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[July 2005]
Italian Owned US Ceramic Tile Plant Officially Opened
StonePeak Ceramics, the new porcelain ceramic tile company exclusively dedicated to the American market, has celebrated its official opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and community open house. The ceremony included remarks from federal, state and local elected officials and took place before suppliers, business partners and other community representatives. Words of thanks to the community in Crossville, Tennessee were given by StonePeak's President, Cristina Minozzi, and President of the parent company, Italy's Graniti Fiandre Group.
StonePeak is the first American subsidiary of Graniti Fiandre and, building upon that company's heritage and extensive knowledge of producing high quality porcelain ceramic tile, is manufacturing tiles that can be used in a variety of American homes and businesses. The company actually introduced four of its initial product lines in May and others are set to follow.
The 628,000 sq.ft. facility in Crossville houses one of the most complex production lines in its sector in the world. To build the facility that supports the size and scope of such sophisticated machinery, more than 60 local contracting companies and service providers assisted in the plant's construction. StonePeak Ceramics is hiring approximately 150 employees to run the state-of-the-art production line. Dozens of local residents have already been hired and trained at the Tennessee Technology Center and at the Graniti Fiandre headquarters in Castellarano, Italy.
StonePeak Ceramics began construction of its US$50 million production facility in 2002. The area's pro-business attitude, hard work ethic and abundant supply of raw materials assured company executives that Crossville was the best location to anchor their first American business.
ENDS