The supply of clay, the main raw material used by the ceramics industry, has become a headache for companies in the sector. The war in Ukraine, where this product originates, stopped imports and tile factories had no choice but to make ends meet. This is the case of Grupo Pamesa, which, after holding five operating and mining licenses in Spain, decided to venture abroad and bought half of a Romanian mining company.
The holding headed by Fernando Roig recently acquired it. 50% of the capital of Tuna Argila company, According to economic newspaper elEconomista and Pamesa sources confirmed to Mediterráneo. The first European and world’s fourth largest ceramics manufacturer has invested two million euros in an operation that will allow it to supply white clay and kaolin, given that the Romanian company is already carrying out survey and exploration work in various parts of the country. new mines.
Pamesa’s inclusion in Tuna Argila’s shares is part of the Castellón tile manufacturer’s strategy to have maximum control over raw materials. In fact, Fernando Roig stated last June during the presentation of the group’s 2022 results that his aim was to continue investing in mines (the president was talking, above all, about those in Teruel) and, above all, to guarantee quality and quantity. from clay “Our goal is to achieve a level of quality similar to that in Ukraine,” said Pamesa’s president.
mines in Teruel
The new mines that the Tile group plans to manage in Romania will join the five mining operations and licenses Pamesa already has in Spain. In particular, the ceramics company has four mines in the province of Teruel (in the municipalities of Galve, Seno, Mas de las Matas and Estercue) and has a permit to operate the Mancilla de l’Alcora mine, one of the assets included in the acquisition. Azuliber.
The acquisition of 50% of the Romanian mining company is not the only acquisition Pamesa has made in recent months. Just a month ago the tile manufacturer announced the acquisition of a company dedicated to the production of tiles. large format ceramic sheets. This is Best Surface, available from l’Alcora and formerly owned by the Italian group Laminam. The operation also meant changing the name of the acquired company; This name has been renamed Ascale and will allow the Roig group to increase its annual production capacity by 1,500,000 square meters.