Sep 27 2006
Ferro Corporation has broken ground at its existing site in Castellon, Spain, for the construction of a freestanding, state-of-the-art plant that will produce colors for the European tile market.
The new plant will include approximately 12,000 square meters for production, quality control, and supporting facilities. Its production processes will incorporate state-of-the art technology that will optimize the quality and consistency of Ferro's glaze stain and body stain product lines. In order to support the Company's planned growth in the European market, the annual capacity of this new facility will be 20,000 metric tons.
"This important investment confirms our commitment to remaining a leading color supplier to the European tile market," said James F. Kirsch, Chief Executive Officer of Ferro. "We believe the long-term prospects of this market are strong, and fully expect that our enhanced production capability will allow us to continue to meet our customers' quality and delivery requirements and to strengthen Ferro's competitive position in Europe."
Ferro expects the new plant to begin commercial production by October 2007.
In addition to colors, other facilities at Ferro's Castellon site produce the full range of ceramic products used by discriminating ceramic tile manufacturers.