Simpolo’s expansion project

Work is underway for the construction of the two new factories in Malia and Tirupati, which will increase the annual production capacity of the Indian ceramic group to 41 million sq.m of tiles and slabs over the next two years.

Simpolo, founded in Morbi in 1977 and today a leading Indian ceramic tile and sanitaryware manufacturer, will triple its tile production capacity to meet the increasing demand from India’s domestic construction and real estate sectors.

This big expansion project, announced a year ago, represents a total investment of $115 million and includes the construction of two new factories, one in the city of Malia near Morbi (Gujarat) in the west of the country, the other at Naidupeta in the Tirupati district (Andhra Pradesh) in the south.

These new facilities will expand Simpolo’s current operations, which are centred around its existing factory in Morbi where the company produces approximately 14.5 million sqm of ceramic and porcelain tiles per year.

The project involves an investment of $75 million for the Malia factory, which in the first phase will have a capacity of around 14.85 million sqm/year. The other $40 million will be invested in the Tirupati factory, which will start up soon and is expected to reach its total capacity of 8.5 million sqm within two years.

The total investment will be financed with a 40:60 debt-equity ratio, blending internal accruals with external funding in collaboration with Motilal Oswal Alternates and other private equity funds

In an exclusive interview with Ceramic World Review, Jitendra Aghara, Chairman and Managing Director of Simpolo, explains that “The work at the two plants is progressing: In Malia, we anticipate trial production by mid-2025 and commissioning tests and full-scale production by the end of Q3 2025-26. The Tirupati Plant is on schedule, with full production expected around Q2 FY 2025-26. The two factories will bring our total capacity to 41 million sq.m annually in the next two years, allowing us to meet the increasing demand of the domestic market, which is growing rapidly due to urbanisation, rising disposable incomes, vast infrastructure projects and government initiatives such as the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and RERA. In 2024, the Indian real estate sector was valued at approximately $477 billion and is set to reach $1 trillion by 2030”.

Always inclined to adopt the best Made in Italy technologies, Simpolo has once again chosen the most modern automated systems and eco-friendly processes for its two new plants. Among the main machinery of the two factories, there are three Sacmi PCR 2180 presses (the first ones in India), powder preparation and feeding plants from LB Technology, System Ceramics’ digital printing machines, Airpower glazing equipment, Tecnoferrari material handling systems, two Sacmi kilns, BMR polishing lines equipped with abrasives from Surfaces Group, and LAEK robots for large slab handling.

Among other things, in September 2024, at the exhibition Tecna in Rimini, Simpolo received the TecnAwards award in the “Innovation and Sustainability” category as Asia’s best tile manufacturer.

Read the full interview published in Ceramic World Review no. 160