Gulf Construction Online - Ceramics giant expands globally

Knowledge Village

The Samarkanda porcelain tiles... latest addition.

Ceramics giant expands globally

01 June 2003

RAK Ceramics supplied more than 28,000 sq m of porcelain and ceramic tiles with matching decor tiles and accessories to the Knowledge Village, the latest addition to the company's extensive list of projects that span the globe.

Just within 12 years of operations, the Ras Al Khaimah-headquartered manufacturer has grown to the stature of a global ceramic multinational and enjoys an annual group turnover of more than $300 million. RAK Ceramics has now become one of the world's largest ceramic tiles and sanitary ware manufacturing companies - offering ceramic and Gres Porcellanato tiles and sanitary ware - with sales and distribution subsidiaries in Switzerland, France, the UK, Germany, Australia, Italy and Belgium.

RAK Ceramics exports to more than 125 countries and sells actively in the most competitive markets of Europe. It also sells large quantities in the Far East, Australia, US and Canada, besides sending regular shipments to all continents.

The Ras Al Khaimah plants of the company alone produce more than 130,000 sq m of tiles and in excess of 6,000 pieces of sanitary ware per day.

The company also has manufacturing plants in Bangladesh and Slovakia. Its new sanitary ware plant in Bangladesh, with a capacity to manufacture 400,000 pieces per year, will commence production this September, doubling the present capacity. A new plant in China being set up for the production of 4 million sq m of tiles per year will launch production next month (July). Another new plant being set up in Sudan for the production of 2 million sq m per year will commence production next January.

"The marketplace is attracting new players, and is demanding innovation in all aspects of our business - from new designs to sourcing better and most cost effective raw materials, and from more economical manufacturing volumes to innovative retailing, better service and better quality parameters," says Dr Khater Massaad, CEO of the company. "RAK Ceramics is geared to meet all the challenges put forth in the marketplace."

The company has more than 5,000 models of ceramic and porcelain tiles, and regularly adds several new designs to its product portfolio. Some of the new models in porcelain tiles that the company has launched recently are Samarkanda , Teakwood sandstone, Slate series, and Star Glaze. The latter is unique in the porcelain field because of its "partly rough and partly smooth" texture obtained through the semi-polish and the special glazes used in its production.

Another unique feature is the design of the raised polished portions, which runs in concentric circles. The designs can be clearly seen when observed from certain angles and add to the beauty of the tiles. In addition, besides the glaze itself, macro granules made using a combination of a special type of frit and coloured oxides are used in the production to achieve special effects that cannot be obtained by a conventional process.

Some of the new ceramic tiles launched by the company are the Minimal, Domino, Star Dust, Stereo, Classe, Malibu, Corolla, Tahiti, La Jolla, Bermuda, Kona and Aruba, all in the 25 cm by 33 cm size; the Geometrics series in the 20 cm by 20 cm size, and the Laris and Creativa series in the 10 cm by 10 cm size.