Gambarelli Group acquires Ceramiche Senesi from American Standard Italia

Mar 17, 2005

17/03/05 -The Ceramiche Gambarelli Group of Solignano (province of Modena, Italy) has finalised the acquisition of the Ceramiche Senesi factory in Torrenieri (Siena), previously owned by Ideal Standard Italia which had bought it from Dolomite in 1999.

With this new acquisition the Gambarelli Group consolidates its production activity in Tuscany, where it had already been operating since 1994 through Ceramiche di Siena (Buonconvento, Siena), a company that is set to double its output this year with the installation of another four lines.

Managing director Giuseppe Pozzi confirmed that the Group’s projects include reconverting the Torrenieri site from the historic production of sanitaryware to Oxygena tiles, the antismog tiles patented by the Group and currently produced at the Buonconvento factory. The conversion, involving an investment of 8 million euro, is due to start at the end of the this year and should be finished within about 18 months. The new factory will have a production capacity of 2 million square metres/year.

The Gambarelli Group has also pledged to keep on all the 100 former Ceramiche Senesi employees (34 of whom already work at the Buonconvento factory) following a retraining period.

This latest agreement between Gambarelli and Ideal Standard complements the one reached by the two groups last year which grants Ideal Standard exclusive marketing rights for Oxygena in Italy.
Oxygena is already distributed by 150 Ideal Standard dealers and the intention is to reach 200 within a short space of time.gambarelli.jpgThe Ceramiche Gambarelli GroupThe Ceramiche Gambarelli Group

The Ceramiche Gambarelli Group was founded in 1970 and has a ceramic tile production capacity of 7 million square metres/year at its 3 production sites in Solignano (porcelain tile and single fired tile), Fiorano (double fired tile and trim pieces) and Buonconvento (porcelain tile and Oxygena tiles).

The Group reported a turnover of 45 million euro in 2004 and expects to achieve further growth in 2005 to reach 51 million euro. It employs 250 people (not including the new personnel taken on in Tuscany) and has a sales network of 100 external sales agents.

Exports account for 68% of production, the main markets being the United States, the Far East, France and Eastern Europe. The Group also has two sales branches in Romania and Slovakia.