Tiles fit for a king Mosa

TILES FIT FOR A KING

Leading design-focused tile manufacturer and supplier Koninklijke Mosa BV offers products with the looks, functionality and sustainability that performance-conscious architects demand. Emma-Jane Batey spoke to technical director Jac Laumans to find out more.

Koninklijke Mosa BV was established over 120 years ago in Maastricht in the Netherlands, where its main production facilities and head office operations are still based. With ‘Koninklijke’ meaning ‘Royal’, the company has a proud history of designing and producing high quality, stylish tiles for a demanding customer base which includes many leading architectural firms and a number of high-profile automotive clients who have used Mosa tiles in their head offices and showrooms.

Mosa has made a conscious decision to locate its core operations in Maastricht, with the rich history of the company present across the site, enabling the design teams to capture the spirit of Mosa in every new design. Technical director Jac Laumans told Industry Europe, “We distinguish ourselves by design; we are very Dutch in our sleek, stylish designs in a way which is clearly different from the more flamboyant tiles from Italian or Spanish manufacturers. The majority of our tiles are designed and produced here, with our influences evident in our classic and latest designs.”

Upbeat about growth

While Mosa did see a decline during the global economic downturn in a clear reflection of the slowing down of the building and construction industries across Europe, its increasing focus on export sales has helped to support its expected success in 2011 and beyond. Mosa is already active in Germany, the UK, France, Benelux, Scandinavia, Austria, Switzerland and the USA, with advanced plans to expand. The company predicts a 2011 turnover of €120m, which has been its constant result for the past few years, with 2012 onwards predicted to see a steady increase.

Mr Laumans added, “We actually only saw around a five per cent reduction in sales, which was very good considering the dramatic slowdown of our core construction and automotive markets. We’re already seeing a clear pick-up across our main geographical markets, as well as an exciting increase in markets we’ve serviced over the past few years, namely Dubai, Singapore and Hong Kong, where the commercial design projects are perfectly suited to our hardwearing, beautiful tiles.”

Mosa has a 30 per cent share of its domestic Dutch market and has built a solid reputation for the quality and performance of its stylish tiles.

Design that makes the difference

The Mosa design team has ten designers dedicated to new development of tile designs and styles, all maintaining the ‘Mosa USP’ of real ceramic tiles that offer great functionality. Mr Laumans explained, “We offer designers tiles that contribute optimally to the intended architectural result both functionally and aesthetically. We have a vast range of colours, finishes and sizes for both indoor and outdoor applications, so it is more than probable that we already have what the designer or architect wants, and if not we can custom-make small batches too. All our tiles are guaranteed to deliver great quality and dimensional stability, as well as a reliable flatness that enables them to be installed to the highest possible finish. We only make real ceramic tiles rather than any kind of ‘false material’ tiles that look like wood or leather or whatever. Our tiles are always true ceramic.”

With the ‘less is more’ philosophy that underpins the Mosa design approach, the company offers ‘restrained, colourful, geometrically formal or polymorphous mosaic’ tiles in its vast portfolio, all of which can be used to create the exact look and feel the designer specifies. Mosa products have won a number of internationally recognised design prizes, including a recent IF Award and the prestigious Red Dot Design Award.

In order to continue this achievement, innovation plays an important role at Mosa. It was one of the first companies to produce tiles consisting of a body and top-layer of differing compositions, and it has continued to be a pioneer in the tile industry ever since. The introduction of the minimalist Xtreme range of tiles in 2000 saw glass and steel

added to the famous Mosa ceramic, which enables LED lighting to be incorporated while still retaining the traditional methods of tile making in the Mosa quality-led range.

Passion for sustainability

As Mosa looks forward to a future of predicted success, its commitment to sustainability comes into even sharper focus. The company has long been a passionate advocate of responsible production and, as an independent operation that is owned by Dutch equity firm Egeria, Mosa is clear that this ecological dedication will continue. Mr Laumans concluded, “As we continue to see strong growth in both our traditional European markets and the Middle East and USA, we are keen to reach more architects and designers that will specify our tiles. The aim is for Mosa to be the first choice when it comes to looks, functionality and sustainability – a position we’re fast approaching!” n

Framamosaici

Framamosaici, European leader in the industrial production of mosaics,is a partner of the most prestigious ceramics industry, ceramics industry. The company spread the made in italy with two new eco sustainable products, GREENGLASS, made of 100 per cent recycled glass,and ETNALAVA, an etna basalt worked exclusively with the strength of fire without the addition of chemicals. These products, with high technical and aesthetic value, are already available on the market.