“We Would Like to Face the Main Home Textile Markets Such as Turkey and Pakistan in 2020”

In 1999, Esmalglass and Itaca joined and started as the Esmalglass-Itaca Group, a group leader in technology, products, technical assistance and design. Nowadays the company has grown to consolidate in the most important ceramic markets worldwide, positioning its among the top three companies in the world in sector. More than 1.000 people worldwide working together with a same aim: Customers’ satisfaction.

In 1978, with the aim of marketing and producing frits, glazes and ceramic colours Esmalglass is established in Vila-real (Castellón, Spain). One year later, after having designed and built its first melting kiln, Esmalglass starts its industrial and commercial activity offering its customers a service based on technical assistance, design and guarantee of future which nobody had proposed so far. The company is developed a standard of international implantation in the main markets of the ceramics and so the first headquarters is established in Italy in 1979. Esmalglass continued growing and opened new headquarters in the United Kingdom, Italy, Portugal and Brazil.

Correspondingly Itaca starts its activity in 1989 in La Pobla Tornesa (Castellón, Spain) dedicated to the manufacturing and trading of ceramic colours. In 1999, Esmalglass and Itaca joined and started as the Esmalglass-Itaca Group, a group leader in technology, products, technical assistance and design.

We interviewed with Esmalglass-Itaca Group’s Inkjet Project Director Jesús Fernández for our Tekstil Teknoloji magazine.

As ITACA you are one of the specialized brands in digital solutions. What is the secret of this long-term success? How do you explain your philosophy?

At Esmalglass-Itaca we believe that sales are just the outcome of a partnership with our customers. With 400 people working daily hand in hand with our customers, we develop a symbiosis, where both ends learn about technology, needs, and future requirements. We believe this has proven very useful in our native market, ceramics, where we hold a 37% digital inks market share with a 20 year track-record; and we believe this will be key to the success of digital pigment printing.

What are the key features of ITACA products that distinguishes from its competitors?

When we speak about the actual product, we speak about tangibles like consistency, vibrancy, washability, fastness. But we do not just supply of inks, we believe in delivering world class quality, while delivering outstanding service, and greater freedom for our customers.

What do you pay attention to while making technology investments in order to increase your competitiveness and maintain your quality, what are your criteria?

In the first place, we seek to improve quality, not just maintain it. We have close contact with all digital partners and chemical suppliers. In a global world, keeping quality and decreasing costs is not enough. We are driving new technologies and do not simply focus on decreasing our costs.

Could you tell us about your worldwide sales and support network and the countries you export?

Currently, the Esmalglass-Itaca group has subsidiaries in 26 countries, serving to more than 50 countries worldwide, with a Technical support and design team, working full time for our customers, involving more than 400 professionals.

If you assess in terms of export markets what is the importance of Turkey for your company?

As one of the biggest manufacturers and exporters of textile worldwide Turkey is a key strategic market.

How was the year 2019 for ITACA? Can you evaluate it briefly?

2019 witnesed the commercial launch of a project that involved 6 years of development. It was a thrilling year, with lots of challenges we met succesfully, proof of that is the 65% of the  digital textile pigment printers market share we managed to get and defend in Spain.

Can you give information about your 2020 targets and investments?

For this year 2020 we would like to face the main Home textile markets such as Turkey and Pakistan. And positioning our company as one of the most performant solution for pigments. We are leaders in the Spanish home textile cluster in Alicante and want to replicate this success in other countries.

Interview: Dilek HAYIRLI