The head of Iran Ceramic Producers Association (IRCPS) has said over 140 ceramic and tile production units are currently active across the country which produce 720 million cubic meters of products every year.“Today, all kinds of ceramic tiles in different sizes and designs are produced in the country, and fortunately, the production technology of the ceramic tile industry has been localized in Iran, while until a few years ago, all the equipment used in this industry was imported from Italy, Spain and China,” Morteza Saftarizadeh told IRIB on Monday.He pointed to the investment of more than $5.0 billion in the tile and ceramic industry’s production units and supply chain, saying: “Fortunately, the private sector's efforts to have a serious presence in this industry has resulted in the increase of production by domestic manufacturers, and now there are 120,000 people working directly in this industry.”The official mentioned cheap energy, the existence of rich mines and the development of related industries in the supply chain as the advantages of this industry, noting that such advantages have made the production more cost efficient.According to Saftarizadeh, currently, Iran is the fifth largest producer of ceramic tiles in the world, and more than 46 percent of the country’s total production is exported.“The products of Iran's tile and ceramic industry have customers in 52 countries, of which we have exported to 28 countries constantly in the past several years. Also, the quality and variety of Iranian products have attracted the interest of extra-regional countries as well,” he said.Regarding the imports of ceramic and tile, the official said the country currently does not have any imports in this industry and all the country’s needs are met by domestic producers. (ICE TEHERAN)

Fonte notizia: Tehran Times