History

Kharkiv Tile Plant’s history dates back to the hard  pre-war years. The establishment of the enterprise was planned by the Ukrainian Research Institution back in 1936. The construction of the plant had almost been completed before the Great Patriotic War but the plant did not start the operation as all funds were directed to the defence of the country. After the liberation of Kharkiv from Nazi invaders, the factory was completely destroyed.

1946 – It is year that KhTP factory was officially established. In 1946, inhabitants have come together to make an incredible effort to rebuild the plant from the ruins, completed the construction to start its operation. Since March 1, 1946 Kharkiv Plant was commissioned to produce the first flooring tiles with capacity of 200.00 sq.m per year. 

The factory started tile production of essentials for national economy: ceramic flooring tiles, sanitary faience’s and insulators.

In 1949, the enterprise was switched to produce outdoor ceramic tiles for exterior cladding of buildings. Such unique buildings in Kyiv as Mariinsky Palace and many others are designed with Kharkiv tiles.

In 1949, the enterprise was switched to the production of facing ceramics for exterior cladding of buildings. Such unique buildings in Kyiv as Mariinsky Palace and many others are lined with Kharkiv tiles.

Modernisation began at the KPZ, capacity of metlakh and outdoor tiles production was increased.

During 1951 to 1956 KPZ built capacities for production of flooring and outdoor tiles and by 1956 it produced 2.5 million sq.m of flooring tiles and 11 million sq.m of outdoor tiles.

The production volume increased as did the quality requirements. To face new challenges the plant started a new large-scale reconstruction without stopping primary production. The work carried out in stages with 8 start-up complexes.

In 1976 to 1981 the plant reconstructed production of flooring tiles by installing six flow-line conveyors with a capacity of 800,000 sq.m per year, as well as a large-sized ornamented tile production line with a capacity of 160,000 sq.m per year.

During the following modernisation, from 1983 to 1988, the production of outdoor tiles were reconstructed with the introduction of flow-line conveyors with the capacity of 1 million sq.m per year. The result of the reconstruction was an increase in production capacity of the plant by 48%, in labour productivity by 48.9% and a decrease in the cost of production by 15.5%.

The SMK-450 conveyor line producing large-sized glazed tiles for internal wall lining was put into operation.

In September 1994, the Tile Plant turned from a rented and still state-owned enterprise into the Kharkiv Tile Plant Private Joint Stock Company. KhTP became its own master—the period of market transformations and updates came. Every year, not only the output increased but also the requirements for its quality grew. 

The products of Kharkiv Tile Plant were awarded by such prestigious national contests as Best Domestic Product of the Year, Business Ukraine, and Higher Test. In 2005, the plant became the 100 Best Producers of Goods in Ukraine contest award winner.

 Meanwhile, the company’s resources and capabilities were exhausted because the equipment used in the production was installed in the late 1980s. A radical reconstruction was the only way out.

 In September 2005, with the arrival of new investors, considerable funds were allocated to modernize the plant; thanks to this, all the stages of production were raised to a qualitatively new level: raw materials’ preparation, product manufacturing, design development, control system, and management. 

In 2006, a flow-line conveyor of the SACMI Italian Company was acquired producing large-size flooring tiles and equipment for a new mixture-preparation line, with a capacity of 7000 m² of tiles per day.

A complex modernization began, putting into operation four new lines of the SACMI Italian Company in 2007, with an annual production capacity of 10 million m², two new high-performance flow-line conveyors with the capacity of 5 million m², and one Kemac line for the production of decor with the potential of 0.5 million m², which significantly increased the volume and quality of ceramic tiles. 

 An access to good raw materials from the porcelain clay quarry in the Donetsk Region appeared, which could ensure the production for more than a dozen years.

 The Golden Tile Ceramic Group was established, which was a vertically-integrated group of companies that provided a complete cycle of production and distribution of ceramic tiles.

Creation of "Golden Tile Ceramic Group", which is a vertically integrated group of companies providing a full cycle of production and distribution of ceramic tiles.

The company established its own production (the only one in Ukraine!) of the main component for making ceramic glazes: frits, providing stable quality control, as well as reducing the cost of the final product.

The equipment for digital printing was installed, which allowed to increase the range and improve the design quality. To date, seven of nine lines are equipped with digital printing machines, which allows achieving a greater variety of graphic design, more stable tones, the highest image resolution and definition.

At the beginning of 2016, the 7th line was launched with the most modern equipment for the production of granite of large formats with a production potential of 3 million m².

As of the beginning of 2018, the total capacity of the KPZ production was 16 million sq.m of finished products per year and after the completion of modernized complex it is expected to grow to q37 million sq.m. This increase will take place with the launch of two new modern ceramic granite production lines. The company has introduced and operates a quality control system, the effectiveness of which is confirmed by the ISO certificate which guarantees the compliance of the production with strict European standards.