Ceramic equipment specialist MLC Machinery has announced a major breakthrough. Having built up an extremely solid reputation with home market customers over the past 25 years, the Alcobaça-based company entered the export market in the last couple of years – and in just this short period has signed contracts worth in excess of €3.5 million. Clients already include world-leading brands in Brazil, Turkey, France, Mexico, and the UK.
“Having firmly established ourselves as the preeminent ceramic equipment manufacturer in Portugal, we made detailed preparations to launch our drive for exports recently; in 2022 we started working in new markets such as the UK, as well as completing our first ever participation in the Ceramitec exhibition,” commented João Cardoso, Export Sales Director. “This initiative has been met with a highly positive response in a variety of markets, and our factory is buzzing with activity.”
MLC Machinery designs, manufactures, installs, and services all the major pieces of production equipment required by ceramic tableware, dinnerware, hotelware, general pottery and decorative art pottery companies. The range comprises preparation, forming, drying, glazing, finishing and ware storage systems, with fully automatic options available in many cases.
It is one of only a handful of single-site original manufacturers, certainly in Europe and, it is thought, worldwide, with such a broad portfolio of ceramic production machines. MLC equipment can be used for the principal types of ceramic body used in flatware and holloware, i.e. earthenware, stoneware, vitreous china, and fine porcelain.
Steve Lunt, Area Sales Manager, said: “Capital equipment sales can be difficult to secure at the best of times, never mind at such a tricky period for the industry, and to have already signed contracts with major manufacturers across the world completely endorses the decision of the directors to strike out into the export market. I am confident that this is just the start for MLC in the global ceramic industry, and that the next five years are going to be very exciting for us.”
History
The company was founded in 1997 by Jorge Lopes and Jorge Capitaz, who remains as the general directors of the company, MLC standing for Metalúrgica Lopes e Capitaz Lda. The original workshop covered only 350m2 and there were just three employees – the team now numbers around 70. MLC is based in the Oeste region of Portugal, which for many decades has had a thriving ceramic industry, being particularly renowned for its decorative pottery and tableware. MLC steadily developed a complete range of production equipment for the sector and has successfully established itself as the leading supplier in Portugal. It has concentrated its efforts on strong design and development, continued technological innovation, excellent build quality, and first-rate customer service – all of this gave the directors complete confidence to continue their commitment to expanding the export market in the future.
For further information, please contact:
MLC Export Division
Metalúrgica Lopes e Capitaz Lda
Zona Industrial Casal da Areia
Rua D – Lote 47/48 – Cós
2460–392 Alcobaça
Portugal
E-mail: [email protected] / Tel: +351 930 504 730
E-mail: [email protected] / Tel: +44 7702 343087