A long-standing symbol of ‘Made in Italy’ ceramic excellence, the company has now completed an investment in a large-format line. The new PCR 2120 is up and running and, with Optima+ and MDX, cutting-edge automation and control solutions have been added to the high-power dryer and the FMD Maestro digital kiln
A symbol of Italian excellence worldwide thanks to first-rate design and high-tech, eye-catching collections, Ceramica Sant’Agostino recently completed the renewal of its large slab line. This decidedly future-focused investment employs SACMI Continua+ technology, the global benchmark for quality, productivity and versatility.
At the heart of the new line - which has been in operation successfully for several weeks now - lies the PCR 2120: this produces the main formats in the portfolio, such as 120x120 cm slabs and relative sub-sizes, the cornerstones of the Ferrara-based company’s new collections, which are sold all over the world.
Founded in 1964 by Aristide Manuzzi, Ceramica Sant’Agostino is renowned for outstanding technical innovation and aesthetics, providing high-quality ceramics that meet the needs of contemporary architecture. Hence their decision to go for SACMI Continua+ and take technological quality to the next level while instilling a new manufacturing concept that spans from automation to process control.
Beyond the Continua+, in fact, the project included the supply of all the handling systems, with the new Optima+ and MDX vision systems giving the company full control over the technical, dimensional and aesthetic characteristics of the slabs leaving the compactor. What’s more, the existing SACMI dryer has been upgraded to match the higher productivity of Continua+, and the entire line will feed the FMD Maestro, SACMI’s flagship digital kiln, in operation at Sant’Agostino since the end of 2023.
“With this investment,” observes Filippo Manuzzi, CEO of Ceramiche Sant’Agostino, “we aim to achieve superb quality and higher productivity while implementing new process and vision controls. These systems will provide long-term quality assurance, ensuring our processes are always at peak efficiency and streamlining the operators’ tasks.”
Completing the plant are BMR’s finishing (cutting, grinding, lapping, surface treatment) solutions, which have been used to excellent effect for years now.
“For us, this is a project that looks to the future,” points out CEO Filippo Manuzzi. “It’s the continuation of a production model that has long been based on quality, sustainability and excellence: the high-added-value cornerstones of Italian ceramics worldwide.”