engineered precision for ceramics SITI B&T

engineered precision for ceraMics

The SITI B&T engineering group of Italy leads the world in the manufacture of complete turnkey production plants and process solutions for ceramics. Philip Yorke reports on a fast growing and dynamic company that has recently made a number of successful strategic acquisitions whilst establishing a major presence in Moscow.

The SITI B&T Group is listed on the Italian stock market and is a global manufacturer of state-of-the-art production plants for the ceramic tile and sanitary-ware industries. Recently the group enhanced its leading position as a major world player following a number of strategic acquisitions.

More than 85 per cent of the company’s turnover is generated from export sales, with its global network of service companies making it the company of choice for many of the world’s top ceramic tile and sanitary-ware producers.

Asian masterclass

The SITI B&T Group recently announced it will supply a complete plant for the production of ceramics to Master Tiles, one of the leading ceramics companies in Asia, which will triple its current production capacity, thus taking it from 15 million, to more than 40 million square metres of tiles per year.

With SITI B&T Group’s latest innovative and sustainable technologies, Master Tiles will become one of the leading Asian companies in its sector. It will also strengthen its leadership in terms of quality, which will subsequently allow it to become more competitive in challenging international markets. The investment has been financed by a group of local and international banks.

“The plant consists entirely of the latest high-tech equipment supplied by our Group, which is a true “Full Provider” commented Fabio Tarozzi, Chairman of the SITI B&T Group. “In addition, at every stage of the production process it guarantees a highly specialised solution. This combines production efficiency with significant energy savings, to give the finished product unrivalled value and excellent technical and aesthetic characteristics”.

This order demonstrates the capability and the added value of the Group, which is able to provide complete turnkey plants that boast the very latest production technologies. Examples of this include the new kilns that use the patented Titanium® technology, the high tonnage EVO presses, the digital decorating machines made by Projecta Engineering and the surface finishing machines for ceramic products produced by Ancora, another of the group’s subsidiaries.

moscow expansion

In order to extend its presence in Russia the Group has inaugurated a new branch in Moscow. The Russian market is of great interest to the ceramics sector, and the company intends to consistently develop its activities there. With its existing representative office in Moscow, the B&T Group has now decided to strengthen its Russian presence in order to better serve its customers. This is a permanent, fully operational branch that will handle the region’s broad range of customer services.

“This is another important step to implement our international network”, added Tarozzi, “It fully fits our strategy based on our investments in Research & Development and our direct presence in all major ceramic markets worldwide.”

“By supporting our customers in dealing with everyday problems, we intend to offer qualified assistance throughout the entire life cycle of the plant, ensuring its proper operation through spare parts, maintenance and assistance and thus creating a real competitive advantage for users of our advanced technology”.

Interestingly, in the world ranking of the main ceramic tile producing countries, Russia is recorded as the 11th biggest, with a production quota that amounts to more than 200 million square metres per annum.

New acquisitions driving sales

A few months ago, the SITI B&T Group signed a binding purchase contract for the acquisition of 75 per cent of the shares of Diatex SpA of Villaverla, Italy. This is a leading European company that is active in the production of high-precision diamond tools for stone and ceramics processing.

Diatex provides customers with special cutting tools used by the industry’s squaring and cutting machines and for finishing the final ceramic product.

“This acquisition allows us to exploit new synergies with the latest advanced finishing technologies created by our subsidiary Ancora, and to be able to offer our high-performance products to customers. With this operation, Diatex will also benefit from the Group’s international network to give it a strong export boost”, said Tarozzi

The acquisition process was handled and coordinated for SITI-B&T by leading acquisition advisors K Finance of Milan and S.CO.A. of Bologna.

In a separate move, the Group also acquired the entire minority share in Ancora, thus completing the purchase of this highly specialised and unique company. Tarozzi commented, “With the acquisition of the minority share in Ancora we complete the purchase of this successful high-tech company. Thanks to the clear synergies that exist within our Group, it has more than doubled its turnover since 2015. The product range of Ancora has also allowed the group to be identified, with even greater force, as a “Full Provider” of the entire ceramic production line through proprietary technologies”.

This in turn has resulted in the company becoming the supplier of choice with the widest range of specialised products on the market.

For further details of the SITI B&T Group’s latest innovative products and services visit: www.sitibt.com n