Factory of ceramic products

JSC "Ceramic Products Plant" (JSC "ZKI") is a steadily developing manufacturer of ceramic tiles, known in the market of Russia and neighboring countries with the trademark "Uralkeramika". A wide range of products, their high quality, professionalism of employees, an effectively functioning quality management system - all this allows the company to steadily maintain its position in the Russian market.

With the onset of Khrushchev’s “thaw,” large-scale construction began in the cities of the Soviet Union.
The creation of a plant for the production of ceramic products was due to two important factors: the presence of Ural clay quarries and the importance of Sverdlovsk (now Yekaterinburg) as the country's largest transport hub. The ceramic products plant was initially conceived and created as a complex production facility. The first products – sanitary ceramics (toilets and sinks) – came off the line at the end of 1960. Just two years later, at the end of 1962, the company launched the production of facing and floor tiles, which immediately began to be in high demand. But the tiles produced in the 1960s were small, white, without a pattern, so the company faced a number of technical and design tasks to radically improve the consumer properties of its products. These tasks were successfully solved. Milestones in the history of the development of the enterprise were 1964, when the production of tiles with a pattern on a white background began, and 1968, when the plant mastered the production of colored tiles. In the 1980s, the company, the only one in the country, began producing (using its own technology) porous ceramic pipes for wastewater treatment. In the 90s, consumer interest in ceramic products sharply increased - they personified everything new that appeared at that time in the design of domestic premises.
To meet increased consumer demand, the plant began to produce larger sized facing tiles, which have become fashionable. These years became a time of technological breakthrough for the plant. The company’s specialists developed a mass composition using a new, hitherto unknown type of raw material in ceramics – granodiorite, which reduces the firing temperature and improves four important quality indicators of the finished ceramic tile. The use of this new type of raw material in ceramics is protected by a patent. In 1994, on the basis of OJSC ZKI, an enterprise for the production of ceramic tiles using Italian technology was founded.
In 2002, two Italian lines were installed: SiTi (capacity 2 million sq. m. of floor tiles per year) and B&T (capacity 1.2 million sq. m. of wall tiles per year).
In 2004, another line was installed - Welko, allowing the production of 2 million sq. m.
m of facing tiles per year. In 2008, the plant mastered the production of tiles measuring 25x36 cm, which are still being successfully produced. In 2009–2010, the company developed and implemented a quality management system, and in December 2010, the plant received a certificate certifying that the quality management system of Ceramic Products Plant OJSC complies with the requirements of the international standard ISO 9001:2008.
This fact confirms the company’s ability to produce products of consistently high quality. In 2011, the plant mastered the production of new formats of facing tiles (250x500mm) and ceramic floor tiles (418x418mm).
Collections of a new format confirmed the buyer’s interest in new solutions in the design of premises. In 2012, ZKI OJSC increased the variety of finished products produced and their decorative design on a new Italian line for the production of decorative elements of the latest generation.
In the same year, ceramic tiles and sanitary-building ceramics "Uralkeramika" became laureates of the "100 Best Products of Russia" competition. This fact confirms the correctness of the chosen development strategy of OJSC “Ceramic Products Plant” and the focus of the plant’s staff on improving the quality of products bearing the name “Uralkeramika”. In 2013, four digital pattern printing machines were put into operation on the floor and facing tile production lines, allowing high-resolution images to be applied to the surface of tiles with relief of any complexity.
The use of digital printing technology has made it possible to improve surface quality and achieve clarity in complex designs, thereby expanding the range of products with fashionable design solutions. In June of the same year, floor tiles were tested for frost resistance, according to the results of which they were assigned a frost resistance grade of 50. Frost resistance is the ability of ceramic tiles in a water-saturated state to withstand repeated alternating freezing and thawing without visible signs of destruction and without a significant decrease in strength. Those. the tiles are not damaged in environments with high humidity and low temperatures and can be used for interior decoration of unheated premises, as well as exterior decoration of building facades in regions of Russia with moderate climatic conditions. In 2016, the plant began producing tiles of a new format 200x600 mm using new relief surfaces and the most modern materials.

In November 2014, a new line for the production of ceramic tiles was put into operation.
Modern equipment from the leading Italian company SACMI was installed on the line. The production capacity of the new line is 3,000,000 sq.m. As a result, the total production volume reaches 8,000,000 sq.m of finished products per year. TM "Uralkeramika" is one of the most famous brands on the Russian ceramic tile market. Today OJSC "Ceramic Products Factory" has in its product range more than 100 popular collections from classic to ultra-modern designs for all types of premises. In December 2016, the plant will turn 56 years old.