07   Aprile   2017

Coverings 2017

The Confindustria Ceramica North American Distributor Award goes to Garden State Tile of New Jersey, which celebrates its first 60 years of business this year

At the Ceramics of Italy Press Conference held on the second day of Coverings, Wednesday 5 April 2017, representatives of the association discussed the state of the sector and announced the winners of the 2017 Ceramics of Italy Tile Competition. The festivities continued with the annual Serata Italiana organised by Ceramics of Italy and the presentation of the coveted Confindustria Ceramica North American Distributor Award to the 2017 winner, underscoring the close ties between Italian tile manufacturers and their valued North American partners. 

First to speak was the Italian Consul in Miami Gloria Marina Bellelli, who stressed the role of the national institutions in helping companies exploit the opportunities available in the region. Next up, Confindustria Ceramica Chairman Vittorio Borelli noted that, “Growth in ceramic tile consumption in the US market topped 6% in 2016, with an average of around 7% per year over the last four years. Annual ceramic tile sales in the United States amount to US $3.5 billion, confirming the economic importance of this material in the hard surfaces sector at almost 15% of total US domestic consumption. Italy is the top foreign supplier to the United States, a particularly significant result considering that Italy has the highest average price, almost double the average of all exporter countries. Considering both imports and production by Italian-owned companies based in the US, Italian ceramic tile producers currently have a market share of 22% (1% growth in 2016), level with the United States and slightly higher than China and Mexico. Another cause of satisfaction is the signing of the CETA free trade agreement between Canada and Europe, which will result in reciprocal elimination of import duties and is likely to enable us to increase our exports,” he said.
 “There are however a number of aspects that are giving us cause for concern,” Borelli continued. “We are alarmed by recent statements by the US government regarding measures to bridge the balance of trade because barriers to international trade always lead to situations in which both parties lose out. A second problematic aspect concerns reports of a reduction in the number of local fumigation facilities. Through the GPP programme, the Italian ceramic tile industry has achieved exceptional results in terms of reducing the numbers of insects present in pallets. It has established a protocol that is recognised as a standard by other sectors and other countries worldwide.”

“For the second year running, the ‘Strada Dinamica’ exhibit designed by New York-based practice e+I formed the heart of the Italian Pavilion, which this year saw a record participation of 116 companies and brands with space fully sold out several months ago,” said Emilio Mussini, Chairman of the Confindustria Ceramica Promotional Activities Commission. “Italy is also participating in the Coverings 2017 cultural programme with three seminars devoted to the ceramic tile market and its prospects, the aesthetic trends for ceramic products, and the concept of environmental sustainability applied to our industry.”

“Coverings,” continued  Mussini, “is the starting point for a year-long journey through the United States, from ICFF in New York to the Total Solution convention in Washington DC and the exhibition at the National Building Museum. With the US market launch during Coverings, Ceramics of Italy is pleased to announced the advertising campaign entitled “Italians Make the Difference”, which reflects the quality, expertise and ability of the people who work with us. A range of communication tools from the USA and Italy are used to discuss products, projects, events and techniques and host interviews with distributors and architects. These include Cer Magazine and its monthly newsletters, which have undergone a process of digitalisation in recent months; the social media operations conducted by the staff of Novita Pr; and the website for the Design Competition. Last but not least, we would like to mention the appointment with Cersaie which will open its doors on 25 September in Bologna, where exhibition space is expected soon to be fully sold out,” concluded Mussini.

Next to speak was Giancarlo Albano, Director for the Miami office of the Italian Trade Commission ICE who has direct responsibility for the tile sector. After noting the efforts made by the institute to facilitate relations with the world of architecture and thanking the association for the work done together, he expressed his satisfaction for the “excellent market results achieved by the ceramic tile sector, despite its higher prices compared to those of competitor countries. The capacity to promote further adoption of Italian Design in the United States is bound to further improve this performance”. 

The second part of the Press Conference saw the announcement of the winners of the Tile Competition 2017, an initiative that recognizes the best architectural projects in North America that have used Italian ceramic tiles in the three categories Residential, Commercial and Institutional.
The Residential category award went to the “Ocean View House” project in New York created by Bromley Caldari Architects and involving the use of Emilceramica tiles.
An honourable mention went to the “Case Study House 26 Remodel” project in San Rafael CA by architect Cord Struckmann, which used tiles from Gigacer.
The winner of the Commercial category was the project “MediaMath 4 World Trade Center New York” by architect Jennifer Carpenter who used tiles from Ceramiche Refin.
An honourable mention went to “The Ridge at Lake Geneva” in Wisconsin by CallisonRTKL, which used tiles produced by Provenza Ceramiche, Ceramiche Refin and Atlas Concorde.
Finally, the first prize in the Institutional category went to the project “Jerome L. Greene Science Center, home of the Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute at Columbia University NYC” by the world-famous Renzo Piano Building Workshop using tiles from Casalgrande-Padana. A special mention went to the project “Ryerson University ServiceHub” in Toronto carried out by Gow Hastings Architects using tiles from Casalgrande Padana.


The “Serata Italiana” gala evening held in the Hilton Orlando Bistrot was the occasion for the presentation of the Confindustria Ceramica North American Distributor Award to Garden State Tile of New Jersey, which celebrates its first 60 years of business this year. Factors mentioned by the jury in their statement included meticulous attention to detail, an ability to adapt to market changes and the outstanding customer service provided at the 11 family-run points of sale. The award was collected by the company's President Stephen Fischer.