RAK Ceramics is the world’s fourth largest group in the ceramics sector, producing floor and wall tiles, ceramic and porcelain tiles and sanitary ware. Each year, the group produces 123 million square metres of tiles and 5 million pieces of sanitary ware, with an annual turnover of approximately one billion dollars. The Group is headquartered in the United Arab Emirates, but it is present in 150 countries with its own showrooms and distribution offices that allow RAK Ceramics products to be exported all over the world. The Middle East, the Gulf Area and Europe are the most consolidated markets, but the company is constantly evolving and aims at constant growth; for this reason, one of the objectives for the coming years is the consolidation of the Americas and Asia.
With this in mind, the group is in the process of finalising the acquisition of an important top-level taps and fittings company, thus completing its range of products in the sanitaryware sector. Finally, during the last edition of the Dubai Design Week, the group announced an important collaboration with a well-known brand from the world of fashion and design, Elie Saab.
Apart from the impressive figures, in recent years the company has chosen to undertake a marketing strategy aimed above all at
enhancing its brand by pursuing the highest quality products and also embarking on a path in the field of design. By working with internationally renowned designers and investing in promising young talents, the company has freed itself from its image as a
multinational company focused solely on the production of large volumes, to establish itself as a brand with high added value and to begin a dialogue with the design world. As a demonstration of this new focus, in 2022, RAK Ceramics will open a Global Specification Showroom in central London dedicated to the world of architecture and design. “After London and Dubai in the Design District, the dream is to go on with the opening of Showrooms with these characteristics also in Paris and Milan: centres of international fashion and design, and why not, in a few years time, also in New York” said Leonardo de Muro, Vice President of RAK Ceramics during the interview.
RAK Ceramics Italia Official Sponsor of the Italian Pavilion at Expo DUBAI 2020
Leonardo de Muro, Vice President of RAK Ceramics, was interviewed by Platform about the evolution of RAK ceramics and the participation in Expo Dubai 2020.
How was the idea born for RAK Ceramics to participate as a sponsor of the Italian Pavilion at Expo Dubai 2020?
The idea of this sponsorship was born from the meeting with the Italian Ambassador in Dubai, Dr. Nicola Lener, who one day asked me what RAK Ceramics would do and what role it would play for the Expo Dubai 2020. From that moment on, a reflection was born that led the company to choose to participate with great commitment and was one of the first to believe and invest in the project. This is how RAK Ceramics became the official sponsor of the Italian Pavilion in Dubai 2020.
Why did RAK Ceramics, a global company with headquarters in the United Arab Emirates, choose to support Italy?
Although RAK Ceramics is a global company with a presence in about 150 countries around the world, it actually has an Italian heart; suffice it to say that the marketing team at the Dubai headquarters is entirely Italian. That said, RAK Ceramics has chosen to focus on Italy and all that this country represents: art, culture, design, fashion and beauty. The beauty that is central to the theme identified for the Italian Pavilion: “Beauty unites people”. Precisely for these values we wanted RAK Ceramics Italia to sponsor the Italian Pavilion; therefore, not as a global company, nor as a company of the Arab Emirates, although we are proudly all these things. RAK Ceramics Italia, although a branch, is a fundamental pole from which the whole multinational draws continuous inspiration. It is from Italy, the country of ceramic excellence, that all our research, development and identification
of design lines to be introduced into our production starts. In difficult years such as these, we hope that our commitment and our participation in Expo Dubai 2020 can be a strong message of restart.
What does the Italian Pavilion represent?
Expo 2020 is the biggest promotional initiative of this period, on which the whole country system and we companies have invested significant resources. In particular, the Italian Pavilion, of which we are an integral part, is a very innovative and sustainable pavilion, zero impact, which shows Italy with the depth of its history and culture, but also with its technology. Elements that are absolutely in line with the development model of the Emirates and with our philosophy based on a great attention to the use of the best building components, systems, technology as well as a daily commitment to sustainability, circular economy and architecture. The Italian Pavilion is an innovative hub characterised by the integration of technological and infrastructural components. The ideal place to present the DNA of RAK Ceramics and its unique skills in the field of plumbing and systems. We furnished the bathrooms with the RAK-Precious collection in the elegant matt black finish, although I must say that visiting all the Expo pavilions, we found RAK Ceramics in many of the areas. Let’s say that in this edition of Expo there is a lot of RAK Ceramics.
Italian Ambassador to the UAE Nicola Lener says of Expo Dubai:
The Emirates is a country open to sustainable and innovative solutions. Italy is highly appreciated in the UAE for its industrial capabilities, creativity, history, art and culture. And if we add to this the design component, as in the case of many Italian companies sponsoring EXPO 2020, we become an integral part of the meeting of many creative visions and projects.
What does participation in Expo Dubai 2020 mean for the Country System, especially in such a complex historical period?
As the first global event after the outbreak of the pandemic, EXPO2020 Dubai is an important opportunity to reflect on the role of cooperation as a key factor in improving the resilience of our societies and demonstrate how innovation and connectivity can help address global challenges. The World Expo also confirms the UAE’s strategic role as the commercial, financial and logistical hub of the wider MENASA (Middle East, North Africa and South Asia) region and the success of its development model based on diversification, attractiveness and projection towards the future, in a year that marks the Golden Jubilee of the Federation.
RAK Ceramics products used at expo Dubai 2020
The bathroom areas, in particular of the Italian Pavilion, but in general of many areas of the Expo Dubai have been realized with the RAK-Precious collection in the elegant matt black finish. RAKPrecious, is a special range of luxury solutions for the washbasin area: thanks to its rich finishes, it offers an elegant alternative to the classic white ceramic to create a total look environment where integrated washbasins, floor, wall, furniture and accessories dialogue in great harmony. The collection includes countertop, counter or built-in washbasins, all made of porcelain stoneware, Maximus technology of large slabs by RAK Ceramics. Marble, stone and concrete that can be perfectly combined with the Bathroom furniture features of the collection and RAK-Joy.
For more information: www.rakceramics.com