International Tile to Launch Tile Studio Facility

Palm City, FL, December 12, 2006--International Wholesale Tile Inc. (IWT), a distributor and merchandiser of ceramic, porcelain and natural stone, floor and wall coverings, opened its brand new tile studio facility in Palm City, Florida last month. Housed in a space that is over 15,000 square feet with the latest state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment, this new half-million dollar investment enables IWT to create a consistent and steady supply of matching bullnose trim for any line of Tesoro’s porcelain and ceramic, floor and wall tiles. Grey Perna, senior vice president of merchandising, said, “With our expansion into bullnose manufacturing, our customers have access to an on-demand inventory. This eliminates the worry that bullnose trim won’t match installed tile and that normal manufacturing lead times will no longer delay job completion”. Furthermore, Grey added, “This bullnose production facility will firmly strengthen Tesoro’s position in the market. By adding a matching bullnose trim piece to all our products, we have added to the value of our products, as well as to our customers who have come to expect these types of benefits from IWT”. Already operating at partial production capacity, IWT expects the facility to be at full capacity by years end. In addition to opening the tile studio, IWT has been awarded exclusive territory agreements for the distribution of two new Tesoro product lines: “Kulture” and “Dehli”. The Kulture line is manufactured by the Italian manufacturer, Panaria Ceramica. The “Kulture Series” has been inspired by natural stone’s rustic textures and multiple shade characteristics, which accounts for its unique style and shade variation. The “Kulture Series” will be available in four colors and three sizes, offering splendid mosaics and relief profile design trims that are very unique. The “Delhi Series”, produced by the Spanish manufacturer, Zirconio, is using new ink-jet technology that allows unique designs to be printed directly on the face of the tile, creating a highquality product. Available in four colors in three sizes, including mosaics, Delhi’s design is influenced by the harmonious movement of earth’s natural rock formations that are found in many locations. Lastly, on January 1st, 2007, IWT will expand its flagship brand “Tesoro, The Collection tm”, to include many series that are part of IWT’s, stocking program. Tesoro is made up mostly of premium porcelain and natural stone products that are available from our four regional warehouses located across the country. Ken Baker, Tesoro’s marketing manager noted that, “The benefits of increasing our flagship brand to include many of IWT’s stocking products is obvious--this new reach of the Tesoro brand will allow us to merchandise across the full spectrum of customers that will increase the company’s visibility and the availability of products--as we want to continue to be seen as leaders in the marketplace”.

Related Topics:Coverings, CERAMICS OF ITALY

Print the Article