Preparations are well under way for the commissioning of the Porcellan plant in Abu Dhabi, which is scheduled to take place this month, a senior official of Porcellan tells Gulf Construction.

“Following the commissioning, trial and commercial production will follow soon. Our brand will be in the market before the end of this year,” says Nagi Beshara, deputy general manager, Porcellan.
A new venture by the Jamal Al Ghurair Group, which owns and operates Al Khaleej Sugar, one of the world’s largest sugar refineries, Porcellan will produce a wide range of glazed, polished, unpolished and technical porcelain tiles in sizes which will vary in size from 40 by 40 cm to 120 by 120 cm.
The plant’s production capacity will be 18 million sq m of porcelain tiles per year, or 50,000 sq m per day, which will be doubled within two to three years after the commissioning, says Beshara.
“Our value proposition will be a combination of three factors: design with style, guaranteed technical quality and a premium service. We are trying to create an environment for the design community where we want to offer them fresh concepts that would enrich their ideas. 
“We plan to sell premium products for the high-end segment of the market. However, we will offer products for the middle segment as well without compromising on quality,” he says.
The group is also constructing another plant, Gypsemna, for the production of gypsum plaster boards adjacent to the Porcellan plant. Gypsemna will have an annual production capacity of 50 million sq m of gypsum plaster boards.
Speaking on the group’s goal behind the setting up of these two plants, Beshara says: “Our strategy is to focus on those industries that are strategically important to the development of this region. Today, the Middle East imports more building materials than any other region in the world, with Dubai itself having imported building materials worth roughly $60 billion last year. While the demand for building materials is increasing, the region is also facing hurdles due to price differences and delays in delivery time. We want to help the region to be less dependent on importing building materials.
“We have chosen porcelain tiles as we believe that they will continue to be a major floor-covering product in the future. The region’s wall and floor covering market is now more fashion-oriented and the trend is mainly for glazed and technical porcelain tiles.
“We firmly believe that the timing of our project is perfect as the region’s flooring and wall industry demands something unique in terms of surface finish, colour or design. Porcelain tiles can meet these requirements in terms of their aesthetics, colour and surface finish, among other aspects. And their superior technical features can help satisfy the high-tech demands of today’s architectural designs. Another advantage is that porcelain tiles have the option to be made in large sizes.”
Though the GCC will be its major market, Porcellan will also be targeting the rest of the world markets, particularly the UK, Germany, France, Greece, Russia and CIS countries, Australia and the US.
“Our long-term strategy is to make Porcellan a global porcelain brand,” Beshara says.
Commenting on the initial response that the launch of its plant has had, he says: “The regional industry is considering this as one of the most ambitious projects. It’s not only due to the large volume of production and the latest machineries that are being installed at our plant, but also because of our investment in building a team of excellent technicians and management professionals, which we consider will be one of our competitive strengths. Our plant’s technical general manager Jayaro is one of the most experienced in the industry who, in the past, was behind the commissioning of many ceramic plants in the world.”
Most of the machinery in its plant is Italian, including Sacmi, Croma from LB, and Cimes to name a few. Porcellan also has machines from Cretaprint of Spain and Keda of China.
“Our plant is equipped with four Croma machines from LB, which will help us to produce tiles with a variety of aesthetic possibilities as well as a high production output.
The plant building has been designed in such a way that it can accommodate two plants, which will facilitate the company’s plans to double capacity in two to three years.
“We have incorporated the space frame technology which gives more area to the plant as there are no columns in between, also making movement of goods very easy,” he says.
Commenting on the choice of Abu Dhabi as the location for Porcellan’s factory, Beshara says: “The government of the UAE has been supporting the private sector especially with integrated infrastructure through their various special economic zones. Our plant is located in the Industrial City (ICAD II) of Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE, where we have got a land area of over 1 million sq m. Availability of space together with unique infrastructure facilities including energy are the major reasons for the selection of Abu Dhabi.”