistics and flexible service, major benefits in terms of service. Large-format panaimed at providing our customers with just-in-time de- els are a different line of work, serving a different marliveries that free them from the need to hold stock. It’s ket, such as interior architecture and marble specialalso worth remembering that part of the cost penalty ists. They need a different commercial skill-set and desuffered by Italian manufacturers compared with our mand for them is not ready yet. But in our line of busiinternational competitors, in terms of energy and la- ness, we see plenty of scope for development in the bour costs, also includes the costs inflicted by lengthy mid-segment of the market, with customers who want infrastructure delays, such as the unfinished Cispadana to pay a reasonable price without sacrificing quality. and Campogalliano road links. So we believe we have And we continue to defend, tooth and claw, the Italan advantage on this front too, because the Bondeno ian origins of our workforce, our production and our plant overlooks the Brenner motorway, giving us a di- know-how.” rect link to the European market.”

Tile International: Which international trade fairs are Tile International: And Europe is your main market, you planning to attend in the near future? isn’t it?

Zoello Cavazzuti: “We’ll be at Cevisama, Coverings Z. Cavazzuti: “France is currently our leading ex- and, of course, Cersaie 2020.” ✕

61 T I L E I N T E R N AT I O N A L 3 / 2 0 1 9

DEL CONCA THE FUTURE AFTER THE FIRST 40 YEARS Ceramica del Conca Spa was founded 40 years ago, during the Christmas holidays in 1979. Secondo Enzo Mularoni, commonly known as Cino, and his son Enzo Donald, headed up the project that later led to the creation and development of four brands: DEL CONCA, PASTORELLI, FAETANO and DEL CONCA USA. The Group currently has annual production capacity of 20 million sq.m, provided by its production facilities in Italy, San Marino and the United States.

Del Conca Group, whose core business is the production of ceramic floor and wall tiles, currently operates in over 80 countries across every continent, with a wide range of products from the smallest formats to the 120x260cm large-format panels that are the latest addition to the product range.

“2019 is a year of celebration but it’s also a year of profound change for us,” explains Davide Mularoni, President of Ceramica del Conca Spa, the Group’s lead company.

“We’re celebrating our 40th anniversary and we see it as a major turning point for all our companies. As from this edition of Cersaie, we’ll be presenting ourselves with a new concept and raising the profile of our brands, which will be given a more incisive, original and distinctive identity.

We’ve achieved this milestone thanks to the substantial investments we’ve made in recent years, amounting to over 120 million euros, which have involved every area of the business to varying degrees: from production to R&D, sales and marketing.”

To achieve this goal the Del Conca brand will be backed up by a major advertising campaign, which kicks off in the next month or two.

ADVERTORIAL

ADVERTORIAL

Based in the province of Rimini, the company has opted for an image that is in line with its values, and gives professionals and final customers a clear idea of the type of product it offers, while at the same time providing a source of inspiration for a wide range of living spaces.

“WE DESIGN BEAUTY” is the campaign slogan and Stelvio is the product in its spotlight.

“Nowadays, the Group doesn’t simply depend on its extensive range,” adds Paolo Mularoni, President of Del Conca Usa Inc. and Ceramica Faetano Spa – “We’ve taken a close look at what we do, from a humble point of view, to work out where we can improve, what we can aspire to and how we can become the ideal supplier. We want to support our regular customers’ showrooms from a commercial point of view, but we also want to give them a boost with marketing initiatives aimed at guiding professionals and final customers towards purchasing our products by giving them a clear idea of what they offer.”

Del Conca Group has always been an active, dynamic company, willing to explore new approaches to the market, and we’ve not

shied away from this latest challenge either.

Once we had an exact idea of the direction consumer tastes were taking, it became clear that we no longer wanted to be focusing only on horizontal and vertical surfaces.

“In reality, we’ll continue to produce floor and wall coverings,” explains Paolo Mularoni, “but the real change is that we’re already doing it with close attention to the use that is then made of them by architects and interior designers. The total look is now a recognised trend and in the future it will no longer be exceptional to see storage unit doors, tables, sinks, kitchen countertops, base units and bespoke furnishing elements made with large-format ceramic panels. We’re in no doubt that we can also be a reliable partner as suppliers of ceramic panels to decorate and protect surfaces of all types and provide total visual continuity.”

“At Cersaie 2019,” continues Davide Mularoni, “we already have several examples of this type of application, especially in the Del Conca House area. The kitchen, which has always been the heart of every household, has been created with our Boutique collection of large-format panels. The result is a monoli-

thic solution with continuous, uniform surfaces between the vertical and horizontal parts.

On Tuesday 24 September, what’s more, this space will host a live cookery demonstration by the chef Alessandro Borghese. Borghese, who is the current face of Beko household appliances, is coming to our stand thanks to a co-marketing agreement with Febal, a leading furnishing company that installs Beko appliances in its kitchens.”

So we’re writing a new chapter in the company’s long history that provides a backdrop to the life-story of its founder, Cino Mularoni, recently told in a book “Una vita piena di futuro” by the journalist Sergio Barducci. Cino Mularoni made the culture of innovation his own, and passed it on first to his son Enzo Donald, and then to his grandchildren, Paolo, Davide and Marco, the third generation of entrepreneurs now at the Group’s helm. The headquarters, meanwhile, is still in Faetano, in the Republic of San Marino, where it all began.

WORLD PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION OF CERAMIC TILES Luca Baraldi • Acimac Research Dept • studi@acimac.it

The seventh edition of the publication “World production and consumption of ceramic tiles”

produced by the Acimac Research Department is due to be released in October.

Consisting of 260 pages of charts, tables and commentary, it provides detailed analysis of

ECONOMICS

Entire contents Copyright MECS - Machinery Economics Studies by ACIMAC - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

1) World tile production and consumption dropped for the first time in 2018 on the back of a sluggish 2017. After falling in the previous two-year period, import/export flows remained stable at 2017 levels.

2) World tile production fell by 3.6% in 2018 with respect to the previous year to reach 13,099 million sq.m.

Production in Asia accounted for 68.6% of global output, dropping from 9,473 to 8,980 million sq.m (down 5.2% on 2017). This negative growth was determined by a sharp fall in production volumes in China, only partly offset by growth in India, Vietnam, Indonesia and Iran.

The European continent produced a total of 1,984 million sq.m (15.1% of world production). Production remained unchanged both in the European Union (1,366 million sq.m, +0.3%) and in non-EU Europe (618 million sq.m, +0.5%).

Production in the American continent fell slightly from 1,436 to 1,412 million sq.m, while Central and South America reached 1,064 million sq.m (-0.9%) and North America 348 million sq.m (-3.9%).

Africa has been seeing significant growth for

4-5 years, with total output in 2018 estimated at around 718 million sq.m (+3.2%). Besides Egypt, which remains the leading producer in the continent with an output of 300 million sq.m, and Nigeria which reached an output of 114 million sq.m, other strong performances include double-digit growth in Algeria (+20%) and in some sub-Saharan African countries (+33% in Ghana, +12% in Tanzania and +20% in Sudan, Uganda, Ethiopia and Kenya). These latter countries began producing tiles in 2015, largely driven by Chinese investments, and have outputs of between 10 and 40 million sq.m.

3) In 2018, world tile consumption fell from 13,295 to 12,818 million sq.m (-3.6%).

In Asia, demand contracted to 8,511 million sq.m (-5.6%), equivalent to 66.4% of global consumption. As for Europe, consumption grew in European Union countries (from 1,009 to 1,034 million sq.m, +2.5%) but declined by 1.6% in non-EU Europe (from 565 to 556 million sq.m).

Consumption remained stable in the Americas, with volumes of 1,168 million sq.m (+0.7%) in Central and South America and 565 million sq.m (-0.9%) in North America.

WORLD MANUFACTURING AREAS

WORLD CONSUMPTION AREAS

2018 (Sq.mt Mill.)

% on world production

% var.

18/17

1,366

10.4%

0.3%

618

4.7%

0.5%

348

2.7%

-3.9%

CENTRAL-SOUTH AMERICA

1,064

8.1%

-0.9%

ASIA

8,980

68.6%

718

5.5%

AREAS EUROPEAN UNION (28) OTHER EUROPE

(Turkey included) NORTH AMERICA

(Mexico included)

AFRICA OCEANIA TOTAL

2018 (Sq.mt Mill.)

% on world consumption

% var.

18/17

1,034

8.1%

2.5%

556

4.3%

-1.6%

565

4.4%

-0.9%

CENTRAL-SOUTH AMERICA

1,168

9.1%

0.7%

-5.2%

ASIA

8,511

66.4%

-5.6%

3.2%

AFRICA

930

7.3%

1.1%

AREAS EUROPEAN UNION (28) OTHER EUROPE

(Turkey included) NORTH AMERICA

(Mexico included)

5

0.0%

0.0%

OCEANIA

13,099

100.0%

-3.6%

TOTAL

64 T I L E I N T E R N AT I O N A L 3 / 2 0 1 9

54

0.4%

1.9%

12,818

100.0%

-3.6%

the ten-year trends up to 2018 in industry, markets, per capita consumption and export flows in

large geographical regions and in the 76 largest tile producer, consumer, exporter and importer

Demand in Africa rose slightly to 930 million sq.m (+1%), still far higher than the continent’s production capacity.

4) In 2018, world tile exports remained unchanged with respect to 2017 at 2,749 million sq.m (-0.1%).

This was a combined result of the contraction in exports from China (down 54 million sq.m), Italy and Mexico and growth in exports from another three major exporting countries, Spain India and Brazil. As for macro-regions, Asia saw a fall from 1,443 to 1,425 million sq.m (-1.2%) and accounted for 52% of world exports.

Europe saw growth in exports from both the European Union (917 million sq.m, +0.4%), equivalent to one-third of the world total, and non-EU European countries (from 165 to 174 million sq.m, +5.5%).

As for the Americas, Central and South America saw an increase in export volumes (from 138 to 146 million sq.m, +5.8%), while North America experienced a fall (from 56 to 49 million sq.m, -12.5%). Last but not least, Africa remained stable at 38 million sq.m (+2.7%).

5) Looking at the export propensity of the various continents or macro-regions, the European Union

countries. Here we present a preview of the key figures. More on: www.mec-studies.com.

remained the area with the highest export share at 67.1% of its production.

Chiara Bruzzichelli All the other areas lagged well behind: nonc.bruzzichelli@tiledizioni.it EU Europe exported 28.2% of its output volumes, North America 14%, South America 13.7%, Asia 15.9% and Africa just 5.3%.

The trend in import/export flows over the years is perfectly consistent with our long-held view that tiles tend to be produced close to the place of consumption.

World exports stand at 21% of production and 21.5% of global consumption, with well over half (61%) consisting of exports shipped within the same geographical region as that of production: for example, 79.9% of South America’s exports remain in South America, 76.8% of North America’s exports remain within the NAFTA region, and 67.7% of Asian exports are shipped to other Asian countries.

The European Union remains a partial exception as 46.2% of its exports are sold in non-EU markets.

This analysis is confirmed by the fact that the shares of world production and consumption tend to be similar in each continent. In other words, Asia

INTERNATIONAL TRADE 2017

WORLD EXPORTING AREAS

(on Total World Consumption) AREAS EUROPEAN UNION (28) OTHER EUROPE

(Turkey included) NORTH AMERICA

(Mexico included) CENTRAL-SOUTH AMERICA ASIA AFRICA OCEANIA TOTAL

2018 (Sq.mt Mill.)

% on world exports

% var.

18/17

917

33.4%

0.4%

174

6.3%

5.5%

49

1.8%

-12.5%

146

5.3%

5.8%

1,425

51.8%

-1.2%

38

1.4%

2.7%

-

0.0%

2,749

100.0%

DOMESTIC SALES 78.5%

-0.1%

65 T I L E I N T E R N AT I O N A L 3 / 2 0 1 9

EXPORTS 21.5%

ECONOMICS

Entire contents Copyright MECS - Machinery Economics Studies by ACIMAC - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

accounted for 68.6% of production and 66.4% of world consumption, while the corresponding figures for Europe (EU + non-EU) were 15.1% and 12.4%, for the Americas 10.8% and 13.5% and for Africa 5.5% and 7.3%.

6) China, the world’s biggest producer, consumer and exporter of ceramic tiles, experienced its first severe contraction in terms of production and consumption in 2018, while the fall in exports continued for the fifth consecutive year.

This was the Chinese ceramic industry’s worst year since the beginning of the century, caused by a combination of factors including the slowdown in economic growth, the increase in all cost items (including those deriving from new environmental regulations) and increased competition.

Although the Chinese industry and market remain difficult to quantify due to the very large discrepancies between the available figures, our estimates suggest that Chinese production fell in 2018 to 5,683 million sq.m (down 11.2% on 2017), equivalent to 43.4% of world production, while domestic consumption is estimated at 4,840 million sq.m (-12%), 37.8% of world consumption. This compares with a production capacity estimated

by the Chinese association CBCSA at more than 11 billion sq.m, installed in some 1,265 companies. According to CBCSA, in 2018 no fewer than 137 Chinese companies closed down, production dropped by more than 1 billion sq.m (to 9 billion sq.m) and the sector’s turnover slumped by 28%.

Exports fell for the fifth consecutive year from 908 to 854 million sq.m (-5.9%), equivalent to 31% of world exports. The decline in exports in value terms was even more significant, dropping by 9.9% on 2017 to $3.986 billion.

This included a 5% fall in exports to Asia, which absorbed 60% of China’s total exports (516.6 million sq.m). The fall in sales in Africa was even steeper, down 20.8% from 151.7 to 120 million sq.m (14% of China’s total exports), partly due to the steady development of local production which in turn is squeezing the traditionally high level of imports from China. Exports to North America remained stable at 80 million sq.m, while sales in Central and South America regained 9% to reach 79 million sq.m. The fall in exports to the European Union continued in 2018, dropping to 11.7 million sq.m (-19.2%).

The same applied to non-EU European markets (10.6 million sq.m, -14%), whereas sales recov-

TOP MANUFACTURING COUNTRIES

COUNTRY

2014 (Sq.m Mill.)

2015 (Sq.m Mill.)

2016 (Sq.m Mill.)

2017 (Sq.m Mill.)

2018 (Sq.m Mill.)

% on 2018 world production

% var.

18/17

1.

CHINA

6,000

5,970

6,495

6,400

5,683

43.4%

-11.2%

2.

INDIA

825

850

955

1,080

1,145

8.7%

6.0%

3.

BRAZIL

903

899

792

790

793

6.1%

0.4%

4.

VIETNAM

360

440

485

560

602

4.6%

7.5%

5.

SPAIN

425

440

492

530

530

4.0%

0.0%

6.

ITALY

382

395

416

422

416

3.2%

-1.7%

7.

INDONESIA

420

370

360

307

383

2.9%

24.8%

8.

IRAN

410

300

340

373

383

2.9%

2.7%

9.

TURKEY

315

320

330

355

335

2.6%

-5.6%

10.

EGYPT

220

230

250

300

300

2.3%

0.0%

TOTAL

10,260

10,214

10,915

11,117

10,570

80.7%

-4.9%

TOTAL WORLD

12,428

12,475

13,280

13,587

13,099

100.0%

-3.6%

Source: Acimac Research dept. “World production and consumption of ceramic tiles”, 7th edition 2019

66 T I L E I N T E R N AT I O N A L 3 / 2 0 1 9

ket with a 20.5% share of total exports (56 million sq.m, -2%). Next came the UAE (17.8 million sq.m, +21.6%), Iraq (17.6 million sq.m, -6.3%) and Oman (16.7 million sq.m, +19%). Exports to Nepal, Sri Lanka and Qatar saw double-digit growth. After starting an export activity to Mexico in 2016, India maintained a good level of exports to what is the only non-Asian country among the top 10 markets for Indian tiles (15.3 million sq.m, -6.4%). Overall, the Asian continent absorbed 67.8% of India’s exports (185.7 million sq.m, +13.5%), Africa 14.4% (39.5 million sq.m, +48%), North America (NAFTA) 6.4% (almost entirely in Mexico), Europe (EU + nonEU) 7.3% (20 million sq.m, +61%) and South America 3.7% (10 million sq.m, +43.2%).

8) In 2018, Brazil maintained the previous year’s levels with a production of 793 million sq.m (+0.4%) and consumption of 702 million sq.m (-0.8%).

These values remain fairly low compared to installed capacity, which according to Anfacer figures stands at 1,065 million sq.m/year. By contrast, exports recovered from 90.4 to 100.5 million sq.m (+11.2%), reaching a value of US $368.2 million (+7%). These volumes are almost entirely shipped to Latin American markets and the USA, the sec-

ered in Australia-Oceania (35.7 million sq.m, +6%).

The Philippines remained the largest market for Chinese tiles (81 million sq.m, +10.8%), followed by Indonesia (72.8 million sq.m, +16.5%) and the USA (64.3 million sq.m, +5.3%). China’s 10 largest export markets account for 54% of the country’s exports.

7) In 2018, India maintained its position as the world’s second largest tile producer and consumer country. Production increased from 1,080 to 1,145 million sq.m (+6%), while domestic consumption fell slightly to 750 million sq.m (-1.3%).

The ceramic cluster in Morbi (Gujarat) has continued its rapid growth and is now estimated to have more than 500 production lines, many of which are devoted to products for export (some Gujarati sources already indicate a much higher level of production).

Exports have continued to grow strongly, rising from 228 to 274 million sq.m (+20.2%), consolidating India’s position as the 4th largest world exporter country. In value terms, exports reached 859 million euros, equivalent to an average selling price of 3.1 €/sq.m, one of the lowest figures of all major exporter countries.

Saudi Arabia remained India’s largest export mar-

TOP CONSUMPTION COUNTRIES

COUNTRY

2014 (Sq.m Mill.)

2015 (Sq.m Mill.)

2016 (Sq.m Mill.)

2017 (Sq.m Mill.)

2018 (Sq.m Mill.)

% on 2018 world consumption

% var.

18/17

1.

CHINA

4,894

4,885

5,475

5,498

4,840

37.8%

-12.0%

2.

INDIA

756

763

785

760

750

5.9%

-1.3%

3.

BRAZIL

853

816

706

708

702

5.5%

-0.8%

4.

VIETNAM

310

400

412

580

542

4.2%

-6.6%

5.

INDONESIA

407

357

369

336

450

3.5%

33.9%

6.

USA

231

254

274

284

289

2.3%

1.8%

7.

EGYPT

190

190

215

252

254

2.0%

0.8%

8.

TURKEY

215

234

241

254

239

1.9%

-5.9%

9.

MEXICO

197

218

235

242

236

1.8%

-2.5%

10.

IRAN

280

190

169

170

230

1.8%

35.3%

TOTAL

8,333

8,307

8,881

9,084

8,532

66.6%

-6.1%

TOTAL WORLD

12,132

12,281

12,989

13,295

12,818

100.0%

-3.6%

Source: Acimac Research dept. “World production and consumption of ceramic tiles”, 7th edition 2019

67 T I L E I N T E R N AT I O N A L 3 / 2 0 1 9

ond largest foreign market for Brazilian tiles at 15.8 million sq.m (up 39.3% on 2017).

9) With a further 1.7% growth in exports to 414 million sq.m in 2018, Spain strengthened its position as the world’s second largest exporter country. Export revenues rose to 2,729 million euros (+1.6%), while the average selling price remained stable at 6.6 €/sq.m.

According to Ascer figures, production remained unchanged at 530 million sq.m, corresponding to 5th place in the rankings of world producer countries. Domestic sales continued to recover in 2018, rising to 135 million sq.m (+5.5%) and bringing total sales to 549 million sq.m.

France confirmed its position as the top export market in terms of both volumes (41.2 million sq.m, +2.3%) and value (297.4 million euros, +7%), followed by the United States where exports grew from 27 to 33 million sq.m (+23%) corresponding to a value of 259.4 million euros (+10.9%). Exports saw strong growth to Morocco (20.5 million sq.m, +14.3%) and Algeria (13 mil-

lion sq.m, +31%); they remained stable in the UK (20.6 million sq.m), Israel (17.9 million sq.m) and Italy (14.5 million sq.m); and they fell sharply in Saudi Arabia (from 21 to 14 million sq.m, -33.7%) and in Jordan (from 15.5 to 10.6 million sq.m, -31.7%).

In 2018 the breakdown of Spanish export destinations by volume saw Europe in first place with 42.7% (48.7% in value), followed by the Middle East and Asia with 22.7% (20.1% in value), Africa with 17.2% (11.6% in value) and the Americas with 16.8% (18.6% in value).

10) In 2018, Italy experienced its first slowdown after 5 years of steady growth. Production fell from 422.5 to 415.5 million sq.m (-1.7%) while total sales dropped by 2.8% to 410.1 million sq.m, corresponding to a total turnover of 5.4 billion euros (-3%). Domestic sales remained fairly stable, losing just 1.6% in volume (82.4 million sq.m) and 1% in value (834 million euros) with an average selling price of 10.1 €/sq.m. Including imports, domestic consumption reached 108 million sq.m.

As the world’s third largest exporter, Italy was

average export price (€/sq.m)

TOP EXPORTING COUNTRIES

% on 2018 world exports

% var 18/17

value 2018 (million €)

ECONOMICS

Entire contents Copyright MECS - Machinery Economics Studies by ACIMAC - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

15.0%

31.1%

-5.9%

3,756

4.4

78.1%

15.1%

1.7%

2,729

6.6

328

78.8%

11.9%

-3.0%

4,547

13.9

274

23.9%

10.0%

20.2%

859

3.1

148

151

39.4%

5.5%

2.0%

361

2.4

90

100

12.6%

3.6%

11.2%

398

4.0

81

93

100

29.9%

3.6%

7.8%

506

5.1

61

56

53

46

17.8%

1.7%

-13.2%

237

5.2

POLAND

42

46

45

43

28.7%

1.6%

-4.4%

265

6.2

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

54

48

46

42

60.9%

1.5%

-8.7%

171

4.1

TOTAL

2,340

2,389

2,356

2,352

22.6%

85.6%

-0.2%

TOTAL WORLD

2,746

2,788

2,752

2,749

21.0%

100.0%

-0.1%

COUNTRY

2015 (Sq.m Mill.)

2016 (Sq.m Mill.)

2017 (Sq.m Mill.)

2018 (Sq.m Mill.)

% on 2018 national production

1.

CHINA

1,089

1,025

908

854

2.

SPAIN

378

395

407

414

3.

ITALY

316

332

338

4.

INDIA

134

186

228

5.

IRAN

112

126

6.

BRAZIL

77

94

7.

TURKEY

77

8.

MEXICO

9.

10.

Source: Acimac Research dept. “World production and consumption of ceramic tiles”, 7th edition 2019

68 T I L E I N T E R N AT I O N A L 3 / 2 0 1 9

badly hit by the weak demand from foreign markets. Exports fell in volume from 338.2 to 327.7 million sq.m (-3%) and generated revenues of 4,547 million euros (-3.3%), while the average price remained stable at 13.9 €/sq.m. The Italian tile industry succeeded in holding its ground in European markets, where it sold 222 million sq.m, 67.7% of total export volumes. Sales within the European Union remained stable at 196 million sq.m while growing strongly in the Balkan states (+7.3%).

Sales declined in other geographical areas: -5.4% in North America (46 million sq.m), -4.3% in the Far East (20 million sq.m), -21% in the Gulf states (9 million sq.m), -10% in North Africa and other Middle Eastern countries (10 million sq.m) and -6.8% in South America (4 million sq.m).

The rankings of Italy’s largest export markets remained unchanged. Germany was again the largest market with 53.9 million sq.m (-2.2%), followed

by France (44.3 million sq.m, -4.5%), the USA (34.6 million sq.m, -7%), Austria, Belgium, the UK, Canada, Switzerland and the Netherlands.

11) The three largest exporter countries, China, Spain and Italy, accounted for 58% of world exports in 2018, while the top ten countries made up 85.6%.

Amongst the largest exporter countries, Italy and Spain maintained the highest share of exports as a percentage of production (79% and 78% respectively), compared to the 61% of the UAE, the 39% of Iran, the 30% of Turkey, the 29% of Poland, the 24% of India, the 18% of Mexico and the 15% of China. But the real sign of Italy’s leadership position is its average selling price of 13.9 €/sq.m compared to the 6.6 €/sq.m of Spain, the 6.2 €/sq.m of Poland and between 2.4 €/sq.m and 5.2 €/sq.m of the other exporter countries.

12) Vietnam and Indonesia remained the largest producer and consumer countries in the Far East. In 2018, Vietnam increased both its installed capacity (estimated at 753 million sq.m) and output (from 560 to 602 million sq.m, +7.5%) in response to a domestic consumption of around 542 million sq.m and a growing export activity which is estimated at approximately 30 million sq.m. According to

% on 2018 national consumption

% on 2018 world imports

% var.

18/17

TOP IMPORTING COUNTRIES

1.

USA

164

179

194

202

209

72.3%

7.6%

3.5%

2.

IRAQ

102

106

112

129

124

98.4%

4.5%

-3.9%

3.

SAUDI ARABIA

156

188

167

131

113

64.2%

4.1%

-13.7%

4.

FRANCE

99

99

104

112

108

87.8%

3.9%

-3.6%

5.

GERMANY

95

100

115

109

106

87.6%

3.9%

-2.8%

6.

PHILIPPINES

53

60

75

82

91

69.5%

3.3%

11.0%

7.

INDONESIA

46

45

57

64

77

17.1%

2.8%

20.3%

8.

SOUTH KOREA

76

72

75

78

77

66.4%

2.8%

-1.3%

9.

ISRAEL

44

52

57

58

61

93.8%

2.2%

5.2%

10.

THAILAND

49

56

54

55

57

31.1%

2.1%

3.6%

TOTAL

884

957

1,010

1,020

1,023

64.2%

37.3%

0.3%

2,705

2,746

2,788

2,752

2,745

21.4%

100.0%

-0.3%

COUNTRY

TOTAL WORLD

2014 (Sq.m Mill.)

2015 (Sq.m Mill.)

2016 (Sq.m Mill.)

2017 (Sq.m Mill.)

2018 (Sq.m Mill.)

Source: Acimac Research dept. “World production and consumption of ceramic tiles”, 7 edition 2019 th

69 T I L E I N T E R N AT I O N A L 3 / 2 0 1 9

ECONOMICS

Entire contents Copyright MECS - Machinery Economics Studies by ACIMAC - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

the association ASAKI, Indonesia has likewise resumed growth with production reaching 383 million sq.m (+24.8%) and consumption 450 million sq.m. Imports remain high, growing from 64 to 77 million sq.m, including 73 million sq.m from China.

13) Iran, the largest producer country in the Middle East, produced 383 million sq.m of tiles in 2018 (+2.7%), continuing the recovery that began in 2016 as a combined result of the upturn in consumption (around 230 million sq.m) and the steady growth in exports, which grew to 151 million sq.m. This included 100 million sq.m exported to Iraq and the rest to Pakistan and other neighbouring markets (see focus section on page 88).

14) In 2018, Turkey saw the previous year’s recovery cancelled out as production dropped to 335 million sq.m (-5.6%) and consumption fell to 239 million sq.m (-5.9%), almost entirely met by local production (imports amounted to just 4 million sq.m).

On the other hand the country’s export business continued to regain traction and expanded from 93 to 100 million sq.m (+7.8%), corresponding to a value of $599 million (+8.6%). Turkish exports were mainly spread out over three macro-regions: 49% to the European Union, 24% to the Middle East and Asia and 17% to the NAFTA region. Following 20.5% growth with respect to 2017, Israel became the largest foreign market for Turkish tiles (13.4 million sq.m), followed by Germany (12 million sq.m, +7.5%) and the USA, where sales dropped by 2.6% to 11.4 million sq.m. Exports to the UK also increased (9.6 million sq.m, +11.4%), while sales fell in France (5.9 million sq.m, -28%) and in Canada (4.7 million sq.m, -3.7%).

15) In 2018, imports to the top 10 importer countries remained stable with respect to 2017 at a total of 1,023 million sq.m, equivalent to 37.3% of total world import/export flows. With the sole exceptions of Indonesia, which imported just 17% of its consumption, and Thailand with 31%, imports to all the other top 10 importer countries accounted for more than 60% of domestic consumption, with peaks of 98.4% in Iraq and between 87% and 94% in France, Germany and Israel 16) In 2018 the USA confirmed its status as the world’s biggest importer country with growth in imports from 202 to 209 million sq.m (+3.5%), driven by

the 1.8% upturn in demand from 284 to 289 million sq.m. Imports stood at 72.3% of consumption, slightly higher than the previous year in response to the fall in local production (including that of Italian-controlled companies Del Conca USA, Florida Tile, Florim USA, Landmark and Stonepeak), which dropped to 87 million sq.m in 2018 (-4.4%) in the first contraction after 8 years of steady growth.

Some 80% of US imports originated from the 4 largest supplier countries: China (64.3 million sq.m, +5.3%), Mexico (35.2 million sq.m, -4.6%), Italy (34.6 million sq.m, -7%) and Spain (33 million sq.m, +23%).

Italy remained the market leader in terms of sales value (on a CIF basis) at US $710 million, a 30.9% share of the total value of imports (US $2.3 billion).

17) In 2018 Saudi Arabia, the world’s third largest tile importer, continued the negative trend that began in 2016. Domestic consumption dropped to 176 million sq.m (down 13.3% on the 203 million sq.m of 2017 and almost 90 million sq.m below the record figure of 2015), prompting a corresponding contraction in both imports (from 131 to 113 million sq.m) and local production (70 million sq.m, -12.5%).

India remained the largest exporter to Saudi Arabia (56 million sq.m, -2%), followed by China (17 million sq.m, -31%), UAE (14.3 million sq.m, -3.9%), Spain (14 million sq.m, -33.7%) and Oman (5.8 million sq.m, +18%. . ✕

NEW !

EDITION

s 260 page BOOK YOUR COPY write to: studi@acimac.it

70 T I L E I N T E R N AT I O N A L 3 / 2 0 1 9

The Largest Building & Interiors Trade Show in Russia 31 March â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 3 April 2020 Crocus Expo, Moscow, Russia

Book your stand on: mosbuild.com

77 338 visitors from 82 regions of Russia

1 200

exhibitors from 40 countries

THE WORLD’S TOP CERAMIC TILE MANUFACTURERS Luca Baraldi • Acimac Research Dept • studi@acimac.it

2

SCG CERAMICS

USA

Thailand

174.0

210.0

15%

687.0

$ 9,984 mill. (ceramics, carpet, laminate, wood, stone, LVT)

832.0 (tiles + sanitaryware)

MAIN TILE BRANDS / COMPANIES

ECONOMICS

1

(est. on official company data)

TILE PLANTS LOCATION

n.a.

223.0 MOHAWK INDUSTRIES, Inc.

that in many cases operate across multiple segments of the ceramic industry (tiles, sanitaryware, tableware, heavy clay) and the supply chain (raw materials, adhesives, distribution), as well as in other sectors (bathroom and

TOTAL TURNOVER (mill. €)

TURNOVER ONLY TILE SEGMENT (mill. €)

223.0

$ 3,553 mill.

INSTALLED CAPACITY

EXPORT SHARE

Along with data for installed capacity, real production, export share and number and locations of facilities (in the tile segment), we also report revenue where available.

As these players are large groups

PRODUCTION (mill. sq.m)

COUNTRY

GROUP / COMPANY

In addition to the world tile production and consumption figures, Tile International is also publishing key data on the sector’s leading groups and companies, ranked by output volumes and updated to 31/12/2018.

23 in USA, Mexico, Brazil, Italy, Spain, Poland, Bulgaria, Russia

American Olean, Dal Tile, KAI, Kerama Marazzi, Marazzi, Ragno, Emilgroup, Eliane

21 in Thailand, 7 in Vietnam, 4 in Indonesia, 1 in the Philippines

Cotto, Sosuco, Campana, Prime, Mariwasa, Kia, Trend Lamosa, Porcelanite, Firenze, San Lorenzo, Cordillera, Scop, Princesa, Mallorca, Lamosa USA

3

GRUPO LAMOSA

Mexico

164.0

179.0

40%

651.8

651.8

9 in Mexico, 2 in Argentina, 1 in Colombia, 3 in Peru

4

GRUPO CEDASA/ INCOPISOS

Brazil

88.2

149.2

9%

152.6

152.6

3 in Brazil

Majopar, Cedasa, Vistabella, Lorenzza, Incopisos, Vivences, Bellacer

5

RAK CERAMICS PJSC

UAE

695.0

6

CERAMICA CARMELO FIOR

7

113.0

(95.0 in 2019)

(135.0 as from Jan. ‘19)

45%

472.0

(tiles, sanitary, tableware)

14 in UAE, 9 in Bangladesh, China, India

RAK Ceramics, Elegance

Brazil

81.0

84.0

22.5%

173.0

173.0

4 in Brazil

Cecafi, Pisoforte, Fioranno, Idealle, Arielli

PAMESA

Spain

79.2

79.5

71%

485.0

643.0

6 in Spain

Pamesa Ceramica, TAU Ceramica, Geotiles, Navarti, CTI, Foset

8

GRUPO FRAGNANI

Brazil

72.2

74.0

8%

145.0

145.0

3 in Brazil

Incefra, Incenor, Tecnogres, In Out

9

KAJARIA CERAMICS

India

68.0

1%

343.0

378.7 (tiles, sanitaryware)

9 in India

Kajaria

10

STN GROUP

Spain

65.0

76.0

76%

273.0

273.0

2 in Spain

STN, Alaplana, Keratile, Tesany, Vitacer

11

DYNASTY CERAMIC

Thailand

61.0

76.0

5%

210.0

219.0

3 in Thailand

Dynasty, Tile Top, Jaguar, Mustang, Value, RCI

12

CERSANIT SA

Poland

57.1

65.0

21%

279.0

485.0 (tiles, sanitaryware)

2 in Poland, 2 in Russia, 1 in Ukraine, in Germany

Cersanit, Opoczno, Meissen Keramik, MEI

13

SOMANY CERAMICS

India

56.6

62.0

4%

196.0

220.0

9 in India

Somany

81.6

66.3 (sales >80)

>> 72 T I L E I N T E R N AT I O N A L 3 / 2 0 1 9

kitchen furnishings, non-ceramic surface coverings, building materials, chemicals, etc.), we indicate both turnover generated solely in the ceramic tile segment and consolidated group revenue.

The figures were provided direct-

ly by the companies themselves or obtained from public sources, and in some cases are based on estimates.

As always, the rankings are not exhaustive and a number of groups have been omitted due to the lack

of sufficient data.

A case in point is the largest Italian manufacturer Concorde Group.

Other players that would have entered the rankings include the largest Egyptian group Cleopatra and several Chinese groups.

Chiara Bruzzichelli c.bruzzichelli@tiledizioni.it

INSTALLED CAPACITY

EXPORT SHARE

TURNOVER ONLY TILE SEGMENT (MILL. €)

TOTAL TURNOVE (MILL. €) R

TILE PLANTS LOCATION

MAIN TILE BRANDS / COMPANIES

ARWANA CITRAMULIA

PRODUCTION (MILL. SQ.M)

14

and revenues of $3.553 billion generated in the tile segment (36% of the group’s consolidated revenues).

This figure is set to rise in 2019, driven by the expansion

COUNTRY

GROUP / COMPANY

Mohawk Industries, Inc. remains firmly at the top of the rankings of the top 25 world groups with a capacity and output to 31/12/2018 of around 223 million sq.m

Indonesia

55.7

57.4

0

122.0

1220.

5 in Indonesia

Arwana, UNO

16

KALE GROUP

Turkey

15

VITROMEX

Mexico

17

LASSELSBERGER GROUP

18

50.7

62.0

37%

190.0

(tiles, bathroom, others)

20 in Turkey

Canakkale Seramik, Kalebodur, Edilcuoghi, Edilgres, Campani, IDA

n.a.

n.a.

n.a.

5 in Mexico

Vitromex, Construpiso, Arko

235.0

55.0

57.0

(estimates)

(estimates)

Austria

48.2

50.5

n.a.

n.a.

n.a.

5 in Czech Rep., 2 in Hungary, 1 in Romania, 1 in Russia

Rako, Cesarom, LB-Ceramics, Zalakeramia

ELIZABETH

Brazil

43.1

56.0

3%

n.a.

n.a.

5 in Brazil

Elizabeth

19

CELIMA (Trebol Group)

Peru

n.a.

n.a.

n.a.

3 in Peru

Celima, San Martin

20

WHITE HORSE CERAMIC IND.

Malaysia

17%

165.0

165.0

3 in Malaysia, 1 in Vietnam, 1 in Taiwan

White Horse

42.0

54.0

(estimates)

(estimates)

41.2

56.0

>> 73 T I L E I N T E R N AT I O N A L 3 / 2 0 1 9

in production under way in Russia and the acquisition of Eliane in Brazil in November 2018. In the first half of 2019 the Global Ceramics division posted 3% growth in revenue to $1.856 billion.

The Thai group SCG Ceramics ranks second in terms of output volumes (174 million sq.m, down 7% on 2017), but trails well behind in terms of sales revenues (687 million euros) (see focus on page 72). Mexican group Lamosa follows close behind with a production of 171 million sq.m and revenue of 652 million euros. For Rak Ceramics we are supplying both the data to 31/12/2018 and the increase in installed capacity and production deriving from the start-up of the new

large-size slab factory in Morbi, India in January 2019.

Other highlights include the ascent of the rankings by Brazilian group Cedasa/Incopisos, the strong performance of Indian companies Kajaria and Somany (see articles on pages 80 and 84) and the further improvement made by Spanish groups Pamesa and STN, both of which posted increases in production of 5 million sq.m as well as double-digit revenue growth. Pamesa reached group revenues of 485 million euros (+11.5% on 2017), STN 273 million euros (+13.3%).

Total production by the 25 largest world groups in the sector amounted to around 1.8 billion sq.m in 2018, 13.7% of world tile production. ✕

MORE ON:

PRODUCTION (MILL. SQ.M)

INSTALLED CAPACITY

EXPORT SHARE

TURNOVER ONLY TILE SEGMENT (MILL. €)

TOTAL TURNOVE (MILL. €) R

TILE PLANTS LOCATION

MAIN TILE BRANDS / COMPANIES

South Africa

40.0

49.0

18%

n.a.

n.a.

5 in South Africa, 1 in Australia

Gryphon, Pegasus, Samca, Vitro, NCI

Mexico

40.0

50.0

26%

330.0

452.0 (tiles, sanitaryware, others)

3 in Mexico, 1 in USA

Interceramic

PORTOBELLO (PGB)

Brazil

40.0

20%

237.6

237.6

2 in Brazil

Portobello, Pointer

24

H&R JOHNSON (INDIA)

India

n.a.

n.a.

n.a.

10 in India

Johnson, Marbonite, Endura, Porselano

25

CORONA

600.9

5 in Colombia

Corona, Orchid

22

13 in India

Johnson, Marbonite, Endura, Porselano

ECONOMICS

COUNTRY

GROUP / COMPANY

W W W. M E C- STU D I E S .CO M

21

CERAMIC INDUSTRIES

22

INTERCERAMIC

23

46.0 (estimates)

40.0

60.0

(estimates)

(estimates)

Colombia

37.2

42.0

8%

160.0

H&R JOHNSON (INDIA)

India

40.0

64.0

4

187.8

23

INTERCERAMIC

Mexico

40.0

44.0

28

345.0

463.0 (tiles, sanitaryware, others)

4 Mexico, 1 USA

Interceramic

24

PORTOBELLO (PGB)

Brazil

39.0

46.0

15

321.9

321.9

2 in Brazil

Portobello, Pointer

25

ELIZABETH

Brazil

37.5

55

2

n.a.

n.a.

5 in Brazil

Elizabeth

26

CORONA

Colombia

35.4

41.6

10

163.0

486.0 (tiles, sanitaryware)

5 in Colombia

Corona, Orchid

74 T I L E I N T E R N AT I O N A L 3 / 2 0 1 9

(tiles, sanitaryware)

229.7 (tiles, sanitaryware))

EXPO REVESTIR 2020 MARCH SP

10,11 BUSINESS DAYS BUSINESS AND NETWORKING

12,13 CREATIVE DAYS TRENDS AND CONTENTS

Visiting Expo Revestir is always a unique experience.

Special days focus in different interests.

Promotion

EXPOREVESTIR.COM.BR

Organization

Joint event

T H E TO P I TA L I A N TILE PRODUCERS

The growing competition from other ceramic producer countries and the increasingly widespread use of alternative materials such as vinyl are the main causes of the

slowdown experienced in 2018 by the Italian ceramic tile industry, which saw its revenues drop to 5.4 billion euros, down 3% on 2017.

ECONOMICS

1

Concorde Group

n.a.

EXPORTS SHARE

n.a.

ings along with its many companies and brands in Italy, France, Russia and the United States.

Iris Ceramica Group remains in second place with consolidated revenues of 485 million euros returning

PRODUCTION (MILL. M2)

n.a.

EMPLOYEES

% VAR 18/17

GROUP / COMPANY

TURNOVER 2018 (MILL. €)

The rankings of the top Italian groups with revenues above 200 million euros have remained unchanged.

Although Concorde Group does not publish its operating data, it remains firmly at the top of the rank-

This slowdown follows five years of uninterrupted growth and with very few exceptions is reflected throughout the results posted by the top groups and companies in

n.a.

n.a.

PRODUCTION UNITS ABROAD

BRANDS/COMPANIES

Novoceram (France), Italon (Russia), Landmark (USA)

Atlas Concorde, Keope, Supergres, Mirage, Caesar, Fap, Minerva, Marca Corona, Refin Fiandre Architectural Surfaces, Iris, FMG, Sapienstone, Ariostea, Eiffelgres, Granitech, Technoriunite, Matimex, Arcarel, Tecnomix, La Ceramica

2

Iris Ceramica Group

485.0

-4.7

1,500

23.5

84%

Stonepeak (USA), Porcelaingres (Germany)

3

Finfloor Group

410.0

-3.5

1,409

27.0

85%

Florim USA

Florim (Floor Gres, Rex, Cedit, Cerim, Casa dolce Casa, FLORIM stone)

Panaria, Lea, Cotto D’Este, Blustyle

4

Panariagroup

371.0

-3.5

1,741

23.0

80%

Panariagroup USA (Lea North America, Florida Tiles); Gres Panaria Portugal (Margres, Love Ceramic Tiles)

5

Casalgrande Padana

263.8

-0.5

1,044

22.5

80%

Casalgrande Padana, Nuova Riwal (Alfa Lux, Saime)

6

Coop. Ceramica Imola Group

222.5

-9.1

1,199

17.7

74%

Imola, La Faenza, Leonardo

7

Italcer Group

198.9

+144.9

525

11.3

n.a

8

Del Conca Group

157.2

-6.7

629

12.4

83%

Del Conca USA

Del Conca, Faetano, Pastorelli

9

Ricchetti Group

151.6

-6.5

1,059

11.6 (sales)

84%

Cinca (Portugal), Klingenberg Dekoramik (Germany)

Ricchetti, Cisa, Cerdisa, Höganäs (Sweden), Pukkila (Finland)

10

Ceramiche Gresmalt Group

132.8

+0.5

374

12.7

80%

Gresmalt, Abitare la Ceramica, Sintesi, Frassinoro, Materiadesign

11

ABK Group

110.0

-

311

5.9

70%

Abk, Flaviker, Ariana, Casa Tua, Hardkoll

12

Laminam

110.0

29.4

500

n.a.

n.a.

La Fabbrica, AVA, Elios, Ceramica Rondine, Devon&Devon

LaminamRUS (Russia)

76 T I L E I N T E R N AT I O N A L 3 / 2 0 1 9

Laminam

the sector.

These figures were published in the exclusive annual study conducted by the magazine Tile Italia (“Italian ceramic tile companies,

revenues 2018”, Tile Italia 3/2019).

This league table of excellence is summarised below, although readers should note that the figures for Marazzi Group (one of the top

and Casalgrande Padana, which remains stable at 2017 levels with 263.8 million euros (-0.5%). Rounding Chiara Bruzzichelli off this first group is Coop. Ceramica d’Imola with a c.bruzzichelli@tiledizioni.it 9.1% fall in revenues to 222.5 million euros.

+1.3

425

7.8

62%

Serenissima, Cir, Cercom, Cerasarda, Exe, Isla Tiles

Industrie Ceramiche Piemme

98.1

-5.7

369

6.8

87%

Ceramiche Piemme, Valentino

15

Fincibec Group

81.2

-0.1

380

6.2

65%

Fincibec, Monocibec, Naxos, Century

16

Italgraniti Group

80.4

-1.5

240

4.5

80%

Italgraniti, Impronta, Mega

17

Gold Art Ceramica

76.4

+8.1

281

8.3

53%

Energieker

18

Coem

73.1

-2.9

279

6.2

72%

Coem, Fioranese

19

Ceramiche Ascot

67.8

-3.5

288

6.7

60%

Ascot, Dom

20

Polis Manifatture Ceramiche

61.5

+1.5

278

4.5

40%

Polis

21

Novabell Ceramiche Italiane

52.0

+2.0

182

4.1

87%

Novabell, Abita

22

Tuscania - CMC

44.7

-2.0

260

5.0

50%

Tuscania, Il Cavallino Ceramiche Artistiche

23

Saxa Gres Group

35.0

n.a.

480

3.0

90%

Saxa Gres, Grestone, Tagina

24

Ceramica Fondovalle

31.1

-5.2

113

1.4

70%

Fondovalle, My Top

25

Sichenia Ceramiche Group

29.0

-21.8

188

3.0

75%

Sichenia, Phorma

26

Altaeco

27.9

+0.4

286

1.5

51%

Appiani, Bardelli, Vogue

13

Romani Group

14

PRODUCTION (MILL. M2)

% VAR 18/17

105.1

GROUP / COMPANY

EMPLOYEES

TURNOVER 2018 (MILL. €)

EXPORTS SHARE

to just above 2015 levels following the record performance of 2016-2017. Next come Finfloor Group with consolidated revenues of 410 million euros (down 3.5% on 2017), Panariagroup with 371 million euros (-3.5%)

Italian groups) and Emilgroup are not present in the rankings as they are included in the overall financial results of Mohawk Industries (see page 72).

BRANDS/COMPANIES

Other companies with turnovers between 30 and 70 million Euros, whose 2018 data are not available: Gambini Group, Opera Group, Ceramiche CCV Castelvetro, Ceramiche Sant’Agostino, Granitoforte, Cerindustries, Savoia Italia

77 T I L E I N T E R N AT I O N A L 3 / 2 0 1 9

ECONOMICS

Unlike the four largest groups which are all highly internationalised in terms of production, it is worth noting that both Casalgrande Padana and Coop. Ceramica dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Imola have manufacturing operations based exclusively in Italy.

The mid-range segment, consisting of groups of companies with revenues of between 100 and 200 million euros, is led by Italcer group with revenues of 198.9 million euros following the acquisition of Rondine Group (revenue of 110.2 million euros in 2017) in October 2018. Founded less than two years ago, the group led by Graziano Verdi continues to take rapid strides towards its goal of a 300 million euro turnover.

The Del Conca group saw a 6.7% fall in revenue to 157.2 million euros, followed by Ricchetti Group with a 6.5% contraction to 151.6 million euros.

Next, Gresmalt consolidated its double-digit 2017 growth with revenue of 132.8 million euros (+0.5%). ABK Group also performed well, maintaining its 2017 level of consolidated revenues of 110 million euros.

ADVERTISING

Laminam reached 110 million euros and once again recorded the highest growth percentage of the entire sector: +29.4% following the +25% of 2017 and the +36% of 2016.

Last April, the fund Alpha acquired a controlling interest in Laminam, while CEO Alberto Selmi further increased his stake in the company.

Last in the second group of companies is Romani Group with revenues of 105 million euros (+1.3%).

Amongst the companies with revenues below 100 million euros (the rankings only include companies that supplied figures) are Ceramica Piemme Group (98.1 million euros, -5.7%), followed by Fincibec Group (stable at 81.2 million euros) and Italgraniti Group (80.4 million euros, -1.5%). Standout performances include 8.1% growth by Gold Art Ceramica - EnergieKer (76.4 million euros) and the sixth consecutive growth year recorded by Polis (61.5 million euros, +1.5%).

Novabell (+2%) also performed well. â&#x153;&#x2022;

2020.4.18th-21st

China Ceramics City, No.2, Jiangwan 3rd Rd, Chancheng District, Foshan, Guangdong, China

Scan For E-ticket

86-757-82525961 86-18925942595 fair@eccc.com.cn

en.cerambath.org

ADVERTORIAL

LIGHT AND SHADOW WHAT VISOFT LEARNED FROM PAINTERS AND THEIR ART

Why are photos, renders, virtual presentations or any other kind of visualizations made by ViSoft software so real?

Lively? Emotional?

Because we have blended technical knowhow with painters’ skills when developing our programs to create emotional pictures.

Light’s physical presence

The shadow side

Atmosphere by shading

Different sources of illumination - like sunlight, electric lighting or candle light - offer multiple variations in warmth, intensity and colour.

Technically, ViSoft provides all profiles to cover the wide range of light.

However, this is not enough to get a realistic photo of a planned bathroom since rays of light hit objects and cast shadows.

Silhouettes and shadows depend on the object’s form as well as on the intensity of light and the angle of incident light.

So it is necessary to produce physically correct shadows in order to create the illusion of volume, mass and depth.

This would be easy, if there was only one light source.

But with more than one light source silhouettes and reflections play a major role in creating a natural impression.

Like artists throughout centuries ViSoft applies the technique of light modelling which implies the gradation of colour and shading.

This keeps shadows from becoming too precise or plain and is the most important aspect in describing space and building up atmosphere.

Create your piece of art Using ViSoft Photo Tuning it

ADVERTORIAL

only needs the push of a button to bring life, atmosphere and emotion into the new bathroom project. This practical rendering module provides top quality renderings with warm light, complex surface structures and realistic reflections. ViSoft Photo Tun-

ing is easy to use and its automatic lighting correction always delivers the very best results.

Test version Test ViSoft Photo Tuning for 30 days free of charge.

Founded in 1995, we develop and sell specialized software tools for the tile and sanitary industry. Companies of every size work with our software to plan, visualize and sell. 5.000 users in 87 countries manufacturers, retailers and small family businesses - rely on us and our software.

Our state-of-the-art solutions support planning activities, customer consultation on site, on the web, as well as in the showroom.

Thanks to the cooperation with more than 560 leading manufacturers, ViSoft maintains the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest and most up-to-date sanitary and tile database.

An experienced development and data integration team of 27 people is the driving force behind our product innovations, extensive updates and ongoing detail improvements.

Our support team provides solution-oriented technical support.

We offer our products and services via 24 sales agencies across the globe. Our owner-run company is firmly established as a reliable and innovative visualization software provider - hence the name ViSoft - in the international tile and sanitary industry.

Mrs. Jelkica Cirilovic ViSoft GmbH MercedesstraĂ&#x;e 1 D-71063 Sindelfingen Tel: +49 7031 49165-70 jelkica.cirilovic@visoft.de www.visoft.de

FREE APPS (Android / iOS): ViSoft Smart - measurement ViSoft 360 - panoramas ViSoft VR - virtual reality

CERAMIC&DESIGN

by Federica Andreini

Ceramic and 3D printing: building a new creative paradigm.

Guastalla vase, MCV container and Tai vase are the three designer pieces made of black ceramic presented by Mario Cucinella Design for Milan Design Week 2019.

The Building Objects collection derives from an idea explored by Mario Cucinella in 2018: the aim is to develop a new concept of designer products, based on the contours of the architecture that they are intended to complement.

The black finish was created using linseed oil and the prototypes were produced using 3D printing technology by Wasp.

The result is that architecture becomes a vehicle for experimenting with products and production

PHOTONEWS

processes.

82 T I L E I N T E R N AT I O N A L 3 / 2 0 1 9

Chiara Bruzzichelli c.bruzzichelli@tiledizioni.it

When fire becomes music There is much talk about the circular economy, but it is not always easy to understand how products can be efficient, competitive and appealingly designed all at the same time.

Pelty manages to combine all these features in a single product: a Bluetooth speaker activated by the heat of a flame. The idea was formulated by Edoardo Bosio and combines materials such as wood, ceramic and glass.

The system is entirely free from wires and makes no use of batteries: all it needs is a flame to turn on the music. Connection to the device is via Bluetooth.

Welcome to Bluetooth 5.0.

83 T I L E I N T E R N AT I O N A L 3 / 2 0 1 9

THE “IL SERENO” SWIMMING POOL ON LAKE COMO

PROJECTS

Impertek supports at the super luxurious hotel by Patricia Urquiola A few steps away from the Pliniana source – the stream mentioned by Pliny the Elder in the first century BC and studied by Leonardo da Vinci – lies the super luxurious “Il Sereno” hotel, managed and renovated, together with Villa Pliniana, by Luis Contreras (Sereno Hotels group) in collaboration with Patricia Urquiola.

A constant dialogue between Landscape and Architecture, Design and Nature: the atmospheres of the 50s echo in the 30 suites of the hotel, influenced by Scandinavian shapes and Japanese shades, with chairs and beds in woven rope, sofas in fabric and leather, stone and steel that blend with the wood, and the windows through which one can see the blue-green reflections of the lake.

The Spa is designed by Valmont, whereas Moroso, Cassina and B&B Italia have furnished the reception

84 T I L E I N T E R N AT I O N A L 3 / 2 0 1 9

“I love colours, the light that changes throughout the day, the green and blue reflected in the water, the clear lines of the mountains and the sky.”

This is how the famous Spanish designer, Patricia Urquiola, describes Lake Como, the place that inspired Manzoni’s The Betrothed and Rossini’s Tancredi, where Napoleon, Foscolo, Stendhal and Lord Byron strolled.

and the restaurant of the Michelin-starred chef, Andrea Berton. Outside, the horizontal garden, created by Flavio Pollano with 183 different plant species, smells of myrtle and lavender and blends in with the vegetable wall of the celebrated, Patrick Blanc, inventor of the vertical garden.

The swimming pool overlooking the lake is in Brazilian karst stone with an ash deck and rests on self-lev-

elling and adjustable supports from Impertek’s PEDESTAL LINE range.

Supports made of recycled and recyclable material Chiara Bruzzichelli by the company that in the last thirty years has distinc.bruzzichelli@tiledizioni.it guished itself in Europe and in the rest of the world for high quality products entirely Made in Italy, innovative and attentive to the installation requirements that can be seen on site ✕

85 T I L E I N T E R N AT I O N A L 3 / 2 0 1 9

B I - AU T O : J A G UA R & L A N D R O V E R

The remodelling work on BiAuto Groupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Jaguar Land Rover dealership in the Italian city of Turin has now reached completion.

it can be applied directly over the old screed.

Prodeso Membrane System is a patented product that is ideal for restoring and renovating floor screeds and any other type of subfloor, including in very large areas, both indoors and out.

Prodeso Membrane features a newly designed, teardrop cavity system and is clad with heat-sealed polypropylene non-woven fabric on both sides, which enables it to be laid over existing flooring or cracked substrates. It can also be laid over subfloors that are not

PROJECTS

When it came to selecting the best product for the job of upgrading the 2,000 sq.m dealership building and renovating the floor screed in the showroom, which was worn and cracked, the architects opted for the Prodeso membrane because of its specific decoupling and waterproofing characteristics and because

86 T I L E I N T E R N AT I O N A L 3 / 2 0 1 9

The project was developed by PICCO Architetti, based in Turin, which opted to lay a new flooring system using the Prodeso MEMBRANE by Progress Profiles, a leading manufacturer of technical and decorative profiles and installation systems, based in the Veneto region.

Chiara Bruzzichelli c.bruzzichelli@tiledizioni.it

Prodeso Membrane

Prodeso Membrane Proflex

fully cured, because it allows vapour to be vented out.

Thanks to its decoupling characteristics, the Prodeso MEMBRANE retains a high level of elasticity, thus absorbing the settling of the screed and significantly reducing cracking and breakages in the flooring.

Last but not least, the Prodeso Membrane application system cuts construction time by a substantial margin, by enabling all work to carry on uninterrupted at every stage, right up to the installation of the covering.

To ensure perfect installation of the new 60x60cm porcelain floor tiles at the prestigious dealership in Turin, moreover, the tiling contractor Panizzolo srl made

expert use of Proflex expansion joints.

Proflex joints are made of a co-extruded material comprising a shock-resistant, non-toxic, vinyl resin structure and an expanding part made of soft vinyl resin, and are equipped with perforated tabs that ensure correct movement and perfect anchoring to the substrate. The high strength of Proflex makes it ideal for use in areas subject to rubber-tyred vehicular traffic, such as the dealership in Turin.

Using the Progress Profiles membrane and joints reduced work times and construction costs, while delivering a perfect, long-lasting result. â&#x153;&#x2022;

87 T I L E I N T E R N AT I O N A L 3 / 2 0 1 9

L A V E D U TA D I V E R T I N E .

S I E NA , T US C A N Y

PROJECTS

Tradition meets elegance, with views over the ancient castle walls of the historic hamlet of Vertine.

From its hilltop location, La Veduta di Vertine enjoys sweeping views of the Chianti Classico region’s olive groves and vineyards. With five beautiful bedrooms and plenty of outdoor space, the villa can accommodate up to 14 guests, making it perfect for a special occasion or an unforgettable holiday.

The 420 square metre floor covering that adorns the portico, the full perimeter of the building and the pool area is made of precious, hand-made terracotta.

Over the years, however, stains and mould had tarnished its beauty and made it hazardously slippery, so it needed extensive maintenance work and protective treatment.

“To get rid of all the stubborn stains and dirt, we started by treating the surface with a specific detergent for organic build-up (FILA PS87), diluted in water (1:10-

1:20), leaving it to act for 4-5 minutes,” explains Arben Tushaj, the owner of AT Servizi Srl, which carried out the complex task of restoring the floor surface.

“Our next step was to apply two coats of undiluted, natural-effect FILA HYDROREP ECO, which is a breathable, water-repellent, eco-compatible protector. We applied the first coat with a spray and the second with a special cloth. By penetrating deep into the surface while still letting it breathe, this special product inhibits the growth of algae, mould and lichen and provides highly effective protection against deterioration caused by weathering. It can also be applied to wet surfaces, thus significantly reducing work times.”

Thanks to its first-class products and the professional workmanship of a qualified partner, FILA took care of the floor covering and restored it to its former glory.

“We’ve been using FILA solutions for years, because they solve every type of problem and deliver the top quality you expect from a product made in Italy.”

88 T I L E I N T E R N AT I O N A L 3 / 2 0 1 9

Occupying a magnificent setting in Gaiole in Chianti, in Tuscany’s Sienese hills, La Veduta di Vertine is a fully renovated sixteenth-century villa that makes the ideal place to unwind in comfort, while enjoying rustic-chic décor and carefully integrated touches of modern luxury.

Fila is a world-class manufacturer of surface care solutions. Thanks to its wide range of technologically innovative and high-performance products, it is the only brand that has succeeded in forging partner-

ships with over 220 international floor and wall covering manufacturers, trade associations and international research institutes.

Chiara ✕ Bruzzichelli

c.bruzzichelli@tiledizioni.it

89 T I L E I N T E R N AT I O N A L 3 / 2 0 1 9

ARIOSTEA CHOOSES S C H LÜ T E R - S Y S T E M S F O R O U T D O O R PAV I N G

Let’s take a closer look at how they did it: • Under the screed, they laid a Schlüter®-TROBAPLUS 8 drainage and protection membrane, so as to ensure effective drainage of any water that may penetrate into the screed.

In fact UNI 11493-1:2016 recommends the installation of a draining layer under the screed for the specific purpose of preventing the risk of water collecting in it.

• On top of the screed they laid a decoupling membrane from the DITRA product family to separate the covering from the subfloor, thus neutralising any tensions that might arise from the different rates of expansion of these layers and ensuring that the covering remains crack-free and properly bonded to the subfloor system over time.

In view of use of a large-format ceramic covering,

PROJECTS

The work involved replacing the screed and laying a new ceramic covering, using ULTRA series large-format panels in size 300x100cm.

The outdoor installation of such a large format is undoubtedly a major challenge, and it can’t be done properly without first creating a subfloor system capable of withstanding significant mechanical stresses and stresses deriving from changes in temperature and humidity, while at the same time safeguarding the integrity of the panels.

The paving system was designed and installed by TECHNORIUNITE srl – based in Castellarano – which has many years’ experience in the indoor and outdoor installation of large formats. Recognising the particular challenges faced by large-format panels laid outdoors, the company opted to make the subfloor with Schlüter-Systems products.

90 T I L E I N T E R N AT I O N A L 3 / 2 0 1 9

Ariostea, a historic brand belonging to the Iris Group, based in the heart of Italy’s ceramic cluster and a pioneer in the manufacture of large-format porcelain panels, has recently refurbished the courtyard outside its headquarters in Castellarano.

the choice fell to the SchlüterDITRA-DRAIN 4 membrane, which allows micro-ventilation to take place underneath the covering, thus helping the adhesive to cure more quickly.

The other benefits of this solution are that it protects the subfloor against water and vents out any vapour pressure, making it possible to install coverings on screeds that are not yet fully cured.

Thanks to its three-dimensional structure and the application of adhesive to both the top and bottom side, furthermore, the

Schlüter-DITRA-DRAIN membrane corrects the probable tolerances of the screed to ensure correct, full-coverage installation of XXL formats without risk of uneven load distribution.

Thanks to the innovative Schlüter-Systems technology and the skill of the Technoriunite team, Ariostea’s prestigious headquarters now has a new emblem of its prowess and can welcome its visitors with a new outdoor courtyard made with a truly impressive ceramic format.

✕

91 T I L E I N T E R N AT I O N A L 3 / 2 0 1 9

Chiara Bruzzichelli c.bruzzichelli@tiledizioni.it

C O T T O D ’ E S T E TA K E S C E N T R E S TA G E I N UPTOWN MILANO

ed and made available in the new Uptown district, and Cotto d’Este has supplied over 15,000 sq.m of ceramic coverings for them.

The designers selected two collections for the exterior surfaces of the project. The first is the Yosemite series of porcelain tile by Blustyle by Cotto d’Este, which was selected for the balconies and terraces, and draws inspiration from calcareous stone, whose mineral look it reprises in a profoundly natural way.

The designers also selected the Kerlite Cluny collection of ultra-slim large-format ceramic panels, whose technical and aesthetic characteristics make them an ideal covering for the vertical surfaces of the building.

For the indoor areas, the design firm selected a series of products from the Cotto d’Este and Blustyle by Cotto d’Este catalogues, from which the apartment owners can choose those that best suit their needs: Con-

PROJECTS

Based on a new concept of dwelling, Uptown Milano is Italy’s first zero-impact neighbourhood, which is entirely geothermal and district-heated and gives top priority to services and quality of life.

Located in an area connected to the strategic hubs of Arexpo and the soon-to-be-completed Human Technopole and University of Milan campuses, the project includes a range of state-of-the-art dwellings from an architectural and technological point of view, all of which can be tailored to individual needs with hi-tech services, home automation and wellness features.

This futuristic project is perfectly in line with the Cotto d’Este product range, which stands out for its class-leading performance and minimal environmental impact.

A first batch of apartments has already been complet-

92 T I L E I N T E R N AT I O N A L 3 / 2 0 1 9

Cotto d’Este takes centre stage in an outstanding project - by architect Alessandro Scandurra and engineer Umberto Zanetti - involving the construction of Uptown Milano, a new neighbourhood in the vicinity of the former EXPO area.

Chiara Bruzzichelli c.bruzzichelli@tiledizioni.it

ian taste and styling combine, with the tradition, quality and technological research that the ceramic incorporates, give rise to outstandingly elegant, prestigious solutions.

Ranging from high thicknesses, such as 14 and 20mm, to Kerlite ultra-slim large-format panels, Cotto d’Este products are unique in their field and can be used for architectural coverings, painstakingly designed luxury interiors and even furnishing elements. ✕

crete Jungle by Blustyle by Cotto d’Este and X-Beton

by Cotto d’Este – concrete-effect porcelain tile – for a more contemporary, industrial flavour, or the wood effect of Country by Blustyle by Cotto d’Este and Cadore by Cotto d’Este, for a more traditional but equally creative style.

The Uptown project is a fresh endorsement of Cotto d’Este’s ability to meet the needs of the most significant and ambitious projects. The refined, typically Ital-

93 T I L E I N T E R N AT I O N A L 3 / 2 0 1 9

ADVERTORIAL

BREVETTI MONTOLIT FOR “XXL LARGE FORMAT”

At the beginning when the “XXL Large Format” (300 cm & over) Porcelain Stoneware Slabs entered the market, Brevetti Montolit, in collaboration with the most prestigious ceramic producing Companies, has designed specific machines and equipment for cutting, handling and laying these exceptional products.

Technical development is constantly evolving as the use of “XXL” slabs is increasingly being used for the most varied of jobs. THEREFORE the next Cersaie will be the occasion for us to present to the Trade the complete new range and updated program.

On our Exhibition Stand we presented ALL TOOLS - Starting from the handling system passing through the diamond tools to arrive on cutting systems.

The products taken into special consideration are: ‘SUPERLIFT’ - comes with a nickel-plated steel frame to grant sturdiness, rigidity and no rust. This tool is created for lifting and posi-

SUPERLIFT

tioning of the big slabs and is equipped with large diameter suction cups (200 mm) that have a safety vacuum gauge plus a clamp system for fixing the suction cups together with joints which allows the fastest and safest adjustment. This new item is now proposed as the MOB version that incorporates an ingenious set of 4 rubber wheels that make it easy to move without necessarily having to lift the load.

‘GOAL EVO’ - the trolley for the transport of slabs, made of steel, has grown in size and has been strengthened to increase its load capacity up to 250 kg, the larger wheels makes it even easier to “drive” even on uneven floors. ‘Goal Evo’ is used in conjunction with ‘Superlift’, and

GOAL EVO

because of the support hooks, it becomes an indispensable tool for slab positioning and glue spreading operations.

Another absolute novelty is the ‘LEVELLING LIFTERS’ tool.

These have a large lifting capacity that greatly facilitates the laying of Large Tiles on the wall.

It allows micro metrical lifting of the Tile Slab by using a ratchet lever which then positions with precision/perfect levelling.

Made of steel and aluminum, they are sold in pairs.

Very often the slabs need different works: cutting, bevelling, drilling etc. In order to carry out these operations with full safety and ergonomics Brevetti Montolit has designed ‘TABLE-ONE’, a smart modular table with an aluminum steel

LIFTERS

ADVERTORIAL

MOTO-FLASH-LINE FLASH-LINE

FSS

TABLE-ONE

TOPROFILE SLIM-CUT

structure completely adjustable, in order to provide full support to slabs or tiles in all configurations. The support bars with a scratch-resistant rubber insert can be moved sideways and / or slide back and forth, even the height is adjustable in three positions to adapt to the needs and height of the operator. Completely disassembled it is easy to move and transport.

Further news that complete the already well know items such as ‘FLASH-LINE’ (manual cutting system) and ‘MOTO FLASH-LINE’ (electric tile saw system) is the ‘TOPROFILE’ electric profiler (updated version of SuperProfile) for the creation of bevels, 45°jolly and rounding / bullnosing on the slab edge. The redesigned die-cast aluminum structure grants a larger support base to obtain more precision and stability, the position of the handles has changed to improve the ergonomics of the users and the dust extraction system is adaptable to all types of vacuum cleaners. The sliding

pad is made of scratch-resistant material that can be easily replaced in case of excessive wear. The power of the angle grinder motor is 800W. A complete range of diamond wheels, to enable Jolly and bevels (up to 15mm of thickness) are available both in with “fine” and “medium” diamond grit for different results when used on different kind of materials. Supplied in a professional protection bag, the TOPROFILE is a “ready to use” machine, already assembled and regulated.

Within the range of diamond tools, making their appearance are the new ‘SLIM CUT’ cutting blades and the ‘FSS KIT’ diamond core drill kit and ‘300VAS’ professional box for drilling, all specially developed for thin slabs and clean cutting finishing. The first made in the 100mm and 150mm diameters are to be used with TUTORCUT (100 mm) the patented and exclusive guide system to obtain perfect cuts without damaging the blades. It is the exceptional thinness of this

blade that allows precise and fast cuts, free of chips on thin slabs. The same concept for the FSS diamond core-drills for grinders, sold in a complete kit consisting of the three most used diameters (27-35-50) mm.

After the great success achieved by the thumping suction cup ‘BATTILE’, comes the new powerful ‘BATTILE-PRO’ version, powered by a 16 V lithium ion battery. It is very compact and light and also allows the positioning of the tile through the suction cup and, thanks to the vibration, removes residual air bubbles that, if trapped between the adhesive and the tile, cause potential breakage. The intensity of the vibration is adjustable to three different frequencies. There is much news because of constant product improvements and developments - occording to the Montolit Company vision that is oriented to innovation - everyday new Products are ready to be born!

BATTILE-PRO

MONTOLIT Via Varese, 4A 21050 Cantello (VA) Tel. +39 0332 417744 www.montolit.com info@montolit.com

THE FUTURE OF CERAMICS

28.9.2020 - 2.10.2020 Rimini Exhibition Centre â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Italy

tecnargilla.it ORGANIZED BY

IN COLLABORATION WITH

WITH THE SUPPORT OF

Schlüter®-ARCLINE Neu – flexibel – individuell New – adaptable – individual

Für innovative Gestaltung, hohe Flexibilität und ein Plus an Funktionalität im Badezimmer steht Schlüter-ARCLINE – das neuartige Profilsystem zur Aufnahme von hochwertigen Accessoires. Nach dem Motto „Klicken statt Bohren“ bleiben dank der ARCLINE-Profile die Fliesen und die dahinterliegende Abdichtung unbeschädigt. Hochwertige KEUCO-Accessoires erlauben in Kombination mit den praktischen Schlüter-Profilen eine neuartige, flexible und individuelle Badgestaltung. Sie entscheiden, ob Sie Fliesen, Profile und Glasträgerplatten Ton in Ton oder kontrastierend aufeinander abstimmen.

Schlüter-ARCLINE – the innovative profile system for attaching high-quality accessories – stands for creative design, adaptable for greater bathroom functionality. Due to their special “No drill” design, ARCLINE profiles keep tiles and the underlying waterproofing assembly permanently protected. The elegant KEUCO accessories, in combination with practical Schlüter profiles, enable a new approach to adaptive bathroom design. The design of tiles, profiles and glass support panels can be combined for decorative contrasts or blended aesthetic.

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