ANFACER - National Association of Ceramic Tile Manufacturers for Floor and Wall Tiles, Sanitary Ware and the Like
Inaugurated in October 2023, Portobello America consolidates the brand's presence in the United States through a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility. It also demonstrates the strength of the Portobello Group and its ability to invest outside Brazil.
Preserving its DNA of design and innovation, Portobello America provides a mix of cultures that brings a new look. As a result, the portfolio becomes even more diverse, meeting the growing demand for high value-added coverings.
Part of the Portobello Group's globalization strategy, the factory will produce typical North American products, while maintaining exports from Brazil to the United States. After all, different lines will be manufactured in the two countries, in a complementary way.
Portobello America is the Portobello Group's third manufacturing plant, the first outside Brazil. With 90,000 m² built on a 370,000 m² site, it has state-of-the-art machinery, with an annual production capacity of 3.6 million m² in this first stage.
To handle all this, there are three ovens, activated in stages. There are two with a capacity of 300,000 m² and one for special parts, with 100,000 m².
All are expected to be in operation by the beginning of 2025. Located in Baxter, Tennessee (United States), Portobello America also has a 1,000 m² showroom. There, the main tiles in the portfolio are displayed.
The idea is to produce products with more innovation and design. Competitively, the level of service is raised to another level, always in line with the profile of the North American consumer.
The choice of location for Portobello America was also strategic. After all, Tennessee is considered the national hub for ceramic tile manufacturing. What's more, the North American public is increasingly appreciating products manufactured domestically.
In addition to producing tiles with a focus on the North American market, Portobello America also distributes its solutions, which are complete and competitive.
The business model follows the essence of bringing design and innovation to projects, transforming the way people feel about the environments in which they live. Portobello America also takes advantage of the group's expertise in retail and logistics, positioning the factory as comprehensive support for its partners.
The investment of approximately R$1 billion in Portobello America is already yielding results. More than 200 jobs have been created, in a strategy that promises to leverage the Portobello Group's expansion in different directions.
The plant is expected to increase the Portobello Group's annual revenue by around R$750 million. Within five years, Portobello America is expected to match the Brazilian operation in terms of its share of turnover.
In the third quarter of 2023 alone, even before its official inauguration, Portobello America had already recorded significant net revenue: R$73.9 million. The highlight was the progress made in local distribution, which grew by 18.1% compared to the previous quarter.
And this is just the beginning. After all, the operation in the United States is in its infancy and is expected to evolve in terms of product mix and expansion of the order book. According to Cesar Gomes Junior, Chairman of Portobello Grupo, the market positioning strategy has worked.
As a result, the factory has already started operating with enough demand to use all of its production capacity. It is therefore expected that the investment will quickly return to the group's coffers and provide for expansion.
Also in relation to the results presented in the third quarter of 2023, the Portobello Grupo showed a gain in market share not only in the Brazilian market, but also in the North American market. It thus achieved an increase in its share of revenues from international markets.
Portobello America's success is no coincidence; it is part of the Portobello Grupo's strategic pillar that focuses on internationalization. The brand is also dedicated to retail and sustainability, which are part of the strategy for the new factory.
To drive these bases, there are also investments in digital transformation. In this way, it is possible to intensify decision-making based on data. With more precise actions, the expectation is to provide an increasingly better experience for customers.
The 2024 Creative Collective has already set its destination and this time there's something new: the design of new products will begin during the trip. Specifiers who are part of the Portobello+Architecture Community and achieve the objectives set out in the rules of the Chicago Creative Collective will win a trip to the Windy City in the United States.
There, they will have the opportunity to see all the details of this place, which combines the immensity of Lake Michigan with constructions ranging from modern buildings to American heritage sites.
As an open innovation initiative by Portobello, the Coletivo Criativo aims to offer inputs through a research trip, so that selected professionals from all over Brazil can co-create products in partnership with the brand.
At Coletivo Criativo Chicago, the novelty is that this creation will begin during the trip. This is because the specifiers will meet Portobello America and will have access to a laboratory full of technology to begin their work.
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