Italian Ceramics Machinery Manufacturers (2026)

Italian ceramics machinery manufacturers represent the global benchmark for ceramic processing technology, from hydraulic presses and roller kilns to digital decoration systems and complete turnkey plants. The sector generated EUR 1.83 billion in sales in 2024 through approximately 100 ACIMAC member companies, with exports accounting for over 72% of total revenue. Italy supplies kilns, presses, glazing lines, and sorting systems to ceramic producers across India, China, the Middle East, Africa, and Europe.

The Italian Ceramics Machinery Sector: Structure and Scale

Italy’s dominance in ceramics machinery grew directly from its dominance in ceramic tile production. The Sassuolo district in Emilia-Romagna, home to roughly 80% of Italy’s tile output, also became the cradle of the machinery industry that equips those factories. Over decades, machinery builders and tile producers co-evolved, creating a cluster of specialized engineering firms unmatched anywhere else in the world.

The sector is represented by ACIMAC (Associazione Costruttori Italiani Macchine Attrezzature per Ceramica), the national trade association for Italian ceramic machinery and equipment manufacturers. ACIMAC counts around 100 member companies covering every stage of the ceramic production process: raw material preparation, pressing, drying, glazing, digital decoration, firing, cutting, polishing, sorting, and packaging.

According to Ceramic World Web’s 2024 industry data, the Italian ceramic technology sector posted total sales of EUR 1.83 billion in 2024, down from the record EUR 2.37 billion reported in 2023. Exports fell to EUR 1.32 billion, a 23.4% decline driven by overcapacity in key markets and intensifying Asian competition. Domestic sales totaled approximately EUR 510 million.

Preliminary 2025 figures suggest the adjustment continued, with total turnover settling at EUR 1.73 billion and exports at EUR 1.21 billion. ACIMAC Chairman Paolo Lamberti attributed the ongoing softness to “installed overcapacity and Asian competition,” while emphasizing that Italian manufacturers retain their technological edge in energy efficiency, digital decoration, and large-format slab processing.

Leading Italian Ceramics Machinery Manufacturers

Several companies define the competitive field. Each brings distinct strengths in technology, scale, and geographic reach.

SACMI (Imola)

SACMI is the undisputed global leader in ceramics machinery and the largest company in the sector by a wide margin. The cooperative, founded in Imola in 1919, closed 2024 with group revenues of EUR 1.73 billion, net equity exceeding EUR 1 billion for the first time, and EBITDA of EUR 323 million. SACMI operates across ceramics, rigid packaging, advanced materials, and food processing, but ceramics remains its foundational business.

SACMI’s ceramic division manufactures hydraulic and electric presses (including the Continua+ system for large-format slabs), roller kilns, raw materials processing equipment, glazing and decoration lines, and quality control systems. The company exports to over 100 countries through a network of subsidiaries and service centers. Its installed base spans virtually every major ceramic production region, from Sassuolo to Morbi (India) to Foshan (China).

Gruppo B&T (formerly SITI B&T Group)

Gruppo B&T was formed through the merger of Barbieri & Tarozzi and SITI, creating one of Italy’s largest providers of turnkey ceramic plants. The group employs approximately 800 people and includes brands such as Siti, Projecta, Ancora, and Diatex, each specializing in different stages of the production process.

In June 2024, One Equity Partners completed its investment in the group, indicating confidence in the company’s long-term position. Gruppo B&T showcased 20 new technological innovations at Tecna 2024, focusing on productivity gains and sustainability. Recent projects include a major modernization contract with Kaleseramik, the flagship brand of Turkey’s Kalebodur Group and one of Europe’s largest tile producers.

System Ceramics

System Ceramics, part of the Coesia Group, is known for pioneering digital decoration and large-format slab technology. The company’s Lamgea press and Creadigit digital printers helped establish the large-format porcelain slab category that has reshaped high-end architecture and interior design globally. System Ceramics focuses on the premium segment of the market, where digital capabilities and production flexibility command price premiums.

BMR

BMR specializes in end-of-line processing: cutting, grinding, lapping, polishing, rectifying, and surface treatment of ceramic tiles and slabs. As large-format slabs grow in popularity, BMR’s finishing equipment has become critical to achieving the tolerances and surface qualities that architects and fabricators require. The company is headquartered in Scandiano, in the heart of the Sassuolo district.

Other Notable Manufacturers

The Italian ceramics machinery sector extends well beyond the largest names. LB (raw materials and pressing technology), Sacmi Forni (kilns), Durst Group (digital printing), Cefla Finishing (surface finishing), Poppi Clementino (heat recovery), and dozens of specialized component and automation suppliers collectively ensure that Italian technology covers every aspect of modern ceramic production.

Export Markets and Geographic Reach

Italian ceramics machinery reaches ceramic producers on every continent. The industry’s export geography reflects where ceramic tiles and sanitaryware are being manufactured at scale.

Asia: India, China, and Southeast Asia

India has been the fastest-growing market for Italian machinery over the past decade. The Morbi cluster in Gujarat alone produces over 10 billion square metres of ceramic tiles annually, and Indian producers have invested heavily in Italian presses, kilns, and digital decoration systems to move upmarket. ACIMAC regularly organizes collective Italian pavilions at Indian Ceramics Asia, one of the sector’s most strategically important exhibitions.

China remains a significant but complex market. Chinese ceramic output dwarfs all other countries combined, and Chinese machinery manufacturers have closed much of the technology gap in standard product categories. However, Italian manufacturers retain advantages in digital decoration, large-format slab production, and energy-efficient kiln design. Sales to China actually grew in 2024 even as overall exports declined, suggesting continued demand for premium Italian technology in specific segments.

Southeast Asia, including Vietnam, Indonesia, and Bangladesh, represents a growing market as ceramic production capacity expands across the region.

Middle East and Africa

Gulf states, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and North Africa have invested in local ceramic production capacity to serve construction booms and reduce import dependency. Italian machinery suppliers have equipped many of these new plants, and aftermarket services (spare parts, upgrades, technical support) create recurring revenue streams.

Europe and the Americas

European sales are predominantly domestic (Italian tile producers upgrading their plants) plus installations in Spain, Turkey, and Eastern Europe. The Americas represent a smaller but growing market, with Brazil’s ceramic industry being a notable customer for Italian technology.

Dying Channels: How Italian Machinery Manufacturers Currently Sell

Italian ceramics machinery companies have relied on a specific set of sales channels for decades. While these channels still function, each one carries increasing limitations for manufacturers seeking growth in new markets.

Tecna (Rimini): Biennial, Technology-Focused

Tecna in Rimini is the premier global exhibition for ceramic production technology. The 2024 edition hosted approximately 350 exhibitors across 70,000 square metres, drawing more than 18,000 visitors from over 100 countries. Organized by Italian Exhibition Group in collaboration with ACIMAC, Tecna is the definitive exhibition for pressing, firing, decoration, and finishing innovations.

But Tecna operates on a biennial cycle. The next edition runs 22 to 25 September 2026. That means two full years between opportunities to present technology and meet new prospects in person. At $300 to $900+ per qualified lead when factoring booth design, staffing, logistics, and post-fair follow-up, the cost per contact is substantial. And between editions, manufacturers must rely on other methods to fill their pipeline.

Cersaie (Bologna): Meeting End Users, Not Machinery Buyers

Cersaie Bologna is the world’s largest ceramic tile and bathroom furnishings exhibition, attracting over 94,000 visitors. While Cersaie is primarily a fair for tile and sanitaryware producers to meet architects, distributors, and specifiers, Italian machinery companies attend to strengthen relationships with their customers (the tile producers themselves) and to demonstrate how their technology enables the products on display. It is useful for brand reinforcement but not a primary lead generation channel for machinery sales.

Agent Networks in Asia and MENA

Many Italian machinery manufacturers sell through local agents and distributors in India, China, the Middle East, and Africa. These agents bring language skills, market knowledge, and established relationships with ceramic factory owners. However, agent networks create dependency. The manufacturer loses direct visibility into market demand, cannot control pricing at the end-customer level, and risks losing market intelligence to agents who may represent competing brands. When an agent relationship ends, years of market presence can evaporate.

Direct Sales Teams

The largest Italian machinery companies maintain direct sales offices in key markets. SACMI, for example, operates subsidiaries across multiple continents. But for mid-sized manufacturers, maintaining direct sales presence in India, China, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America simultaneously requires significant investment. A fully loaded field sales representative costs $500 to $1,200+ per qualified lead when accounting for salary, travel, accommodation, and overhead across intercontinental territories.

Trade Publications and Digital Marketing

Industry publications like Ceramic World Web, Tile International, and regional ceramic industry media carry advertising and editorial coverage for Italian machinery brands. These channels build awareness but generate few direct sales conversations. Digital marketing (website, SEO, LinkedIn) is growing but remains underdeveloped compared to the B2B technology sector.

Why the Timing Matters: Market Shifts Creating Opportunity

Despite the cyclical downturn in 2024 and 2025, several structural trends favor Italian machinery manufacturers who can reach the right buyers proactively.

Sustainability-Driven Plant Upgrades

The EU’s revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive and growing global demand for sustainable building materials are driving tile producers to invest in energy-efficient kilns, waste heat recovery, and lower-emission production processes. Italian machinery manufacturers lead in these technologies. Ceramic producers in India, Turkey, and North Africa who want to export to Europe increasingly need Italian equipment to meet sustainability requirements. The opportunity is reaching factory owners and technical directors during their investment planning phase, not after they have already committed to a Chinese alternative.

Large-Format Slab Expansion

The large-format porcelain slab category (1200x2400mm and larger) continues to grow globally, driven by demand from architects and interior designers. Producing these slabs requires specialized pressing, handling, firing, and finishing equipment where Italian manufacturers hold clear technological advantages. Every new slab production line represents a multi-million-euro machinery order.

Digital Decoration Adoption

Digital inkjet decoration has already transformed the tile industry, but adoption continues to expand, particularly in emerging markets. Upgrades from older analog glazing lines to digital systems represent a significant, ongoing revenue opportunity. Italian companies like Durst, System Ceramics, and SACMI lead in this technology.

Capacity Expansion in Emerging Markets

While established markets face overcapacity, new production capacity continues to be installed across Sub-Saharan Africa, Central Asia, and parts of Latin America as local entrepreneurs build ceramic manufacturing operations to serve growing construction demand. These greenfield projects need complete plant engineering, and Italian suppliers are the default technology partners.

A Better Approach: AI-Powered Outbound for Machinery Manufacturers

The core challenge for Italian ceramics machinery manufacturers is not technology. Their presses, kilns, and decoration systems are world-class. The challenge is reaching ceramic factory owners, technical directors, and plant managers across dozens of countries, in multiple languages, at the moment they are planning capital investments.

This is precisely what an AI-powered outbound engine does.

Continuous Identification of Investment Signals

Instead of waiting for Tecna every two years or relying on agents to report market intelligence, an AI outbound system monitors factory expansion announcements, building permits for new ceramic plants, equipment tenders, and production capacity reports across target markets. When a ceramic producer in Gujarat announces a new slab line, or an Egyptian factory publishes a tender for kiln replacement, the system identifies it and triggers targeted outreach.

Reaching Decision-Makers in Their Language

Ceramic factory owners in India communicate in English and Hindi. Turkish producers prefer Turkish. Middle Eastern buyers expect Arabic. An AI outbound engine delivers personalized, technically relevant messaging in the buyer’s native language, referencing their specific production context (capacity, product type, current equipment generation). At $150 to $300 per qualified lead, the cost is a fraction of field sales ($500 to $1,200+) or fair attendance ($300 to $900+).

Scaling Across Markets Without Proportional Cost

Adding Vietnam, Bangladesh, or Kenya to your target market list does not require hiring a new regional sales manager or appointing an agent. The outbound engine extends to new geographies at marginal cost, maintaining the same quality of research, targeting, and personalization.

For more detail on how this works in practice, see our guide on Italian machinery exporters and AI-powered outbound, or read about how Italian ceramics tile exporters are building direct international pipelines.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who are the largest Italian ceramics machinery manufacturers?

SACMI (Imola) is the global leader with EUR 1.73 billion in 2024 group revenues, followed by Gruppo B&T (formerly SITI B&T), System Ceramics (Coesia Group), and BMR. These companies, along with approximately 100 ACIMAC member firms, cover every stage of ceramic production from raw material processing to end-of-line finishing.

How large is the Italian ceramics machinery industry?

The Italian ceramic machinery sector generated EUR 1.83 billion in total sales in 2024, with exports of EUR 1.32 billion. Preliminary 2025 figures show turnover of EUR 1.73 billion. The sector supplies equipment to ceramic producers in over 100 countries, with major markets in India, China, the Middle East, Europe, and Latin America.

What is ACIMAC and what role does it play?

ACIMAC (Associazione Costruttori Italiani Macchine Attrezzature per Ceramica) is the national trade association representing Italian ceramic machinery and equipment manufacturers. With approximately 100 member companies, ACIMAC organizes collective participation at international fairs, publishes industry statistics, and represents the sector’s interests in trade policy. It also co-organizes Tecna, the biennial ceramic technology expo in Rimini.

When is the next Tecna fair in Rimini?

The next edition of Tecna is scheduled for 22 to 25 September 2026 at the Rimini Expo Centre. Tecna is held every two years and is the premier global exhibition for ceramic production technology, organized by Italian Exhibition Group in collaboration with ACIMAC.

How can Italian ceramics machinery manufacturers reach buyers in India and the Middle East?

Traditional channels include agent networks, participation at regional fairs like Indian Ceramics Asia, and direct sales offices. However, these approaches are expensive to scale and create dependency on intermediaries. An AI-powered outbound engine offers an alternative: continuous monitoring of factory expansion signals, investment tenders, and capacity announcements across target markets, with personalized outreach to factory owners and technical directors in their native language at $150 to $300 per qualified lead.

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If you manufacture ceramics machinery and want to build a direct pipeline to ceramic producers worldwide without waiting for the next Tecna or depending on agents, get in touch to explore how an outbound engine works for capital equipment sales.