LB supplies raw material handling plant to Anatolia

The fully automated plant is one of the largest in the world and will allow for an initial production of 10,000 sqm/day of porcelain stoneware tiles, increasing to 32,000 sqm/day in 2024.

The new raw material handling plant supplied by LB to Anatolia for its ceramic tile factory in Aliaga (Izmir, Turkey) is due to begin operation by the end of the summer. The fully automated plant has a loading capacity of up to 400 tons/hour with all lines in operation and fully meets all the customer’s requirements. In particular, it is capable of handling large quantities of raw materials without the aid of mechanical shovels, thereby avoiding human error during mixing and storage as well as the risk of accidents in the raw materials storage department, which is still highly labour-intensive.

The solution designed by LB is unique in terms of its efficiency and innovation and includes next-generation plant supervision. Using a sophisticated barcode reading system for all products, it warns when stocks of materials need to be replenished and calculates costs and consumption in real time. The plant is also one of the largest in the world and when fully operational will enable Anatolia to produce technical and glazed porcelain stoneware tiles in 800x1600 mm and 1600x3200 mm sizes with an initial production of around 10,000 square metres/day, increasing to a projected 32,000 sqm/day in 2024. Products will mainly be sold on the Turkish domestic market and exported to the US and Canada.