Leading Turkish manufacturer of sanitary ware Eczacibasi Vitra Sanitary Ware Group has added another feather to its cap with the successful completion of the supply sanitary ware for the refurbishment of two huge European stadiums, recently.

The company supplied 6,749 products - comprising washbasins, WC pans and urinals for the refurbishment of the Luz and Jose Alvalade, located at Lisbon in Portugal.
Products brand named Vitra have been applied within the top two stadiums, which hosted not only the group matches but also the knockout stages of the Euro 2004 European football championship.
“We are happy to be part of such a world class project,” says a company spokesman.
“Our products were referred for the project by architects of the Somague firm, who preferred Vitra after examining many references such as Ataturk Olympiad Stadium in Turkey,” he adds.
The two stadiums, located in Lisbon with their former names Benfica and Sporting, were rebuilt for the European Football Championship. Both the stadiums – Benfica with capacity of 65,000 (now called Luz) and Sporting with a capacity to seat 52,000 (Jose Alvalade) have been awarded three stars, which is the highest for its facilities, he says.
A subsidiary of the Eczacibasi Building Materials Group (which is a part of the Eczacibasi Holding) – Eczacibasi Vitra Sanitary Ware Group is one of the leading manufacturers in the Turkish market.
Vitra – with a strong brand image and wide distribution network – has been the market leader in Turkey since the 50s. With a production capacity of up to 4,000,000 pieces a year, it is the largest manufacturer in Turkey and the seventh worldwide.
The company manufactures over 1,000 different models together with complementary products and bathroom furniture, to meet the changing needs of consumers on five continents, he says.
The group has a strong export department, which in association with five sales companies, works on developing worldwide sales for its products. While Intema handles the marketing of the products in Turkey; Ekom handles sales in Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Benelux; Vitra UK looks after the markets in the UK and Ireland; and Vitra USA handles sales in the US and Canada.
Vitra have more than 150 showrooms and more than 2000 sales points in worldwide.
The company’s efforts at maintaining top quality in production have been rewarded with the National Quality Award in 1998 and the EFQM (European Foundation of Quality Management) in 2000.

Bathtubs/kitchen division
Established in 2001– through the merger of two the Bathtubs and Furniture divisions of Eczacibasi building materials section –Eczacibasi Bathtubs and Kitchen Furniture Manufacturing Company produces more than 40 bathtub models and half as many shower trays, in addition to three shower systems and four compact sauna systems. Almost all of its bathtubs can be converted into whirlpools.
Eczacibasi Bathtubs – the first acrylic bathtub and shower tray producer in Turkey - has remained the market leader since its foundation. In 2001, the company  was honoured with the National Quality Award for its successful implementation of a total quality management programme.
The company, which started exports in 1996 currently exports 70 per cent of its annual production, and has in eight years expanded its exports of acrylic bathtubs and shower trays to more than 40 countries in Europe, Asia, the Middle and Far East and Africa. The products are available to customers abroad through some 500 showrooms in these regions.
“Over the next years, the company plans to develop its exports and expand its production capacity three-fold,” says the spokesman.

Vitra tiles division
Eczacibasi Ceramic Tiles, also a part of Eczacibasi Holding, is the fastest growing ceramic tiles producer as well as a leading producer of high quality ceramic tiles in Turkey.
With an advanced production technology – which is a result of continually adopting new ceramic technology and a state-of-the-art computer-aided design department – the division produces over 5,000 products, ranging in sizes between 2.5 by 2.5 cm to 60 by 90 cm.
In Turkey, the firm has two modern production facilities in Boz¸y¸k and Tuzla with a total of 1,030 workers. Eczacibasi Ceramic Tiles also has another production facility in Arklow Ireland, which started production in 1999.
Eczacibasi Ceramic Tiles takes quality as guiding principle, for this reason the company implements total quality management (TQM) and has been using enterprise resources planning (ERP) program Prism effectively for the last 11 years.

Faucets & accessories
Being the first producer of single-lever faucets in Turkey, Vitra Faucets and Accessories Division has an annual production capacity of Vitra is 6 million units of faucets and 2.5 million units of bathroom accessories.
The company, which has four main product lines - bathroom faucets, kitchen faucets, shower systems and bathroom accessories, exports its products to more than 50 countries spread across five continents.
The company has strong markets in the US, Germany, England, Sweden, Australia, CIS and the Middle East.
“Especially in the US, Sweden, Australia and Germany we have developed long-term cooperation agreements with the world leaders of this sector,” says the spokesman. “Vitra has also become a preferred supplier to Sweden-based IKEA Decoration Chain Stores that operates 150 stores on five continents and in 25 countries.
The division is also the first to have been awarded the TS EN 9001, TS EN 9002 quality system certificates and the TS EN ISO 14001 environmental management system certificate. In addition, it has also been awarded the International Quality Excellence Award in 2000.
“Vitra has proven its high quality by receiving product standard certificates not only in Turkey but also in Holland, Russia, China, Australia, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Canada and England,” he adds.