As part of a major $10.5 million expansion, Crossville, Inc., a leading U.S. manufacturer of porcelain, metal, and glass tile for commercial and residential use, is about to take receipt of a new 180-metric ton SACMI PH7500 press that is being shipped from Italy, a three-month voyage by sea and river.The behemoth is expected to dock at the Nashville port on or about March 16th, where it will be welcomed by Crossville executives, a video crew and photographers, before its final overland haul to Crossville's state-of-the-art manufacturing facility and headquarters in the town of Crossville, TN.

'Crossville is in the midst of the most significant expansion project in terms of production capability since its founding three decades ago,'says John E. Smith, president and general manager of Crossville, Inc. 'The SACMI PH7500 will be the largest and only tile press of its kind in the Americas. By June of this year, Crossville will have the technology and equipment that will enable us to offer more sustainable and innovative products than ever before. We will soon be able to produce extra-large tile, 24" x 36", that is double-filled, rectified, modular, honed and certified to have 20% recycled content. Included in the expansion is a new R&D facility that will allow us to move forward with design and development concepts more quickly, greatly reducing the time between the idea stage and product introduction. It is an investment that reflects our optimism about the future of the company and the tile industry.'



Crossville, Inc. is privately-held by The Curran Group, based in Crystal Lake, IL. An environmentally responsible company since the 1980s, Crossville has a reputation in the tile industry for being a technical and style innovator, as well as being fiscally stable.



• Crossville's EcoCycle was the first porcelain tile with certified recycled content. Today, Crossville's recycled product line includes Color Blox EC, which is certified by SCS, and Echo Recycled Glass. More recycled products will be added in 2009.



• In 2005 Crossville acquired an historic 1880s manufacturing facility in Ottawa, Illinois: the Peltier Glass Company. Renowned for its production of stained glass for Louis Comfort Tiffany, as well as the collectible Peltier Glass Marbles – multi-swirl and character marbles made in the 1920s – the Peltier Glass Company is now creating recycled glass tile for the 21st century.



• Early in 2008, Crossville purchased Creative Metalized Products (CMP), which manufacturers metal tile, trim, wall panels, doors and other architectural products. CMP is continuing to serve its many independent customers and is also manufacturing select products for Crossville. As part of the expansion project, CMP has been relocated from Hollywood, FL to new facilities in Crossville, TN.



For more information, visit www.crossvilleinc.com.

 SACMI GROUP is an international manufacturer of machines and complete plants for the Ceramics, Beverage & Packaging, Processing and Plastics industries -- markets in which it is a recognized worldwide leader. Its headquarters is in Imola, Italy. SACMI USA Ltd., located in Des Moines, IA, serves the needs of the ceramic and packaging industries in North America, including a service center for technical assistance. The SACHI PH7500 press has 7,500 tons of pressing force.



TRIP LOGISTICS The SACMI PH7500 press was manufactured in Imola, Italy and was picked up for shipment on December 15, 2008. It was then transported by special truck to the Italian port of Livorno on the Mediterranean Sea and loaded on the SS Silkeborg. It sailed south and west through the Mediterranean, then west across the North Atlantic and south down the eastern seaboard of the U.S., around Florida and into the Gulf of Mexico to Houston, Texas. It was then loaded on a barge and transported north up the Mississippi River to Illinois, where the Mississippi River meets the Ohio River, then up the Ohio to the Tennessee River, from the Tennessee to the Cumberland River, and finally to Nashville River Port.



Once it arrives, two special cranes will unload the press from the barge in Nashville and place it on a 260-foot long truck that uses two tractors -- one pushing and one pulling. When it arrives in Crossville, later that day more special cranes will be used to unload the press and place it inside the plant. The press will be shipped in 3 parts: 122 metric tons; 57 metric tons and 3 metric tons.

 

 EXPLANATION OF TILE TECHNOLOGY

What does all this techno-speak mean? Double filled allows manufacturers to make tile in layers. The first layer can be less expensive or recycled materials (which are not necessarily less expensive) and the top, thinner layer can be very refined material that gives a special appearance to the tile. Rectified means that the tile has its edges ground very straight and modular means that they are cut into a variety of sizes from large to small that can be set together into a pattern. Because the edges are rectified, the tile can be installed with very narrow grout joints. Honing is a process that allows manufacturers to smooth, partially polish, or completely polish the tile.