Gladymar and SITI BT Group team up for large size tile production in Bolivia

Ceramica Gladymar, a leading Bolivian floor and wall tile manufacturer, has commissioned Italian ceramic machinery supplier SITI BT Group to build a complete line for its factory in Santa Cruz.

The plant will raise the company’s production capacity to 600,000 sq.m/month, allowing Gladymar to strengthen its position as the only large-size tile producer in the country with a range that includes the 120x120 cm size, a complete novelty for the Bolivian market.

The combination of an EVO 5800/2450 press, a 5-layer dryer and a twin-channel kiln with entrance width of 3200 mm guarantees perfectly consistent products and the maximum productivity with both red and white body processes while optimising the factory’s plant layout.

The plant also incorporates a digital decorating line from Projecta Engineering equipped with an EVO8 and an EVODRYFIX 112/105 printer, amongst the first installed in South America. The latter is the first ceramic digital printer that combines drop-on-demand inkjet technology with dry application techniques. By using two colour bars for glue application, it is capable of applying grits of various particle sizes with guaranteed maximum stability and repeatability.

The finishing operations are performed using Ancora polishing technologies and the nanotechnology-based Hi Coat protective treatment which guarantees lasting protection of large-size tile surfaces.

The plant also features a latest-generation Smartline sorting line and LGV vehicles to ensure highly flexible production flows and logistics for medium and large sizes.