Niro Granite acquires Spanish ceramic manufacturer Zirconio

On May 20^th, the Niro Ceramic Group, (Niro Granite), an international tile manufacturer headquartered in Malaysia underscored its ambition to be a global player with its acquisition of Zirconio Spain, one of the leading Spanish manufacturers of ceramic wall and floor tiles. This is the first time an Asian tile manufacturer is buying a European tile manufacturer making Niro Granite one of the few players in the industry globally to have manufacturing facilities in both Asia and Europe.

The value of the purchase was 9 million Euros and, according to Managing Director, Bong Kuan Shin (pictured), the acquisition "fits well with our strategy to expand our business globally."  "This translates into almost a doubling of our production capacity and provides a customer base not only in Spain and Europe but in the Americas as well", said Bong. "We are very proud of the fact we have bought a premium tile manufacturer with a beautiful collection that will complement our own. This will be a ‘one plus one equals more than two' kind of acquisition because of our synergies." As a result of the purchase, Niro Granite will be considerably more competitive in Europe and North America and products produced in Spain under both the Zirconio and Niro Granite brands will be available to the company's customers in Asia.

Niro Granite had established a sales and marketing office in Spain three years ago with a view to expanding its business in Europe. The company plans to retain all 116 workers at the Zirconio plant.

"We are confident Zirconio will have a significant positive impact on the Niro Ceramic Group within 2 years and we will hit our RM1 billion (about 230.3 million Euros) annual turnover target in 3 to 5 years," Bong added.

Niro Ceramic Group was incorporated in Malaysia in 1988 as a porcelain tile manufacture. It has its roots in Switzerland and till today carries the Niro Granite brand and tagline "Swiss-Quality Tile". It has manufacturing plants in Malaysia, Indonesia, China and distribution in Vietnam and Spain. It sells its tiles and bathroom products under the brand name ORIN in 70 countries.