Laminam opens new factory in Borgotaro

The opening ceremony for the new Laminam large-format ceramic panel production facility was held on 27 September in Borgotaro (Parma).

Following the complete refurbishment carried out in a record time of just nine months from the purchase of the plant in December 2015, the new factory is now one of the most advanced facilities for this kind of production. With a floor space of more than 44,000 m², it hosts all the latest-generation technologies developed by the group’s parent company System. At the heart of the production system is the new LAMGEA press, which is capable of manufacturing defect-free ceramic panels with 70% lower energy consumption than conventional pressing systems.

The factory also has an extremely efficient structure. Currently equipped with one complete line with a double-layer kiln, it is ready to be expanded to three lines in the future in order to boost production.

During the ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by the Emilia Romagna regional government’s production activities officer Palma Costi and the mayor of Borgotaro Diego Rossi, the Group’s Chairman Franco Stefani noted that the creation of the Borgotaro facility is a new challenge for the group but above all marks another big step forward in Laminam’s unstoppable growth. The start-up of the line comes a year after the expansion in output of the facility in Fiorano Modenese and the acquisition of the factory in Balabanovo, near Moscow, devoted exclusively to the production of 1000x3000 mm panels.

The Borgotaro facility will be used for the production of 1620x3240 mm size panels in a range of thicknesses up to 12 mm designed specifically for cladding indoor and outdoor horizontal surfaces such as tables and bathroom and kitchen countertops. The facility involved an investment of 35 million euros and, as Laminam’s CEO Alberto Selmi pointed out, it doubles the company’s current production capacity in this specific segment in response to growth in market demand in both Italy and abroad.

He also confirmed the company’s strong sales performance, with the sharp revenue growth recorded by Laminam in 2015 (up 25% to a total turnover of 50 million euros) expected to be repeated in 2016.

Laminam has a catalogue of more than 100 different surfaces and exports its products to Europe and North America, the Gulf states, Russia and the Far East, focusing in particular on the architecture and furnishing markets. Alongside its extensive portfolio of projects carried out worldwide, the company has established a number of important international partnerships, most notably with the Japanese firm Toto for the Hydrotect^® photocatalytic treatment used to give Laminam panels a self-cleaning capability.