01 December 2007

RAK Ceramics, a leading ceramic and sanitary ware manufacturer in the Middle East, has recently unveiled a number of new products as part of its commitment to offer its customers new models on a regular basis.

These products and its recent diversification into the production of high-class faucets were showcased at the just-concluded Big 5 show in Dubai.
“Over the past 16 years, RAK Ceramics has created the largest and most exclusive product lines in the ceramic world with new styles offered every month, appealing to all market segments, such as interior designers and architects, engineers, major retail chains, corporates, do-it-yourself retailers and home owners,” says Dr Khater Massaad, CEO of the Ras Al Khaimah-based company.
RAK Ceramics has recently launched many new sets in sanitary ware as well as tiles to cater to both local and international needs.
Specialising in high-quality ceramic wall and floor tiles, Gres Porcellanato, and sanitary ware, RAK Ceramics’ new product portfolio promoted at the Big 5 show included the Lounge series of tiles in Gres Porcellanato, metallic-look models such as Paradox as well as new sanitary suites such as Empire, Metropolitan, Reserva, Rondo, Shino, Mistral, Venus and Arcadia. Many of these are also available as wall-hung types as well. The novel range also includes the Metropolitan and Reserva bathtubs, new bathroom furniture and mirrors as well as special toilets for the disabled.
The company has also diversified into the manufacture state-of-the-art faucets and mixers for bathrooms and kitchens, in collaboration with the Germany-based Kludi. The joint venture will have a modern manufacturing set-up at Ras Al Khaimah –  close to the company’s manufacturing complex which spread over 2 million sq m – which will manufacture around one million pieces a year of exclusive bathroom fittings, utilising manufacturing synergies between the two organisations that have excelled in their respective fields, says Massaad. The range will comprise several luxury bathroom and kitchen fittings including mixers, showers, drainage fittings and related accessories. 
RAK Ceramics is today a frontrunner in the ceramic industry and boasts current worldwide sales of $500 million, with its Ras Al Khaimah operations having notched sales of Dh1.36 billion ($370.6 million) last year. 
“The RAK brand is now being increasingly taken as an assurance of good value for money in the ceramic market worldwide,” says Massaad. “It has clearly challenged the traditional advantage that many major Italian and Spanish manufacturers enjoyed in terms of both quality and aesthetic standards in all market segments, setting new benchmarks in the industry. The commitment to promoting and investing in the best and most innovative technology available at any point of time and paying close attention to the end-users’ concerns has always been the company’s bedrock for success. Its sanitary ware comes equipped with a sophisticated dual flushing system (with options for single or double flush), which ensures not just smooth functioning, but also results in a substantial saving of water as well.”
RAK Ceramics was awarded the prestigious Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Business Award for Industry in 2005 and the brand has also been rated as one of the UAE’s top four and the topmost in the manufacturing sector in a study recently conducted by UK-based Brand Finance Middle East, he says.
“The company stands committed to retain its position as a top-level player in terms of sales in the coming years,” says Dinesh Bandiwadekar, senior manager (marketing).
“We are confident of improving our reach and volume, although it is a very competitive market everywhere we operate. But we are steadily reaching that stage of wherein the most respected buyers are now vouching for our designs and quality. Success at RAK Ceramics is not merely a goal, but a chosen way of life and hence I am confident that we will come out with flying colours,” concludes Massaad.

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