A complete Continua+ line for double-fill technical products and digital dry decoration (DDD): a cutting-edge solution recently installed by Kerama Marazzi at its plant in Stupino, not far from Moscow. Kerama Marazzi, founded in 1988, is now a member of the Marazzi Group and a top player on the Russian floor and wall tile manufacturing scene
Successfully started up at the beginning of 2017 and now operating at nearly full capacity, this Continua+ line is the first to be installed in Russia; it is part of an ambitious investment plan by Kerama that has already seen, as a preliminary step, the supply of a new Sacmi kiln and, subsequently, the installation of the new large-tile production line with an expected full-capacity output of 8,000 m2 of technical products a day in the 600x1200, 400x800, 800x800 and 1200x2400 mm formats.
The heart of the complete Sacmi line – which covers everything from powder dosing to final sorting – is, of course, the Continua+. This revolutionary Sacmi technology for manufacturing large porcelain tiles/slabs in a wide range of thicknesses and sizes provides personalisation both on the surface and in-body, at productivity levels that outstrip those of traditional products.
Moreover, the line is equipped with the new DDD machine by Sacmi Digital. Smoothly incorporated on the Continua+ line, the machine performs on-slab dry digital decoration, providing outstanding versatility in terms of applicable ceramic powder types without any limits on particle size distribution or colour.
Key reasons behind the customer's purchase decision included the excellent reliability and repeatability of decorator performance – which allows perfect reproduction of both patterns and the three-dimensionality of natural materials – and the renowned Continua+ characteristics of outstanding thickness/size variety. Now, Kerama aims to strengthen its leadership in the high-end ceramic manufacturing sector.
For Sacmi, this order for Kerama Marazzi is, on one hand, a strategic step forwards on the Russian market (where a traditional Continua line had already been supplied) and, on the other, another extraordinary market success for the Continua+ system: just three years after its launch, some forty such systems have been installed worldwide by key players in the industry.