Siti B&T : BT further strengthens its poon in international markets

Formigine, May 2018 - SITI BT Group S.p.A., a manufacturer of complete plants for ceramic tiles and sanitaryware listed on the AIM Italia stock market (Ticker: SITI), has further improved its position as a major world player with a series of high-profile international orders. The fact that no less than 83.5% of its turnover is generated abroad amply demonstrates that the Group has for years been a global technology supplier and a key partner of the top ceramic manufacturers all over the world, from South America to the Far East.

SITI BT technologies offer manufacturers a unique opportunity to improve the quality of their finished products by producing more modern tiles with greater market appeal. This for example was the case of Ceramica Almeida, a leading ceramic group based in the Santa Gertrude area of Brazil, which decided to move a step forward in terms of technology and switch from red body to porcelain tiles with the aim of adding value to its products and positioning itself in a higher market segment. The Brazilian ceramic tile producer invested in a complete latest-generation plant consisting of high-tonnage presses, a patented Titanium^® technology kiln, a wet grinding plant, high-definition digital decoration machines and a squaring line. All SITI BT group companies including Projecta Engineering and Ancora worked together to deliver a set of technologies that is unique anywhere in the world in terms of its completeness.

Likewise in Russia, Ceramica Ural recently started up a complete SITI BT plant for porcelain tile production following comprehensive remodelling of its existing factory with the group's support in terms of engineering and know-how (full service).

Following major technological investments aimed at ensuring the highest levels of industrial efficiency, ceramic tile manufacturers in Spain reported significant growth in the first quarter of 2018. It is no coincidence that in recent years Spanish producers have benefited from SITI BT energy saving technologies on kilns and dryers as well as high-productivity solutions such as high-tonnage presses.

Algeria is another important market for the Italian ceramic machinery industry, where market changes are fuelling significant investments. SITI BT has supplied hi-tech technologies such as 7-layer horizontal dryers, modular mills for grinding raw materials, digital decorating machines capable of creating exclusive material effects on the tile surface, and squaring (edge-grinding) lines from Ancora SpA.

In India the Projecta digital decorating machines equipped with the new Seiko printheads are becoming increasingly popular with local manufacturers. The innovative EVO Dry Fix L, the latest addition to the family of dry decorating machines, is also gaining trust and appreciation amongst ceramic tile producers in China.

Ancora, a leading supplier of ceramic tile finishing plants which joined SITI BT Group in 2015, has secured a number of orders in the dynamic Polish market.

In Vietnam, b&t White (the business unit that produces complete sanitaryware plants), is supplying a complete plant equipped with state-of-the-art technology including a kiln with Titanium^® energy saving technology and high-pressure forming machines.

'As demonstrated by the many orders we have won all over the world, our exclusive and innovative technologies enable us to enter even the most distant and difficult international markets and deliver top-level performance for both tile and sanitaryware production,' commented SITI BT Group's CEO Fabio Tarozzi.

SITI B&T Group's global reach, strong presence in all the fastest-growing markets and comprehensive portfolio of cutting-edge technologies provide an assurance of continuous growth as well as adequate protection against potential diseconomies and slowdowns in individual geographical markets.