Petracer`s Holding takes over Pecchioli and presents

In the spotlight
Petracer’s Holding
takes over Pecchioli
and presents M.A.XXI
Links
in text
Graziano Verdi

In August this year, Petracer’s Holding, owned by the
Belgian multinational Koramic Chemicals & Ceramics group, a leading player in the European construction market,
took over the historic Pecchioli Ceramiche srl of Borgo San Lorenzo (in the Italian province of Florence). The Tuscan
company, which is perhaps the last representative of the highest Italian craftsmanship in the field of ceramic floor
and wall tiles, is a direct descendant of
Manifatture Chini, founded in 1869 by
Galileo Chini, a leading exponent of
Italian liberty style.
The acquisition marks a further step in
the development of the luxury hub dedicated to floor and wall coverings and
home finishes and furnishings launched
by Graziano Verdi in 2013, immediately
after his appointment as Chairman and
Managing Director of the Belgian multi-national.
The Koramic group – with consolidated
turnover of one billion euros, 500 million
euros of its own resources, over 2,500
employees and business interests ranging from real estate to finance and textiles to telecommunications – is majority-owned by Christian Dumolin, a well
known financier and former Vice-Chair-
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In the spotlight
to take over a brand that represents a piece of Italy’s history. In 1869, when Galileo Chini established his factories in
Borgo San Lorenzo, for the production of refined majolica
and original porcelain stoneware, often in the form of wall
tiles for Liberty style architecture, the brand was already
internationally renowned: it’s
no coincidence that the coverings for the façade of the
Royal Palace of Siam (now
Thailand), the historic headquarters of Richard-Ginori, the
Terme Berzieri spa complex in
Salsomaggiore, the Buell Theatre in Denver, the Detroit subway and the residence of the
Queen of Holland are all his
work.
After Galileo Chini, and after
the factory changed its name
to Franco Pecchioli Ceramiche in 1956 in the wake of
the cooperation between the
Chini and Pecchioli families,
it resumed the work interrupted by bombardment during
the last war, and got back to
supplying majolica for the villas of actors and internationally renowned figures such as
Luciano Pavarotti, Sir Michael
Caine and Ben Stiller… We
couldn’t let such an illustrious
tradition slip away from us.”
Tile International: What was
the first product you made at
Borgo San Lorenzo and presented at Cersaie after the
takeover?
Graziano Verdi: “During the
course of a minor modification to the magnificent kiln
that has been in operation
at the plant for decades, we
started working on an idea
for a contemporary product
that would nonetheless bring
continuity to the traditional
forming of Pecchioli ceram-
ics, with the utmost respect for
its craft character and without any use of digital printing. This result is a fantastic
3x1 metre panel with a thickness of 5 mm, which served
as Pecchioli’s flagship at Cersaie 2015. And once again,
the market proved to be sufficiently discerning to appreciate authentic Italian-made
goods.”
Tile International: We stated
that the acquisition of Pecchioli marks a step in the development of the luxury hub
launched in 2013 with the
takeover of Petracer’s. What is
the respective positioning of
the Petracer’s and Pecchioli
brands?
G. Verdi: “Petracer’s is the allround specialist in luxury bathroom furnishing, with sanitaryware, taps, mirrors and vanity
units, as well as floor and wall
tiles. Pecchioli, by contrast, rep-
man of the Bank of Belgium.
Our interview with the Chairman and Managing Director,
Graziano Verdi, focuses on the
construction industry and the
recent acquisition of the hallowed Pecchioli brand.
Tile International: What was
the rationale behind the acquisition of the Pecchioli Ceramiche brand and its factory
in Borgo San Lorenzo?
Graziano Verdi: “We decided
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In the spotlight
resents the tradition of handcrafted majolica, the richness
of glaze and the wealth of colour and decoration.
Pecchioli represents a longstanding, uninterrupted tradition of shaping and crafting
ceramic, but despite this, it is
capable of taking a leading
role even in the most modern
contexts: the enormous value
of the 3000x1000x5 mm panels that we’ve called M.A.XXI is
that they are all unique. Even
after producing thousands
of them, it is impossible that
any two are identical. Works
of craftsmanship, like works
of art, are never the same as
each other.”
Tile International: Combining
craftsmanship with large panels is no mean feat. As well as
your own personal experience
in this area, it must take a truly immense amount of skill on
the part of your craftsmen…
G. Verdi: “Some of the staff at
San Lorenzo plant have been
working there for generations,
in the sense that the trade was
passed down from father to
son. So their knowledge of the
material is second to none.
Without them, it would have
been impossible to achieve
the goal of producing largeformat panels in such a short
time. I cannot over-emphasise
the fact that our M.A.XXI panels are not just Made in Italy,
Tile International 3/2015
they are Hand-Made in Italy,
without using any digital machinery, so every piece is unrepeatable, every piece is a
one-off. We are fiercely proud
of this fact, and we are confident that our efforts will be rewarded at Cersaie by considerable acclaim from the
market.”
Tile International: I think it’s
fair to say that the design effort that manifests itself in
Petracer’s products is unmatched anywhere. Did the
brand unveil any new collections at Cersaie 2015?
G. Verdi: “Petracer’s art department is still headed by Angelo Marchesi. Some would
describe his capability as
nothing less than visionary,
and that’s why the company
has always been a trendsetter
in the tile industry. This year it
unveiled five new collections
at Cersaie: three collections
of wall tiles, and two of floor
tiles, not to mention the fabulous new content of our Originali Interni Italiani bathroom
furnishings catalogue.
Petracer’s is still a brand that
goes very much its own way,
and it often runs counter to
Pecchioli: just as Pecchioli
has an uninterrupted connection with the past and remains
entirely faithful to tradition,
while adapting to the modern
world, Petracer’s continues to
innovate and preserve its capacity for provocation, modernity and even futurability in
decoration, while drawing inspiration from the past.”
Tile International: Can you
tell us anything about your
market performance?
G.Verdi: “Petracer’s Holding
closed 2014 with a 20% increase in exports, excluding Russia and Ukraine because of the trade embargo
on those markets. But even if
we include the results of the
two eastern European countries, overall growth still rose
by 6%. This is a gratifying result, achieved largely on the
strength of substantial increases in China, USA and the Middle East. But I would also like
to point out that we achieved
growth of over 20% on the Italian market. And we’re making
similar gains in 2015.”
Tile International: The Belgian Group also includes Desvres and Sphinx, a French and
a Dutch company respectively, which also took part in
Cersaie with their own stands.
Has each company been assigned its own separate space
in order to emphasise again
the fact that the brands and
production chains are clearly
distinct from one another?
G. Verdi: “Definitely. Each
brand caters for a clearly defined market: Petracer’s and
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Pecchioli are the essence of
Italian luxury, and Sphinx is
aimed at the world of architecture and contract design.
Desvres covers the middle
ground, and we have made
special efforts to reposition the
brand by means of major investments in industrial and
marketing initiatives.”
Tile International: Koramic
In the spotlight
also owns Resiplast, a manufacturer of latest-generation resin floor coverings: what
made you decide to build a
new production facility for the
brand in the USA?
G.Verdi: “Resiplast has worked
in Belgium for over 40 years,
developing and manufacturing synthetic resins for the construction industry. It distributes
its products worldwide and is
acknowledged as a leading
player in the field. The opening of its new facility in Texas
is the result of increased demand caused by an upturn
in the United States construction industry. What’s more, Resiplast has specific solutions for
industrial and residential resin flooring, and supplies different products for use on different substrates, and this is an
important factor on the American market. Resiplast also
supplies specific systems and
materials for structural renovation, not only of residential
buildings, but primarily of major public works.”
Tile International: After Cersaie, what other trade shows
are you planning to take part
in?
G. Verdi: “We’ll definitely be at
Coverings in Chicago from 18
to 22 April, because this is undoubtedly North America’s
best showcase for presenting
our two pearls of authentic
Italian craftsmanship – Petracer’s and Pecchioli.
We have also decided to
take part in the 2016 Salone
del Mobile in Milan, because
of the event’s pan-European
reach and because it is one
of the most prestigious international showcases for the
world of architecture and interior design.”
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