Arwana Ceramics: The responsible growth of the largest Indonesian ceramic company

The latest expansion project will increase the group production capacity to 75 million sqm, almost entirely aimed at the domestic market.

For more than thirty years, Arwana Ceramics has been one of the biggest success stories in the ceramic industry in the Far East. Founded in Indonesia in February 1993 with the farsighted mission of combining economic growth with innovation, creativity and social responsibility, the company has been listed on the stock exchange since 2001 and is now Indonesia’s top tile manufacturer and one of the largest producers anywhere in the world.

From the very beginning, Arwana chose Italian technology for all its expansion projects, including the latest investment which is currently nearing completion at the 4D plant in Organ Illir. In this project, which aims to increase the group’s total annual capacity from 68 to 75 million square metres by 2026 with the addition of a further 7 million square metres of glazed porcelain stoneware, the use of advanced production plants and automation will broaden the product range while ensuring quality, efficiency and sustainability.

For this investment, Arwana has continued the longstanding collaboration with its Italian partners System Ceramics and Sacmi. An extensive suite of automation systems has been supplied by System Ceramics, including a new sorting and packaging system called SpeedWrap which the two companies have developed jointly and which Arwana will therefore be the first in the world to use. This solution combines very high productivity (20,000 square metres per day) with the flexibility of tray type closure, which reduces cardboard consumption. System Ceramics is also supplying a Qualitron quality control system, a solution that Arwana has already been using for ten years in other plants, as well as digital printers – another technology widely used by Arwana which already has more than 15 of them installed on its production lines.

The presses for the new line are supplied by Sacmi.

The plant is due to start up in the first quarter of 2026 and will enable Arwana to expand its range of sizes by adding 80x80 cm and 60x120 cm to the existing product portfolio which currently have 60×60 cm as the largest format.

In a long interview with Ceramic World Review, the group’s founder and CEO, Tandean Rustandy, tells how constant technology innovation and a deep commitment to local communities have been the pillars for the development of the company since its foundation and are still guiding its growth strategy today, enabling Arwana to become not only a point of reference for the industry but also a cultural and social beacon for the entire region.

The financial results of the Indonesian group confirm the validity of this business model.

Read the complete interview published in Ceramic World Review no. 164/2025.