Over a period of 5 days from September 22nd - 26th 2014, the “who is who” of the ceramics industry gathered in Rimini to attend Tecnargilla which is one of the flagship international trade shows in the industry. This year the event attracted more than 32,000 visitors (a new record) along with 500 exhibitors on 75,000 m2 of exhibition space. A large visitor contingent made its way to the booth organized by our Italian partner DAVID snc. - Minerali per l’industria. CEO Dr. Marco David received energetic support from Dorfner Sales Managers Frank Herdt, Glass and Ceramics, and Dr. Ralf Giskow, Composites. They all reported having a large number of high-quality discussions with top-caliber professionals at the DAVID booth.

The good news for Dorfner is that the industry is showing renewed interest in high-grade industrial minerals and branded raw materials, something which Dorfner is ideally positioned to supply. Well-established raw materials such as our DORSILIT® 16.900 quartz powder as well as our ultra-pure HiPU quartz sand, our special K1, K2 and K11 sanitary ware kaolin range and DORKAMUL® 16.900 calcined kaolin are once again gaining traction with European sanitary ware, architectural ceramics and tile manufacturers. Many trade visitors from the glass industry also visited the booth. They showed a particular interest in our quartz glass-making sand that we extract at Asmanit Dorfner near Schärding, which is the Dorfner Group’s southern-most production site. We refine the sand to make high-purity input materials for high-grade glass production.

From the Dorfner perspective, the discussions with sanitary ware producers who wish to explore new materials in addition to their traditional product range were particularly encouraging. These manufacturers were able to get a first-hand impression of the exceptional opportunities and business potential which Dorfner’s new composites create in this market segment. Composites made with our innovative filler systems such as GRANUCOL® HG, GRANUCOL® HSS, GRANUCOL® HSL and synthetic resin using a mineral casting process are definitely making their mark in the sanitary ware industry. Dr. Ralf Giskow, who is in charge of the Composites business at Dorfner, is encouraged by this trend: “We are breaking new ground with our complete range of innovative filler systems and the composites for sanitary ware which are formulated using these systems. Our customers can build on this foundation to produce extremely durable sanitary ware such as sinks, shower trays, bath tubs, etc. which have distinctive geometries. We also provide new technologies which enable customers to specifically manipulate the feel and finish.”