Italy's Ceramica del Conca SpA, a ceramic floor tile manufacturer plans to invest $70 million building a new manufacturing operation in east Tennessee, the Loudon Co. Economic Development Agency (EDA) announced and stated that the new facility expects to bring 178 jobs to the area.
"Loudon County welcomes Del Conca to East Tennessee with this opportunity to bring a substantial volume of high-quality jobs and positive economic impact to this region," said Loudon County EDA President Pat Phillips. "We thank Del Conca for selecting Loudon County and appreciate the support from our state, regional and local partners in facilitating this exceptional opportunity for our community and region."
As its first U.S. headquarters, the new 320,000 square-foot facility will serve as Del Conca's base of operations, housing manufacturing, research, and administrative capabilities as well as a showroom. It will be built on a 30 acre plot of land at the Sugarlimb Industrial Park in Loudon. “Loudon is geographically located close to the main U.S. highways and in close proximity to our sources of raw materials. We have found in Loudon a very cooperative team of people who are working hard in order to help us build a successful business that better serves our U.S. and Canadian customers,” said Paolo Mularoni, president of Del Conca USA.
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The EDA said Del Conca plans on expediting its production timeline and hopes to have the first phase of construction completed by this time next year. At that point, the company expects to have 100 full-time workers. The second phase will take another five or six years, during which time Del Conca plans to hire 78 more full-time employees. “This announcement is great news for Loudon County, and I am excited to welcome Del Conca to Tennessee,” Gov. Bill Haslam said. “We are very appreciative of the investment in our state as we work toward our goal of becoming the No. 1 location in the Southeast for high quality jobs.” The EDA estimated the jobs will have an average hourly wage of $17 an hour, plus benefits.
About Ceramica del Conca SpA
Ceramica del Conca Spa (full company name) was conceived in 1979 by entrepreneurs with experience in the field of construction, both in Italy and abroad, new to the world of tiles, but sensitive to the technological evolution and growing expectations of the market. It was the first company in the industry to believe in singlefired white body glazed stoneware tiles, just as it was the first to employ porcelain stoneware technology, becoming a reference point as a company for the industry and putting into practice valid systems choices with determination in times of general uncertainty in the technical field.
Today, the company is known internationally for the quality of its products, the excellence of its service, its ability for innovation and the design it offers. After the important investments of recent years, which have brought about considerable growth in the production capacity of its site, prospects for growth over the coming years are based on synergies with industry companies, also belonging to the Group, which can place their production capacity at the service of the dynamic commercial penetration of Ceramica del Conca SpA. For more information on the company click here.
