MATTOLI: TOP MAKER OF TERRAZZO TILES

Mattoli holds an important place in the industry as a manufacturer and supplier of terrazzo, marble, granite and natural stone tiles. Its presence in the Australian market is the direct result of its long-term relationship with International MTC.

Mattoli is an ideal supplier to work with, according to Stefano Mammi, managing director at International MTC, because of the “personal relationship” it has built over time, as well as “their reliability and fairness when it comes to dealing with big projects”.

International MTC has been working with Mattoli for 12 years. In that time, it has introduced the supplier to key retailers in Australia and helped close on a number of large deals for major projects around the country.

100 Years

Looking back over the past 100 years, Mattoli can identify one major source of its survival and ongoing growth: family. Today, the company is led by what is now the third generation of the Mattoli family in the business. The firm employs about 40 people across production and head office functions.

Founder Manlio Mattoli established the business in 1923 as a small workshop producing street furniture such as benches, lighting poles (for public lighting), fountains and other custom-made items. His sons Giuseppe and Antonio took over in 1950 and introduced modern machinery to produce concrete floors.

By 1967, they had made a pivotal move to change the plant location to Jesi, a town in the province of Ancona in the Marche region, central Italy. The region is best known for its Verdicchio (white wine) production and the medieval walls that surround it.

Driven by high foreign demand, it added machinery in 1980 that was more automated and production increased significantly. The business expanded in 1985 when Mattoli acquired a company that was involved in marble and natural stones.

A new era began in 1999 when Antonio’s children, Manlio, Massimiliano and Marta entered the business. In 2011, it set up an export sales department to grow its international markets and continue the work that had started years ago in expanding its sales network.

Today Mattoli has a worldwide reputation for terrazzo tiles, marble, granite and natural stone. The manufacturing of marble, granite and natural stones takes place in both Italian and overseas quarries.

The firm’s production facilities in Jesi operate on an area that measures 60,000sqm and equipped with up-to-date automated systems that allows for over 10,000sqm of finished products on a daily basis.

In addition to Australia and New Zealand, the Mattoli range is distributed in the US, Canada, Middle East, North Africa and widely available in Europe.

Australian customers

Mattoli’s unique terrazzo tiles are made of stone aggregates. It recycles marble waste from stone quarries, crushes it and enhances it in an infinite array of colours, sizes and finishes.

The Australian market has always responded well to terrazzo tiles and marble elements, and is now requiring large sizes, according to Mattoli. The firm has a direct connection with Australia, as the supplier of outdoor tiles for the Anzac Memorial in Sydney. In 2017, Mattoli terrazzo tiles were provided for Sydney (Kingsford Smith) International Airport.

In Australia, customers frequently ask for a “distinctive" product that stands out from other standard products. In particular, they ask for unusual mixtures of marble chips, and constantly evaluate new natural stones and different colours for their outdoor and indoor spaces. Particular attention is also given to the production of tiles that are ecofriendly and sustainable.

One emerging trend is to match different natural stone and marble chip elements with similar colours in the marble chip mix. For example: staircases, counter tops, vanity tops, flooring and coverings, etc.

Key trends

Mattoli is strongly rooted in the Italian market and wellpositioned to forecast some key tile trends. In recent years, the firm has seen growth in the popularity of terrazzo tiles that are “often imitated by the world of ceramics”. The company expects a continuation of this trend.

Mattoli’s terrazzo tiles are highly differentiated compared to ceramic terrazzo because of their authenticity. They are genuinely environmentally friendly because cements and sands used in the mixture are sourced through recycling. The marble chips and marble powders come from marble block waste. These blocks are discarded for sizes and not suitable for processing, which means all the mixtures are free of chemicals.

Mattoli is confident that there will always be demand for stone, marble and natural granites, because of their use in luxury buildings.

Product development

Mattoli is always on the lookout for new colours in natural materials, both marble chips and new blocks (of stone). It is also committed to using photocatalytic cements for its stone aggregates.

The wide variety of raw material chips used in Mattoli’s tile production means it can create endless combinations of colours. The company can customise its products for architects and designers.

Its advanced machinery allows it to manufacture a limitless number of natural stone surfaces and geometries that are only limited by a customer’s imagination.