Large slabs and sub-formats, complete SACMI plant for Cerdomus Symbol of Made in Italy creativity for 50 years, the company is installing the new Continua+ SACMI as part of a complete new plant from forming to kiln discharge. Started production of over 8,000 square metres per day of new formats up to 1600×3200 mm

For more than 50 years a symbol of ceramic collections Made in Italy, with original formats, surfaces, material effects and processing, Cerdomus chooses SACMI to enter the large slab sector. The choice of Continua+, the world’s reference technology for the production of slabs and sub-formats, was obvious. And this is just the heart of the complete system project, with SACMI as partner for all key technologies, from drier to kiln, from digital printers to finishing lines.
“Growing on formats”
Key player in the market with the motto “Creative ceramic collection”, Cerdomus has made passion for design the other side of a constant focus on technological innovation, to always offer customers the best quality, with all the style and character of Italian ceramics.
After years of successful partnership with SACMI on traditional formats – up to 600×1200 – the company has chosen to grow in the segment of large decorated slabs of various sizes and thicknesses. Hence the project launched in 2021 for the construction of a complete new system, operational since the past few weeks at the Castel Bolognese (Ravenna) site, with a production output of over 8,000 square metres per day.
The new SACMI Continua+
“Our brand”, emphasises Paolo Turbati, President of Cerdomus, “has a clear identity in the market. We have always considered the ceramic product, among the oldest materials in the world, as a source of inspiration for the creation of unique settings, developing our strengths in the widest choice of combinations, formats, thicknesses, decors, styles and material effects. That is why, for this further leap in quality, we chose the world’s benchmark technology in this sector, SACMI’s Continua+”.
A new PCR 2000 – the world’s best-selling solution in the Continua+ family – has been installed and commissioned. “We are not only talking about large slabs”, continues the President of Cerdomus, “but also about the possibility to realise, in a coordinated, flexible and efficient manner, all the sub-formats and furnishing complements that are particularly demanded and appreciated by our customers today. That’s why the SACMI solution responds perfectly to the Cerdomus philosophy: coordinated collections, high quality and product aesthetics”.
With the new Continua+, Cerdomus will be able to produce formats up to 1600×3200 mm, essentially covering the entire market demand for both the largest formats and coordinated sub-formats.
In the supplied configuration, the atomised output from the customer’s mix preparation feeds both conventional presses and the new Continua+. “Another important factor is the versatility of the Continua+, that can work with the same mixes as traditional presses”, explains Paolo Turbati. “In this way we have accelerated the start-up phase, producing the new formats immediately”.
The complete system
Essential in the approach to the project was SACMI’s ability to supply not only the forming technology but also all the system’s key machines, from the existing mix preparation – in turn supplied by SACMI in the past – to the kiln discharge. In the supplied configuration, the atomised output from the customer’s mix preparation feeds both conventional presses and the new Continua+.
“The Cerdomus project”, adds Paolo Mongardi, President of SACMI, “rewards our approach to ceramic system design. We are talking about technologies such as Continua+, which are distinctive for making new, top-quality products, but more generally, about a system engineering philosophy that has always set us apart and is appreciated by our customers for our ability to present ourselves as a unique partner, offering the best state-of-the-art technology at every stage of production.
After leaving the Continua+, the slabs are directed to the new SACMI ECP 295 drier with automatic loading and unloading system, and then to the FMA Maestro kiln. The latter does not only feature all the latest SACMI solutions to reduce consumption and emissions, but has also been specially designed to optimise the firing of this type of product, ensuring superior and consistent quality and reducing potential defects.
The project does not stop there: after leaving the kiln, the slabs are conveyed to the squaring, splitting and polishing lines supplied by BMR, a SACMI company specialising in ceramic product finishing with distinctive solutions for automation, 4.0 flow management, reliability and efficiency. Again, as part of the system project, SACMI was responsible for the supply of loading and unloading solutions.
Product aesthetics and factory logistics
Complementing the existing decoration lines, with the aim of enhancing product aesthetics, Cerdomus’ new DHD 1812, the SACMI digital decorating machine that can accommodate up to 12 colour bars, 8 of which are already in operation, a market reference for the coordinated application of inks and material effects, will be added to the new system.
Together with the already started-up system, SACMI will also supply laser-guided handling for the complete automation of factory logistics.
Through its well-established partnership with SACMI, Cerdomus confirms its path of further brand and product enhancement, achieved through effective team collaboration and technological and plant engineering expertise at all stages of the process.