Tile maker Asian Granito India Ltd, on Monday, launched a range of its new porcelain product brand, named TuffLong for the floor segment.
Unveiling a new brand identity at a press conference here, Kamlesh Patel, Chairman, said the new products having a longer and stain-free life will be priced 20 per cent higher than other tiles, starting from Rs 250 to Rs 1,900 per sq m.
In 2011-12, Asian Granito’s revenues grew 30 per cent against the industry’s 14 per cent. The company would increase the number of showrooms from 40 to 100 soon.
The company said it plans to double sales to Rs 1,500 crore in the next three to four years.
It added that in the next four years the company plans to increase its exports from Rs 20 crore to Rs 100 crore, he said. Nearly 60 per cent of the company’s sales are derived from retail sales and 40 per cent from institutional clients. The listed company’s production capacity has increased 32-fold, from 2,500 sq m per day in 2000 to 81,000 sq m now.
China, Brazil and India are the largest producers of ceramic tiles in the world. Of nearly 550 tile companies, nearly 500 are in Gujarat alone. The sector has a turnover of Rs 18,000 crore, including Rs 8,000 crore in unorganized sector.
About domestic consumption, Patel said the four southern states and Maharashtra account for Asian Granito’s 30 per cent sales, and western states, 15 per cent.
Replying to a question, he said China no longer presented a threat to Indian tiles manufacturing sector, as only 5 per cent tiles are now imported from there.