TECNA People

Discover the complete interviews of:

• Marco Meggiorin, Sales Manager Italdiamant S.p.A.
• Lucie Roubalova (Weinfurterova), Direttore Vendite Diamorph HOB Certec
• Marco Bertolini, Commercial Director Air Power Group S.r.l.
• Mattia D'Agostini, Sales manager Se.te.c. srl
• Fabrizio Mazzoni, Sales Manager MIE Srl
• Gian Luca Zanoni, Ceo press Inter Ser
• Paolo Marcheluzzo, CEO Marcheluzzo Spa
• Mirco Corbelli, Sales Director LB Officine Meccaniche S.p.a

1. What are the main market trends in terms of technology and which of these are you devoting most attention to?

Italdiamant S.p.A.’s range of new diamond tools cater to the fast-growing large-format porcelain slab machining sector.

We are focusing in particular on the following trends:

1. Higher productivity

This is always an important factor. However, while many solutions offer high-speed processing, they often risk compromising the quality of the finish.
With this in mind, we developed the EvoGres series of tools specifically for the ceramic industry to ensure an unprecedented level of quality.

2. Safety and sustainability

We are seeing growing demand for products that not only deliver superior performance but are also produced sustainably.
At the heart of our product development process is a deep commitment to human safety and protection of the environment. We use sustainable materials and adopt eco-friendly production practices. But most importantly of all, we can demonstrate that Italdiamant products are free from substances of very high concern (SVHCs), such as nickel, and we avoid the use of copper.

3. Artificial Intelligence

AI and machine learning algorithms are becoming increasingly widely adopted, helping us to automate and monitor our production processes.

2. Which geographical area has been most active in recent months?

Alongside the slowdown in Europe and steady activity in North America, we have seen a recovery in Asia and renewed interest in Africa in recent months.

3. What are your expectations forTecna 2024?

With our durable, high-quality tools, we aim to position ourselves in the Italian market as a new alternative to existing products. Tecna is an important showcase that will help us achieve this goal. 

1. What are the main market trends in terms of technology and which of these are you devoting most attention to?

For us as a producer of ceramic rollers for the kilns, the most important part of the technology is related to the development of kilns as a part of machinery and to the development of tiles as a final product which is produced and fired in the kilns. The kilns are getting larger and longer, more efficient, so we have to develop the product which will be suitable and able to face the new conditions, as f.e. higher Modulus of elasticity.  In case of tiles, we have to follow up the trend of sizes f.e large slabs, thickness from 6 mm to 20 mm usually with the attention to the dimensional tollerances of our rollers. 
 

2. Which geographical area has been most active in recent months?

Recently there was a huge increase in Middle East area, South America, Mexico and Spain, but now we can feel already a certain slowdown of these areas as well, after the European ceramic markets drop down. 

3. What are your expectations forTecna 2024?

We expect and hope for a slight recover of ceramic industry in last quarter of 2024, huge presence of our clients in exhibition and lot of useful information regarding the current states of markets.

We are keen to see the progress of the technology for ceramics, mainly in the firing process, in order to be able to react and develop the most suitable products for upcoming trends. 

1. What are the main market trends in terms of technology and which of these are you devoting most attention to?

Big slabs continue to represent for Air Power Group an important macro-trend both in the domestic and foreign market.

In fact, sales resulting from the large-format glazing line, which includes transport, accessories and application, have had a strongly positive impact on turnover.

The machinery E-PIC GLAZE is the latest sustainable technology in digital glazing by the Air Power Group. E-PIC GLAZE specialises in full-field glazing: it allows the application of a wide range of product weights on all types of ceramic surfaces. The final application is uniform on smooth and textured surfaces, enhancing the definition of the digital decoration and guaranteeing a product with an excellent aesthetic finishing.

2. Which geographical area has been most active in recent months?

This year we expect the EMEA region to make a significant sales performance for the company.

3. What are your expectations forTecna 2024?

TECNA remains one of the most important trade fairs in the industry, characterised by the presence of customers from five continents.

Everyone brings with them questions, advice and sometimes future solutions.

Expectations are very high for this edition as well.

1. What are the main market trends in terms of technology and which of these are you devoting most attention to?

The majority of requests for innovation in the sanitaryware sector concern energy-intensive machines such as kilns and dryers due to the urgent need to reduce gas consumption. This trend is largely driven by rising energy costs and a growing global awareness of emissions-related issues, making energy efficiency a major concern across Europe and beyond. In response, we have worked hard to reduce the consumption of our kilns and above all have developed new dryers (for both sanitaryware and moulds) with the lowest levels of energy consumption on the market. In the tableware sector, we are seeing a strong shift towards automation in both moulding and glazing processes.

2. Which geographical area has been most active in recent months?

The market trends across different geographical areas are also changing rapidly, fuelled by the economic and political instability in certain regions. We have noted a resurgence in Europe and hope that the coming years will bring a significant recovery for the ceramic sector on our continent.

3. What are your expectations forTecna 2024?

Although fewer investments are anticipated for 2024 than in the previous two years, we believe that Tecna can offer an important opportunity to revive the European market and, of course, to maintain solid relationships with manufacturers on other continents. 

1. What are the main market trends in terms of technology and which of these are you devoting most attention to?

Two years ago, Minerali Industriali Engineering acquired Manfredini and Schianchi, a company with 60 years of experience in the field of milling technology.

The combination of the two companies’ technologies enables MIE to offer processes for soft and hard raw materials.

With a well-equipped laboratory and a group-owned pilot plant, we are able to analyse and process our customers’ non-hazardous minerals to determine whether they can be enhanced using our product enrichment processes.

The biggest demand for our technologies comes from the glass, calcium carbonate, engineered stone and sanitaryware sectors. We also aim to extend our field of operations to the ceramic industry, where we can supply sustainable dry milling processes.

Looking ahead, we anticipate growth in demand for green technologies, which is why we’ve developed REC solutions designed for transforming waste into raw materials:

• REC TILES for the ceramic tile sector
• REC PITCHER for the sanitaryware sector
• REC MUD for the engineered stone sector
• REC GREEN BODY for the large ceramic slab sector
• REC GLASS for the glass sector

2. Which geographical area has been most active in recent months?

That’s a good question. I wouldn’t say there are any particularly active areas at the present time, but if I had to indicae a few I’d say Eastern Europe (Kazakhstan), Egypt and India. We have just installed and tested plants in these countries.

3. What are your expectations forTecna 2024?

We intend to evaluate our various sectors of operation to determine whether they are growing or contracting. This will enable us to decide where and what action we need to take in order to ensure a solid future for our company.

1. What are the main market trends in terms of technology and which of these are you devoting most attention to?

The market is constantly in search of solutions capable of cutting production costs while improving quality and productivity.
The most significant trend continues to be digitalisation and the integration of digital technology into production processes.
This is because digital technology allows for greater control over the production process and consequently improved efficiency and operator performance, in turn resulting in lower production costs.
Another important fact is that more efficient production equates with a lower environmental impact, an aspect that is now crucial for all players in the supply chain.

In recent years, INTER SER has developed a business line devoted specifically to identifying, evaluating and selecting the most promising technologies developed by small and medium-sized companies in the Sassuolo ceramic cluster.

These companies have a high level of expertise but prefer to focus on product innovation rather than investing in a sales force to market their products abroad. By leveraging its market knowledge, INTER SER has developed an approach that allows it to develop successful synergies for all players involved and often results in dedicated partnerships.

INTER SER looks after all aspects of marketing, allowing companies specialising in innovation to focus on developing new solutions. We provide constant feedback from our discussions with leading players in the industry, who are delighted to have access to more effective solutions than those of the major suppliers.

To give you an idea of the scale and depth of this process, each year we meet with around 30 companies in the Sassuolo cluster and organise as many as 100 presentations and follow-up meetings. This enables us to select 5 or 6 significant innovations for the industry, which we then present to over 300 customers in all the countries in which we operate.

2. Which geographical area has been most active in recent months?

After displaying a remarkable level of dynamism for almost three years, almost all global markets have experienced a significant deceleration in recent months, with the exception of a few specific areas.

This slowdown is reflected in capacity saturation rate, which has dropped from an average of 90-95% to around half of that figure.

Although this trend reversal has been quite significant, we had been anticipating a period of slowdown and I believe we will see a market recovery as early as mid-2024.

3. What are your expectations forTecna 2024?

We have high expectations for Tecna 2024 and are working hard to prepare for the event. It is the most important exhibition in the sector, attracting visitors from all over the world and involving the participation of world-leading companies from the Sassuolo ceramic cluster.

We will be present at the event to promote our approach centred on the tireless pursuit of innovation, which involves embracing new developments, fostering collaboration and sharing best practices.

1. What are the main market trends in terms of technology and which of these are you devoting most attention to?

We are seeing an overall upward trend compared to last year. The majority of requests we receive are from companies looking to upgrade specific areas of their plants that are currently less advanced than those of their competitors. These requests typically revolve around energy efficiency or expanding the range of products that can be manufactured on existing production lines.

Our R&D department is working constantly to develop innovative solutions that meet all of our customers’ demands. This involves particular attention to energy saving, where drying and firing are the most critical processes. We are currently exploring new drying processes that reduce drying times and consequently energy requirements. 

2. Which geographical area has been most active in recent months?

As real estate growth in Central Europe experiences a slowdown, Eastern Europe is striving to become self-sufficient in terms of building materials and is undertaking projects of various sizes and types.

South America continues to be one of our most important markets and we have several ongoing projects in the region.

We are also devoting special attention to Southeast Asia, where there is emerging demand for clay roof tiles in the housing sector.

3. What are your expectations forTecna 2024?

Our expectations are the same as ever: to strengthen ties with existing customers and to seek new partnerships with potential future customers. For this purpose, we offer our services backed by the experience we’ve gained over more than 50 years in the industry, during which time we have consistently met our customers’ needs.

1. What are the main market trends in terms of technology and which of these are you devoting most attention to?

We have seen that our customers are mainly focused on two issues:

Sustainability, an area in which LB remains committed to research and development and is continuing to promote HYBRID technology for porcelain body production based on dry milling and micro-granulation. This new technology revolutionises the traditional concept of dry milling and produces a granulate that is very similar or even identical to the product normally used in the forming process.

It reduces the consumption of natural gas for heat generation by about 60% and eliminates the use of water during the milling process. Although water consumption is not a major economic factor for companies, it does have a significant impact on the environment, which today more than ever needs to be protected.

Through-body aesthetic effects, which add value to finished products. For this purpose, LB is offering its new NATURAE Kit for handling, mixing and depositing spray-dried powders, special materials and flakes for the production of slabs with through-body effects. The kit works in conjunction with the tried and tested FREESTILE dry colouring technology. This solution is capable of creating controlled or random just-in-time shades and effects, resulting in unique and highly textured tiles that are clearly differentiated from those produced using other technologies. Finally, the new LB MY PLUS management software allows for rapid and controlled creation of product recipes from digital graphics or, if preferred, free creations

2. Which geographical area has been most active in recent months?

Global markets are seeing a fairly marked and widespread contraction without any geographical area being more active than the others. Nonetheless, we have observed widespread interest across a number of market areas – and amongst some customers in particular – in investing in both new and established technologies that bring added value to finished products.

3. What are your expectations forTecna 2024?

We are expecting to see similar numbers of visitors to Tecna 2022, which for LB was one of the most successful editions of the show in recent years. This level of attendance would be a positive sign for the industry as a whole and confirm that LB has been following the right development trajectory in recent years.