Stonepeak Ceramics, Inc., is investing $70 million to add a new production line at its plant in Crossville, Tennessee to begin production of the first large size porcelain panels made in the United States.
The expansion by Stonepeak Ceramics, a subsidiary of the Italian holding group Iris Ceramica, is adding 160 jobs to the 280-employee plant over the next five years and represents the biggest foreign direct investment in Cumberland County.
Stonepeak first opened its U.S. tile plant in Crossville in 2005 and, with the latest expansion, will have invested nearly $250 million to grow the plant to nearly 1.3 million square feet.
“The opening of the new production line represents an important investment for our company,” Federica Minozzi, CEO of Iris Ceramica Group, said Wednesday during a ribbon-cutting for the new production line. “It is part of the strategic decision we made to mature as a global product supplier in this rapidly growing market segment. By offering large size panels, made in the U.S., we will shorten delivery times and simplify all of our logistics while reducing the environmental impact.”
Equipped with the newest technological features, the line produces tiles ranging from 6 mm to 2 cm in thickness. It is the only production line in the world capable of producing porcelain tiles starting from the large size of 120″x 60″ to the smaller size of 12″x12.”