By Linking The Digital With The Physical, Porcelanosa Positions Itself For The Next 50 Years

Porcelanosa Group, a family-owned global ceramics company, is marking its 50th anniversary in 2023 with plenty of history to look back on. From its first factory in Spain that produced plain white ceramic floor and wall tiles to the more than 20M SF of ceramic products and architectural solutions it now manufactures annually, available at more than 1,000 points of sale around the world, Porcelanosa has grown to be a well-known brand among developers, architects, designers and homeowners.

But even with its product and geographic expansions of the past half-century, the past few years might be among the most consequential in its history, particularly in terms of how it reaches customers and serves their needs.

“A lot has changed in the past two or three years, let alone the past 50,” said Santiago Manent Alonso, mid-Atlantic and Southeast general manager for Porcelanosa USA. “Besides increasing our product diversification, we have adopted processes in recent years that have greatly changed how we interact with our stakeholders, whether they’re developers, architects, designers or homeowners.” 

Manent Alonso pointed to a couple of recent developments that he said positioned the company for further growth. These include Porcelanosa’s embrace of an omnichannel sales approach that allows it to interact with customers online as well as at its growing network of retail locations. 

The company has also beefed up its manufacturing capabilities with the launch of two multimillion-dollar, highly automated fabrication plants in Spain that are equipped with solar panels and waste-reduction and recycling features.

Its new porcelain slab factory, which the company said is the most highly automated of its kind, produces 5-by-10-foot slabs for countertops as well as vertical applications for homeowners and multifamily developments. 

Manent Alonso said large-format porcelain pieces represent 30% of Porcelanosa's tile sales. The company expects this share to grow, which is why the new plant is capable of producing 1.3 million square meters of product annually at full capacity.

Highlights of the factory include a 250-meter-long kiln.

“This kiln, which is designed for 100% heat recovery, will produce a product with the best technical performance for the cutting and machining of the material,” Manent Alonso said. 

In addition, Porcelanosa began a major foray into modular building with its rollout of another new factory to manufacture its Porcelanosa Offsite brand of prefabricated kitchens, bathrooms and facades. 

Manent Alonso said Porcelanosa is responding to customers’ needs for easy access to information, convenience and cost savings.

“We’re no different from other industries that have evolved to keep up with changing customer expectations, and like many of them we’ve adapted by complementing the physical and digital worlds,” he said. “People have much more access to information today and expect you to respond quickly to their questions and schedules, whether they are a developer planning a multifamily building or a resident moving into that building.”

Aware that many developers are incorporating prefabricated modules into their new developments, Porcelanosa Offsite offers “one-stop-shopping” convenience with modules that are custom-manufactured at its plant in Spain, Manent Alonso said. A highly automated operation, Porcelanosa Offsite completes 25 to 30 bathrooms each week.

The 2-year-old factory has completed more than 2,000 units for installation at job sites in the Americas and across Europe. Manent Alonso said projects incorporating Porcelanosa Offsite products have ranged from developments of 14 living units to more than 500. 

Cost savings and cost certainty — which is possible because Porcelanosa’s operation is less dependent on uncertain supply chains than traditional construction methods — are driving developers to consider the prefabrication approach, he said.

“Industrialized construction allows them to complete their projects sooner with lower costs, less equipment on-site and a smaller workforce,” he said. “Installing bathrooms or kitchens in a matter of days rather than weeks allows for accelerated construction schedules, while factory quality control reduces waste and errors.” 

Porcelanosa also has invested in creating a robust online platform to satisfy consumers’ expectations for fast, accurate access to product information. This effort is backed by a network of retail outlets across the country where customers can see and handle Porcelanosa’s materials firsthand.

“I’m a big believer in face-to-face interactions, but it's true that most of the initial interactions today happen online because people prefer it that way,” he said. “We’ve adapted by investing in how we reach them.”

At the same time, Porcelanosa has added more brick-and-mortar showrooms, some as large as 15K SF. The company operates nearly 1,000 locations around the world, including in major markets in the United States.

“Our retail locations are the best advertising that we could have, and the showrooms, coupled with our online presence, are helping us to create a much bigger brand in the United States,” Manent Alonso said. “That benefits a developer because by putting our products in their project, it represents quality assurance and prestige to the end user of those products.”

An additional benefit to building owners, developers and designers is the consumer data Porcelanosa has at its fingertips, thanks to its omnichannel approach that combines online and in-person interaction with customers. 

“With one click, we can access good intel on what’s trending right now, and that is something developers have tapped into when making design decisions,” he said.

Porcelanosa’s focus will continue to be on the ceramic products it has manufactured for half a century, but Manent Alonso said the company will also continue to strive to meet the evolving needs of purchasers and end users. Increasingly, these include feeling confident that the products they purchase are produced sustainably.

“Our factories are now equipped with solar panels, and we are always looking at other sustainable practices, such as water recycling,” he said. “It makes sense from an economical point of view, but it's also embedded in the philosophy of the way we manufacture things to make them better and cleaner.”

This article was produced in collaboration between Porcelanosa Group and Studio B. Bisnow news staff was not involved in the production of this content.

Studio B is Bisnow’s in-house content and design studio. To learn more about how Studio B can help your team, reach out to studio@bisnow.com.