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Updated: 2007-06-19 11:08

When Industrie Bitossi SPA (IB) was founded in 1961, the modern ceramics industry was just starting out and the available ceramic technology could not accommodate the rapid rise in volume and quality requirements.

The Italian company, one of the most important producers of micronized zircon in the world, then had a clear vision of what the ceramic industry needed: global solutions for his customers.

In 1967, IB began producing high-density alumina grinding media, which helped improve the productivity and reliability of the grinding process. That was the beginning of IB's success story.

Entering the Chinese market more than 20 years ago, IB recently opened a new production plant in Guangzhou, capital of South China's Guangdong Province.

China, described by IB's president Loriano Bocini as a land of ancient ceramic traditions and one of the biggest ceramic production centers in the world, will be a hotbed for IB to continue its global success.

After the opening of the company's Guangzhou factory on May 24, Loriano Bocini talked to China Daily's Guangzhou staff writer Qiu Quanlin about the company's success and its strong local presence.

Q: At the opening ceremony of your company's Guangzhou plant, you mentioned the Renaissance a lot. What's the relationship between your company and that important period in world history?

A: I am from Vinci near Florence, in the heart of Tuscany of Italy, and my company is also located there. I want to underline that the company has the same origin as Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Giotto, who characterized the period of Renaissance.

Renaissance had as target the search of beauty, taste and style in every field. So does our company in its field. From the core business of grinding media and micronized zirconium silicate, IB has, over the years, successfully extended its expertise to the mining industry and others, always with the objective of providing its customers with global solutions.

Q: What are the company's plans for China?

A: We have been exporting micronized zircon to China for more than 20 years. The Guangzhou plant is our second venture in China after the Kunshan plant a few years ago. The two factories are aimed at following and assisting the development of the Chinese ceramic industry.

The plant in Guangzhou will produce both zircon flour and micronium silicate. It will be able to produce 20,000 tons of zircobit MO opacifier, also called "Red B", and 10,000 tons of zircon flour annually.

The Guangzhou plant, with an initial investment of $12.7 million, currently has one mill consisting of three lines. Our final goal in this plant is to open three mills, which will boast 12 production lines within the next five years.

Q: IB is the most important grinder of micronized zircon in the world. But besides China, the company has no plants in other Asian countries and regions. Will the Chinese plants also be able to supply the rest of the Asian market?

A: Yes. IB has plants in Italy, Brazil, Turkey, and now China. The establishment of a plant in Guangzhou is also aimed at meeting the needs of the Asian market. It means we will export products from China to other countries such as Vietnam, Philippines and Indonesia.

Q: How does your local plant ensure environmental protection since usually such a minerals plant can't avoid producing pollutants?

A: Our investment here also aims at realizing a highly innovative system - with no environmental impact.

To this end, we will realize a dry grinding system for flour micronized zircon production. Also, we are very interested in improving the logistics of the area so that we can deliver the product in bulk by lorry, eliminating packages that, inevitably, raise the volume of waste because they can't be reutilized. All industrial waste will be eliminated in the production cycle.