Romani Group focuses on green growth

While the total renovation of the Roteglia plant will be completed in March, the group has now planned the installation of a turbine to generate electricity in its factory in Rubiera

On 16 February, the Italian investment bank Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP) announced a 6 million euro loan to support the major new investment plan of the Romani Group, one of Italy’s leading manufacturers of porcelain floor and wall tiles. As in the past, the Casalgrande-based ceramic group’s new projects are focused on the goal of sustainable growth through increasingly green and Industry 4.0-oriented processes.

The group had already decided to renovate its Roteglia plant and began work last December, with an investment of around 5 million euros to combine the goal of lower environmental impact with a major increase in automation in keeping with Industry 4.0 criteria.

The 3 existing kilns were replaced with a new and larger energy-saving model, while new-generation automatic lines in the sorting, packaging and palletising department will save on packaging and improve efficiency in sorting the many non-traditional sizes produced by the group.

The CDP loan will now enable to commence new work at the Rubiera site to complete the extensive plant restructuring efforts undertaken in recent years. The new project will involve installing a turbine to generate electricity and will lead to considerable energy savings.

Gruppo Romani has 3 plants producing around 8 million sq.m/year. In 2019 the company posted revenues of 100 million euros, 80% of which was generated by exports, while it was able to close 2020 with just a 1.65% decline in revenue.

Read the complete interview with Giorgio Romani published in CWR 140