Company Profile
RAK Ceramics is a Ras Al Khaimah-based public share holding company established in 1991, committed to manufacturing high-quality ceramic and bathware products. Currently the world’s largest manufacturer of ceramic and porcelain tiles with global production output of 115 million sq.mt. per annum and accounts for around USD 1 billion global sales annually.
Technology, quality, and inspired leadership have always been at the heart of the RAK Ceramics organisational philosophy. Since its inception, the visionary founder H.H. Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and the Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah and Dr. Khater Massaad, CEO, RAK Ceramics have directed the company towards global competitiveness, technological advancement and high-quality production into turning the company into a world-class organisation.
Products
Specialising in high-quality ceramic wall and floor tiles, Gres Porcellanato, and bathware, the ceramics specialist has developed a wide range of top-quality products and exquisite designs over the years. Accordingly, the RAK crest is now being increasingly taken as an assurance of good value for money in ceramics markets worldwide. As it continues to set new benchmarks, RAK Ceramics now rivals major Italian and Spanish manufacturers in terms of quality and aesthetic standards in all market segments.
RAK Ceramics uses more than 8000 production models, with new designs added almost every week to its product portfolio. Tiles are manufactured in a variety of sizes, from 10 cm x 10 cm up to 125 cm x 185 cm, the widest range offered in the ceramic field. Also, the 125 x 185 cm Gres Porcellanato slab, the largest of its kind in the world. Exquisite vanity tops are also manufactured from these slabs as well as Exclusive Water Jet Designs.
Innovative Technology
RAK Ceramics introduced new technologies such as Roto Printing, Double Charge, Granitech, Technoslate and Twin Press to consistently add innovative technologies and techniques to its ever-growing product portfolio, helping it sustain its rapid growth. It has adopted the latest digital printing technology that allows producing exquisite tile designs with detailed finishes. It was one of the industry pioneers in integrating the PH 7200 Press into the production line to create slabs and large format tiles for multiple applications such as vanity tops, steps, and facades, which before were solely based on natural stone. The company has thus been able to produce very realistic machine-made products.
RAK Ceramics is the first company to launch Luminous, Golden and Silver Glazed tiles in the world. In addition, it became the first company in the world to launch RAK Antimicrobial, a super specialty tile for the hospital industry.
The company's latest creations include the recently launched "Elegance Ceramics" and "RAK SLIM." Elegance Ceramics is a high-fashion brand that caters to the needs and modern demands of a high-value niche market. RAK Ceramics has accordingly opened exclusive Elegance Ceramics Boutiques in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Ras Al Khaimah to complement the RAK Ceramics showrooms, providing an extensive array of concept designs created by leading Italian designers.
RAK SLIM is a new brand of 4.5-millimetre thick tile that sets a new industry benchmark in thickness, strength, cost and ease of use. The new product line has a minimum breaking strength of 700 N and a minimum modulus of rupture of 40 N/mm2, which are unprecedented for thin-size tiles in the market. Furthermore, RAK SLIM cuts down almost half of the weight of conventional tiling, resulting in a significant reduction of dead load on building structures and subsequently reduced structure costs.
Global Production and Distribution Facilities
The state-of-the-art Ras Al Khaimah plants produces approximately 227,000 sq.m. of tiles per day and over 8,500 pieces of bathware. The global production of tiles exceeds 360,000 sq.m. and 12,000 pieces of bathware per day from its fully-equipped plants in China, Sudan, Bangladesh, India and Iran. These numbers make RAK Ceramics one of the world’s multinationals in the world manufacturing ceramic and porcelain tiles along with bathware.
RAK Ceramics manages over 8,500 employees in UAE and over 15,000 employees through its various manufacturing facilities and distributions networks in several countries through its subsidiaries in Germany, UK, Italy, Belgium, Georgia, Australia, China, India, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Bangladesh & Iran. Presently the company exports to more than 150 countries across 5 continents, which is a testimony to its excellent reputation in the ceramic industry.
Diversifications
RAK Ceramics has joined hands with the world known Laticrete International Inc of USA to form LATICRETE RAK Co. LLC to offer extremely useful, high strength and durable tile installation products having unique properties.
RAK Ceramics has also tied-up with KLUDI, the leading German manufacturer in the European kitchen and bathroom fitting segment. KLUDIRAK offers high quality kitchen & bathroom products to reflect the current demand of a well designed timeless bathroom architecture.
Earlier RAK Ceramics have diversified into tableware range of products by launching RAK Porcelain and recently it has launched RAK Paints that should give the customers the complete option to buy related-products under one roof. The collaborating companies leverage similarities in their marketing and distribution channels to maintain a good share of the regional and international markets.
Awards and International Accreditations
RAK Ceramics is a consistent recipient of industry honours and awards, the latest being the SuperBrand status in the UAE it achieved in 2009 and 2010. In 2007, it was given an AA rating and was ranked among the top four brands in the UAE by UK-based Brand Finance Middle East. It was also acknowledged in the same year as one of the leading manufacturing companies in the country. RAK Ceramics was also recognised as Company of the Year in 2004 by the Arabian Business Awards and bestowed the MRM Business Award for Manufacturing, the highest manufacturing award of the UAE, by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Dr. Khater Massaad was presented with the Visionary CEO Award during the 1st Middle East Business Leaders Summit and Awards, Dubai in 2010. RAK Ceramics was also honoured with the Best Brand Award at the same event, which recognises decades of business excellence and outstanding leadership. Recently RAK Ceramics won the Innovation Award for its revolutionary RAK Slim range of products at Kingfisher Supplier’s Award in Hong Kong.
RAK Ceramics was recently honored by the Emirates Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA) for complying with good governance and transparency according to best international practices.
RAK Ceramics is a ISO 9001 : 2008 & ISO 14001 : 2004 certified organisation that speaks for the quality management and ensuring the highest standard of quality products are maintained consistently. As part of Corporate Social Responsibilities, RAK Ceramics are constantly in quest of producing newer range of eco-friendly products and contributed to the society by embarking on eco-friendly projects and supporting social campaigns.
RAK Ceramics has been bestowed with SUPERBRAND title in 2010 for second consecutive year in a row after 2009 by the council of superbrands which is the world’s largest independent Brand arbiter. Superbrands pays tribute to estabished brands all over the world through various offices worldwide, with some excellent publications on the world’s superbrands
Certifications
RAK Ceramics products are certified in accordance with UNI EN ISO 9001 International Standards, the most complete and global expression for any industrial company.
RAK Ceramics was the first company in the United Arab Emirates to be awarded ISO 9001 Certification by the internationally recognised UK Accredited Certification Body CICS for ceramics tiles and bathware.
Later RAK Ceramics successfully implemented ISO 9001:2008 certified by Bureau Veritas Certifications covering design, development, production and supply of ceramics and porcelain floor and wall tiles, porcelain slabs and vitreous china bathware, including acrylic baths and shower bases, toilet seats and covers.
RAK Ceramics also implemented ISO14001:2004 certified by Bureau Veritas Certifications.
RAK Ceramics tiles also complies with equivalent American National Standards specifications for ceramics tiles ANSI A 137.1 - 1988, and the latest international standards for ceramic tiles as per ISO 13006:1998 (E ), and several other globally recognized quality approval & testing institutions.
Depending on the particular application, Ceramics tiles meet the CEN (European Committee for Standardization) classification for water absorption:
Class Water absorption
BIa <= 0.5%
BIb >0.5% to <= 3%
BIIa >3% to <=6%
BIII > 10%
› Environment Protection Certificate from Ministry of Environment and Water.
› HSE team gets NEBOSH Certification.
› NATA Accredited Laboratory Certificate, Australia.
› Burea Veritas Certifications 9001 - 2008 until Sept 2011.
› Burea Veritas Certifications 9001 - 2000 until Sept 2011.
› Burea Veritas Certifications 14001 - 2004 until June 2011.
› WRAS for ALIDA - until Dec 2011.
› WRAS for ARCADIA - until Feb 2012.
› WRAS for CHARLTON - until Sept 2011.
› WRAS for ELLA1 - VENICE1 - until March 2013.
› WRAS for EMPIRE1 - until Sept 2012.
› WRAS for METROPOLITAN1 - until Sept 2012.
› WRAS for LIWA - until March 2011.
› WRAS for MISTRAL - until March 2011.
› WRAS for RONDO wc - until Dec 2011.
› BIDETS - until Feb 2014.
› WASH BASINS - until Dec 2013.
› WATER CLOSET - until Dec 2013.
› WC PANS & CISTERNS - until Dec 2013 COC.
› Emirates GBC.
RAK Ceramics 'fully vitrified' porcelain tiles are manufactured using the most advanced modern technology from SACMI using carefully selected superior quality raw materials mainly China clay, Feldspars, silica sand and other suitable raw materials imported from U.K, Spain, Germany and France.
The mixture of raw materials is then broken into a manageable state in the crushers and is wet milled using most advanced continuous cycle ball mill to obtain a homogenous mixture of water and clay technically known as 'body slip'.
The resulting 'body slip' is then pumped into the vibrating sieving machine to remove the impurities, to obtain the fine mixture of water and clay for the subsequent atomization process to convert the body slip into fine particles with required color called 'granules'. These colored granules are collected in different silos for the subsequent pressing phase, which is carried out using SACMI'S hydraulic presses of PH 4200 - PH 7200 to give the porcelain tile body the required compactness.
The tile body is then subjected to a drying process of 30 minutes in the horizontal dryers and then go through various types of application ranging from printing designs using alkaline base salts (technically know as soluble salt design porcelain tiles) or applying glaze on the porcelain body (technically know as glazed porcelain) or directly pressing the colored granules in various combination to form the salt and pepper type of porcelain tiles.
The firing of porcelain body is then carried out in SACMI'S single layer roller kiln of length 129.5 meter at temperature of 1220° C - 1250° C to obtain the required physical and chemical characteristics as per the European and American Standards.
The high pressing force when combined with high firing temperature, forms a superior quality porcelain tiles with very low water absorption capacity, which is as low as 0.05%, measured as per EN 99 standard method. This very low water absorption capacity makes RAK Ceramics porcelain tiles frost proof following EN 202 standard, also enabling the tiles to be defined as "Fully Vitrified" in compliance with European standard EN 176.
Since the water absorption of our porcelain tiles is less than 0.05% and its wear and stain resistance makes the product suitable for use in high traffic areas. This stain and dirt resistance is also due to the fact that the surface of the unpolished tiles is sufficiently smooth for any staining agents to be unable to gain a purchase on the surface of the tile itself. Thus, the same can be removed without any difficulties.
This accompanied by a very high mechanical strength greater than or equal to 45 N/mm2 in compliance with EN 100 standard, as well as a deep abrasion resistance of 110 mm3 of materials. Also, our unpolished fine fully vitrified porcelain tiles have an average scratch resistance of 8-9 on the MOHS scale, measured using EN 101 test method, while our polished materials have an average scratch resistance of 5-6, depending upon the nature of their polished surface.
