Ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new SACMI Tiles Lab, fully renewed in 2026. More than 60 representatives of Italian ceramics companies, local authorities and industry associations attended the inauguration and the guided tour of the new pilot plant.
On Wednesday 14th October SACMI officially inaugurated its new ceramics lab. After the ribbon cutting, guests were given a guided tour of the Tiles Lab - fully renovated in 2026 - and the other facilities that make up SACMI’s new ceramic product and process development ecosystem: a true ‘pilot factory’ where technology and materials can be tested and their performance verified under realistic industrial conditions.
“Through this revamped lab, we aim to provide our customers with a dedicated facility for work, experimentation and assessment”, points out Paolo Mongardi, President of SACMI. “The Tiles Lab was established to allow us to work alongside companies and systematize technologies, skills, automation and services. It’s an investment designed to drive the expansion of the global ceramics industry by fostering the development of new products, processes and production models”.
SACMI’s new Tiles Lab merges state-of-the-art technologies for forming, decoration, quality control and digital process management. From the high-productivity Continua+ forming line to the Deep Digital Line, from SACMI-Italvision vision systems to the new Control Room, the Tiles Lab enables interconnection of machines, processes, quality control and data throughout all the key stages of product development. Innovative end-of-line solutions featuring robotic tile/slab sorting, packaging and picking systems complete the plant.
A natural extension of the Lab is the new SACMI showroom, which highlights how technologies and processes can be used to create stunning finished products, surfaces, materials and aesthetics. Designed to interpret and anticipate design trends, the showroom illustrates the journey from concept to actual industrial production.
All this is part of a broader ecosystem that focuses on automation of factory workflows: for example, the new SACMI automated warehouse is a true FlowHub that illustrates the Group’s trailblazing development of intralogistics solutions. These include the new, ceramic-specific FlowCARE material handling and order preparation systems that use using automated vehicles and humanoid robots to coordinate flow management, from warehouse to picking and final shipping.
The opening event brought together over 60 representatives from associations and companies in the Italian ceramics industry. Numerous public figures attended the inauguration: Marco Panieri, Mayor of Imola, Matteo Mesini, Mayor of Sassuolo, and Vincenzo Colla, Vice President of the Emilia-Romagna Region and head of the region’s Economic Development, Green Economy, Energy, Vocational Training, Universities and Research programs.
“On today’s industrial landscape, it’s vital to continue investing in innovation,” emphasized Marco Panieri. “This new Tiles Lab is a major investment for the region and the ceramic industry. Technology, innovation and the capacity to convert them into tangible progress are the hallmarks of ‘Made in Italy’ excellence. Stepping into this facility means coming into direct contact with the future of the industry, underscoring Imola’s role as an innovation and know-how hub”.
Vincenzo Colla also highlighted the significance of the investment: “We’re talking about a major cooperative that operates globally: a company that doesn’t just embrace change but wants to lead it. Inaugurating a groundbreaking facility like this against such a complex international economic backdrop demonstrates true resilience. Investments of this kind can only stem from intelligence, expertise, and people with forward-thinking vision.”
Don Gianluca Grandi, Vicar of the Bishop of the Diocese of Imola, also spoke at the ceremony, imparting his blessing on the new facility: “It’s with great pleasure that I bless this latest venture by SACMI. The company is an asset to the entire city of Imola.”
“The attendance and warmth we’ve seen today is incredibly rewarding,” adds Paolo Mongardi. “It’s a real pleasure to show you how innovation is a SACMI hallmark, and it’s with pride that we present the technologies that will make companies increasingly competitive in the coming years.”