PROJECT “DEVELOPMENT OF A PRODUCTION SYSTEM OF CERAMIC SLABS WITH “DRY” TECHNOLOGY WITH HIGH ADDED VALUE AND INCREASED ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY” SUBMITTED TO THE MINISTRY OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TO BE WORTH TO THE SUSTAINABLE GROWTH FUND

Start date 30/11/2016 end 30/11/2019, Project presented with partners: MARAZZI GROUP S.R.L. A SOCIO UNICO, SACMI IMOLA S.C, Project Objectives: Improving the quality, the effectiveness and the impact of the ceramic tile production processes by the strengthening of the research and development activities. The confirmation of this assumption is represented by the present project with the participation of three leading companies in their sector that together have decided to constitute a vertical industrial chain of great technological depth. Promoting product diversification through the incorporation of new technological solutions, it is unthinkable to maintain or to increase the levels of activity by only improving the existing productions. More and more in the future the need will become to produce with environmentally friendly ceramic processes to obtain large-scale ceramic products, which today is not possible to obtain without using large quantities of water for grinding. LB has developed a prototype line in its own laboratory for the production of the latest generation microgranulate. The results obtained from the realization of the production prototyping line have allowed to produce large sized products using a powder mixture of 60/40 (60% microgranulate – 40% atomized) with an equal or higher quality (first choice rate > 95%) significantly decreasing the use of natural resources, in particular: electrical energy; methane gas; water; CO2 emissions in atmosphere; chemical additives. Pursuant to Article 1 paragraph 125 of Law no. 124 of 4 August 2017, the company LB Officine Meccaniche Spa received from Medio Credito Centrale following the presentation of the I SAL in 2018 the non-repayable contribution of € 283.742,08 and in 2019 the provision of facilitated financing of € 1.316.000,00 through the intermediary of Unicredit. In February 2020 the second and final SAL was presented and followed by a technical-administrative inspection in June 2020: the company is awaiting the payment of the second instalment of non-repayable contributions and facilitated financing following the positive findings of the inspection.