After having supplied its recently-launched Matrix tile systems for several projects in the global market, Turkish ceramics specialist Eczacibasi Vitra Sanitary Ware Group is focusing on improving its market share for the range in the region.

“Matrix is not a suite but a system comprising of more than 100 individual pieces – from baths and bowls to taps and furniture – every element of Matrix is in perfect harmony and balance with the next,” says a company spokesman.
“It gives designers complete freedom to choose the pieces and combine them as they may please. To sum it up Matrix is free from conformity, free from compromise and offer the freedom to create, he adds.
“All the elements of the Matrix system share the same simple design aesthetics, clean lines, smooth curves and sculpted angles. Whether square or round, you can place any two pieces of the Matrix system side by side and see the resemblance. The real beauty of the system is, you can be as creative or as experimental as you wish, safe in the knowledge that the chosen elements of the Matrix system will complement each other perfectly.
“The suite allows end users to add new elements to their design in the future without compromising the existing symmetry,” he adds.
Eczacibasi Vitra Sanitary Ware Group belongs to the Eczacibasi Building Materials Group, which is part of Eczacibasi Holding, one of the leading groups in Turkish private sector.
Vitra, which manufactures over 5.2 million pieces of tiles a year, is the largest manufacturer in Turkey and the seventh worldwide. The company has a strong brand and more than 150 showrooms and more than 2000 sales points worldwide. Vitra has been the market leader in Turkey since the 50s and manufactures over 1,000 different models together with complementary products and bathroom furniture, to meet the changing needs of consumers on five continents.
Vitra products are marketed in Turkey by Intema. The company is represented in Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Benelux by Vitra Bad; in the UK and Ireland by Vitra UK; and in Canada and the US by Vitra USA.
Vitra has achieved a high market share all over the world. The company enjoys a six per cent market share in the UK, four per cent in France, two per cent in Italy and 10 per cent in New Zealand.
Speaking on quality, he says: “Vitra has always been applying quality management and in 1998 this was acknowledged by a National Quality Award, which was subsequently reinforced by the receipt of the EFQM (European Foundation of Quality Management) in 2000.

Vitra tiles
Another group company is Eczacibasi Ceramic Tiles which has an annual production capacity of 16.5 million ceramic tiles, and exports 60 per cent of its output to 79 countries around the world.
With its advanced production technology, Eczacibasi Ceramic Tiles produces a wide range of products, ranging in sizes between 2.5 by 2.5 cm to 60 by 90 cm. The company produces approximately 5,000 products and aims to develop new techniques in ceramic industry with help from its computer-aided design (CAD) department.
In Turkey, the company has two modern production facilities in Bozuyuk 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.
It takes quality as guiding principle, for this reason the company implements Total Quality Management and has been using Enterprise Resources Planning (ERP) program Prism effectively for the last 11 years, he says.
The company has supplied its range of tiles to some of the larger projects in Europe including Munich Airport in Germany where more than 18,000 sq m of Vitra Arkitekt ceramic tiles adorn the restrooms of the airport’s new terminal.
“Endorsing Vitra’s high quality, airport designers have selected Vitra tiles for business and VIP lounge bathrooms as well as for the general public bathrooms. Of the tiles supplied, 10,000 sq m of the project consist of Vitra’s 5 by 5 Cobalt Blue tiles from the Arkitekt Color series,” he says.
Elaborating on the Arkitekt series, he says: “Vitra Arkitekt has been specially designed to meet the functional needs of commercial and recreational establishments as well as public buildings. The Arkitekt series has two main advantages: it is modular and it is compatible with the RAL colour system. Together, these attributes mean that Arkitekt can provide functional as well as aesthetic solutions.
“Arkitekt’s modular attribute allows professional users to mix 12 tile sizes ranging from 2.5 by 2.5 to 60 by 60 without creating grouting problems. Its RAL colour-coding system means that users have unlimited colour combinations, allowing them to create unique design concepts tailored to their particular concept and space.
Aside from the Munich Airport, Vitra tiles have also been applied on the VW-Autostadt Wolfsburg building, the Steinberger Hotel and the SAP building in Germany.
Apart from providing tiles for commercial buildings and airports, Vitra has supplied its range of tiles to the luxury ocean liner Queen Mary 2. 

Bathtubs & Kitchen Furniture
Established in 2001, through the merger of two divisions – Bathtubs/Furniture in Eczacibasi Building Materials Division – the Eczacibasi Bathtubs and Kitchen Furniture Manufacturing Company has plans to develop its exports and expand its production capacity three-fold over the next couple of years.
Eczacibasi Bathtubs, founded in 1991, is the first acrylic bathtub and shower tray producer in Turkey under the brand name “Vitra”, and has been the market leader since its foundation. In 2001, the company was honoured with the National Quality Award for its successful implementation of Total Quality Management,” he says.
The company produces more than 40 bathtub models and half as many shower trays, as well as three shower systems and four compact sauna systems. Almost all of its bathtubs can be converted into whirlpools.
Export sales started in 1996 and over the last eight years, the company has 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. The company exports 70 per cent of its annual production, he concludes.
The group also includes the Vitra Faucets and Accessories Division.