VitrA's new Russian sanitary ware plant was started up

The Eczacıbaşı Building Products Division is continuing to invest in manufacturing capacity outside of Turkey, in line with its growth strategy. On 13 May 2014 the Division officially inaugurated its new Russian sanitary ware production plant, the first investment in this field outside of Turkey.

The new plant, realised at a cost of € 21 million, is located at the same production complex in Serpukhov, some 100 km from Moscow, where the Group is already manufacturing ceramic tiles.

The number of Eczacıbaşı Building Products Division plants (manufacturing ceramic tiles, sanitaryware, fittings, bathroom furniture and bathtubs) raises now to 16: six of these are based in Turkey, six in Germany, two in France, and now two also in Russia.

Eczacıbaşı Group Chairman Bülent Eczacıbaşı and Vice Chairman Faruk Eczacıbaşı hosted the inauguration ceremony, which was attended by the Moscow Region Minister of Investment and Innovation Denis Petrovich Butsaev, Serpukhov Governor Alexandr Vyacheslavovıch Shestun, and Turkey's Ambassador in Moscow, Aydın Adnan Sezgin. Eczacıbaşı President and CEO Dr. Erdal Karamercan, Eczacıbaşı Building Products Executive Vice President Atalay Gümrah, and Eczacıbaşı Building Products Vice Presidents Ahmet Yamaner (Technology and Investments) and Zeki Şafak Ozan (Tiles) also attended the event.

In his speech at the ceremony, Eczacıbaşı Group Chairman Bülent Eczacıbaşı said, "Russia has now become an important production center for us, following Turkey, Germany and France. Ten of the Building Products Division's 16 plants are located abroad and are producing for international markets. We are proud to represent Turkey in different locations around the world with our production facilities as well as our sales," he added.

To date, the Eczacıbaşı Building Products Division has invested €60 million in its production complex in Serpukhov, which encompasses 46 thousand square meters of covered space on a total area of 200 thousand square meters. Opened in 2011, the tile plant can produce up to 3.2 million m2 of tiles per year; the new ceramic sanitary ware plant has an annual capacity of 250.000 large pieces.

Eczacıbaşı Building Products Division is exporting its VitrA branded products to more than 75 countries. On the Russian market, VitrA brand is available at 1000 sales point throughout the country.