Tile-maker Somany Ceramics Ltd, on Wednesday, said it was planning to ramp up its presence in the East, particularly in West Bengal and the North-East. Noida-headquarted Somany Ceramics is a Rs 876-crore flagship listed-entity of the HL Somany Group. It caters to the tile and sanitary-ware industries.

The company will open two studio showrooms in Siliguri and Gangtok by the end of this fiscal. Studio showrooms are shops that offer modular designs for the premium segment.

“We aim to open five more such showrooms in the Eastern region, including three in West Bengal and one each in Siliguri and Gangtok, by 2012-13,” Mr Anil K. Beejawat, President, Somany Ceramics Ltd, said during the launch of its first studio showroom in the city.

Apart from Kolkata, the company has studio showrooms in Kochi, Guwahati, Allahabad, Lucknow, Thiruvananthapuram, Bangalore and Mumbai.

Growth

Expecting a near 25 per cent growth in its topline in 2012-13, Mr. Beejawat said the growth will largely be driven through the company's increased production capacities and new technology that is likely to bring down costs. According to the company's Website, it produces 20 million squares (tiles) per annum.

The company, in 2011-12, brought a 26 per cent stake each in Commander Vitrified Pvt Ltd and Vintage Tiles Pvt Ltd.

“The production capacities of these companies will be utilised to shore up Somany's topline,” Mr Beejawat said.

Pegged at nearly Rs 15,000 crore, the Indian tile industry, that includes floor and wall tiles, stands at nearly Rs 15,000 crore. It notched up 12-15 per cent growth in 2011-12.

> ayan.pramanik@thehindu.co.in

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