Casalgrande Padana has been manufacturing innovative and environmentally-friendly tiles for building envelopes, floors, and walls for over 60 years, meeting any creative and technological requirement in architecture and design. Their industrial policy is strongly oriented towards innovation.
100% made in Italy
Casalgrande Padana focuses on innovation and the environment. The company researches and experiments continuously to improve products’ aesthetic and technical features. In addition, they carry out all their activities in workshops and plants located in Italy.
The pursuit of excellence
Casalgrande Padana aims to provide nothing less than excellence. Quality control is an integral part of their continuously improving production process. As a result, the company monitors every step, from choosing, storing, and mixing raw materials to grinding the mixture, forming the tiles and then firing them. Additionally, they provide timely technical information and offer support and advice to professionals.
Key figures
- 5 Plants in the heart of the world’s most important ceramics district
- 80% Of production covered by unglazed porcelain stoneware tiles
- 700.000 Square metres of industrial space
- 24,000,000 Square metres of porcelain stoneware tiles per year entirely made in Italy
- 1000 Employees because growth and innovation are important for our clients and essential for our employees
- 70 Countries served by our extensive sales network
Interview with Sara Costi, Head of web communication & Davide Colli, Sales and Marketing Deputy Director at Casalgrande Padana spa.
Easy Engineering: What are the main areas of activity of the company?
Sara Costi & Davide Colli: Casalgrande Padana has proven to be the ideal partner for thousands of designers and clients worldwide. They know they can rely on our unique products, over 60 years of experience in architectural projects of all types and scales, and advice every step of the way – from material selection to product development, installation and testing – through Padana Engineering. In addition, we support and promote expressive research, important restoration interventions, and initiatives and publications related to architecture, design, and culture. We at Casalgrande Padana have developed many collaborations with prominent architects and interior designers over the years. These relationships have allowed us to research materials and create innovative tiles and products.
Our most recent projects include collaborations with Kengo Kuma, who designed the spectacular Casalgrande Ceramic Cloud and renovated the Old House Museum. Our partnership with Daniel Libeskind led to the creation of the revolutionary envelope for the Vanke Pavilion at Expo 2015 and the three-dimensional Fractile tiles used to clad the Casalgrande Ceramic Crown, an imposing landmark designed by Libeskind located near the Casalgrande Padana production plant. Finally, our collaboration with the architecture firm 5+1 AA Alfonso Femia Gianluca Peluffo led to the creation of our exclusive Diamante Boa three-dimensional tiles and elements. Atelier(s) Alfonso Femia used these tiles installed with zero grout lines to clad envelopes and external walls in outstanding projects in Italy and France.
E.E: What’s the news about new products? / What are the most innovative products marketed?
S.C & D.C: Bios Ceramics is the most advanced, exclusive generation of bioactive ceramics for certified, eco-compatible architectural applications, with antibacterial and self-cleaning properties and the ability to reduce pollutants.
The production is divided into two highly specialised treatments with continually improving performance: Bios Self-Cleaning® and Bios Antibacterial®, able to respond to all kinds of requirements for applications indoors and outdoors, depending on the specific conditions of use. In over 20 years of experimentation, this diversified offer, available across a variety of products, has made it possible to meet the creative requirements of designers and customers all over the world, thanks to the sophisticated finishes and the different formats available throughout the entire Casalgrande Padana product range.
The Bios Self-Cleaning® treatment has been used for ventilated façades and cladding for over 14 years. Thanks to the special Hydrotect® technology, when the Bios Self-Cleaning® treatment comes into contact with sunlight, it triggers a reaction able to eliminate not only bacteria, but especially the pollutants in the air. It breaks down dirt that has settled on the surface of the tiles, so that it can be removed by rainwater, thanks to the superhydrophilicity of the ceramic material. Bios Self-Cleaning® is able to team the renowned aesthetic and performance characteristics of porcelain stoneware coverings with an ability to drastically reduce the cleaning and maintenance operations required for the surfaces, thus guaranteeing significant savings and the maintenance of the aesthetic and material quality of buildings.
Bios Antibacterial® is the exclusive silver-based treatment Casalgrande Padana applies to its tiles, and which is able to eliminate 99% of the bacteria present on the ceramic surface. The antibacterial capacity is permanently incorporated into the tiles, and is active at all times, both in the presence of light and in the dark, and unlike many products marketed as antibacterial, it does not require UV rays for activation. In practice, the elimination of 100% of bacteria cannot be guaranteed, so researchers worldwide have set the efficacy threshold at over 90%, because only at these levels can a really significant reduction of bacteria be recorded. Therefore, the scientific community does not take values below this 90% threshold into consideration, so products that do not reach this level cannot be defined antibacterial.
E.E: What are the ranges of products?
S.C & D.C: 80% Of production covered by unglazed porcelain stoneware tiles.
E.E: At what stage is the market where you are currently active?
S.C & D.C: The market in which we currently operate is to be considered a market which nevertheless records a growth rate both in terms of turnover and in terms of its technological evolution and innovation.
E.E: What can you tell us about market trends?
S.C & D.C: The market has certainly suffered a sharp slowdown due to various factors, including:
- an increase in interest rates which affected the disbursement of mortgages for the purchase and renovation of homes and also reduced access to credit for individuals and businesses
- the increase in inflation which has impoverished the final consumer
- a realignment of demand, after at least two years of great expansion
E.E: What estimations do you have for the rest of 2023?
S.C & D.C: Due to the factors set out above and other variables such as geopolitical uncertainty, as well as analyzing the first data (first 9 months) of our sector Confindustria, a declining end of 2023 is expected… a decline which in some cases is abundantly present double digits.
In short, these are our comments on the general trend of the sector and of the Italian and global economy, then the situation of CP is certainly different and decidedly more positive, thanks to company policies implemented since last year.
