Kale Group celebrates 50th anniversary

Aug 24, 2007

24/08/07 - From 26 to 28 July, celebrations were held in Can (Turkey) to mark the 50th anniversary of the Kale Group, which, with 24 companies and 5,000 employees, is the largest ceramic tile manufacturer in Turkey and one of the largest in the world, whose exports account for 40% of output, and reach 65 countries.
The guest of honour was the nineth President of the Republic, Süleyman Demirel. The event also provided an opportunity to officially inaugurate the Group's four new plants, which were set up at a total cost of 50.5 million dollars.

Ibrahim Bodur, Kale's founder and Chairman, drew attention to the pioneering role played by the Group in the industrialisation of the region and the country as a whole.
WhenCanakkale Seramik (the first company to start producing ceramic tiles in Turkey) was formed in 1957, Can was a village with a population of 1000, and no infrastructure. Today, the Group's production capacity stands at 62 million square metres per year, made in Can, at the world's largest production site.

Output includes 27 million sq. m per year of wall tile, 30 million sq. m per year of floor tile and 5 million sq. m per year of porcelain tile, not to mention 12,000 tonnes of insulators, 5,000 tonnes of refractory materials and 36,000 tonnes of frit.
The Group's catalogue includes 2,000 flooring products in 40 sizes and 1,350 wall products in 30 sizes, and every year it launches approximately 200 new articles onto the market.

In addition to its Can site, the Group recently set up a facility in Yozgat, in Central Anatolia, for the production of 10,000 sq. m per day of floor and wall tile, and a Kalekim plant, which produces 30,000 tonnes per year of chemical products.

Kale is also gearing up for its entry into Russia, with two new factories, one for the production of tiles and the other for chemicals for the construction industry.
The Group also recently opened its fifth overseas showroom, in Dubai.