This project completes an investment plan begun in 2017 with the purchase of a Continua+ line. As of today the company can produce a virtually unlimited range of sizes all the way up to 3200 mm, with the SACMI FMA kiln ensuring the highest quality and lowest consumption on the market
Peronda Group completes its investment in the large ceramic slab segment with the installation of a new SACMI FMA Maestro kiln, started up just a few days ago at the Peronda 2 plant.
The aim is to further extend the size range by leveraging the versatility of Continua+. Operational since 2017, the latter can now draw on the potential of the new Maestro kiln. Specially designed to handle large slabs, this forward-looking SACMI solution belongs to a modulated air-gas range of machines that lead the way in terms of quality and low consumption.
Background
Ever since its founding in 1951, Peronda has enjoyed a reputation as a provider of outstanding products, a reputation built on strategies that focus on quality, innovation and style. In 2017 came the decision to invest in SACMI Continua+, making the firm a key player on the large decorated ceramic slab market.
Now, with the new FMA Maestro up and running, they can enjoy unlimited scope on the size front as the kiln can handle slabs as long as 3200 mm.
Project
Peronda Group’s initial installation of Continua+ had already boosted its ability to penetrate this high-added-value market segment. In the words of Peronda’s Managing Director, Marcos Gaya, that technology immediately proved to be “a winner in terms of flexibility, allowing quick changeovers and perfect synergy between large slabs and sub-sizes”.
That versatility and ease of use soon allowed Peronda to achieve “huge slab sales volumes. That's why”, explains Mr. Gaya, “the time had come to invest in the new kiln and the feed systems needed to handle such large items”.
Innovative solutions
The new kiln is an FMA250 which, combined with an EUP250, has a total length of 243,6 meters. Thanks to modulated air-gas control, which ensures unmatched quality and low energy consumption, this is now the best-selling model in the SACMI Maestro range.
What's more, SACMI has equipped it with an exclusive configuration - from feed systems to the delicate cooling phase - dedicated to slab firing, ensuring the highest quality while minimizing any risk of defects.
SACMI is also providing the unfired material handling systems. Linking the current glazing line to the kiln feed, these include a maxi-buffer consisting of two large fixed racks, suitable for slabs as big as 1600x3200mm.
Products
The new FMA can produce a multiplicity of different sizes. They range from the classic 1000x1000 and 1000x1800 mm with thicknesses of 6-10 mm (already part of the Peronda catalogue) to new formats such as the 20 mm thick 1000x1000 or the 1000x2750 with a thickness of 6-10 mm: all made with Continua+, of course. As stated, the new FMA eliminates restrictions associated with car length (in the previous configuration the maximum slab length during firing was 2000 mm).
This latest order strengthens the strategic partnership between SACMI and Peronda Group, a customer that has always focused on the high end of the market: hence their meticulous investment plans, fine-tuned to take full advantage of the best available technology.