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[August 2002]
Spanish Tile Manufacturers Continue to Increase Capacity
On the back of increased tile exports in 2001, predominantly in more non-traditional markets such as the Near East (up 18.4%) and Eastern Europe (up 18.5%), various Spanish tile manufacturers are gearing up for increased production capacities.Cristal Cerámicas has installed a new kiln that can fire 10,000 sq.m. daily. The company is also extending its range of formats to include 31.6cm x 45cm wall tiles, 45cm x 45cm and 33cm x 33cm floor tiles in 13mm stoneware, 16cm x 33cm borders and 16cm x 16cm spots.
Porcelanatto is set to manufacture new, semi-polished, rectified glazed porcelain products. The company has invested more than 12 million euro in its Borriol, Castellón facility to buy in the latest porcelain production technology and boost its output capacity.
Following investments last year, Cerámicas Ferret (Parets del Vallés, Catalunya) plans this year to acquire new land and machinery. The company recently opened a distribution depot in Holland.
Azuvi is extending its white paste porcelain floor tile offering by adding a 50cm x 50cm format to the range. Azuvi, which is located in Villarreal, Castellón, manufactures around 20,000 sq.m. of product per day.
As well as setting up a new factory in Andorra, Teruel, Cedonosa has begun to expand into the Chinese, Arab and North American markets. The new factory was built at a cost of 7.813 million euro and is expected to produce nearly 6,000 sq.m. per day in its first year.
Grespania's new large format wall tile production unit is now in production. This latest extension to Grespania's installations is in response to the increased demand for large format wall tiles. The new facility also means that the company's output capacity rises by 5,000sq.m. per day to a total of 35,000sq.m. per day.
Cerypsa has brought a new production line on stream which will enable it to increase output to 8,000sq.m. per day. The Onda, Castellón based company also now has a new office in Manchester (England) trading under the name Cerypsa UK.
ENDS