A Conversation with
Chris Wellborn
President, Global Ceramic

What sort of effect has the growing popularity of luxury vinyl tile (LVT) had on the ceramic category?

LVT and other forms of multi-layer flooring are growing fast and impacting all other flooring categories. The impact on ceramic tile is mostly in residential remodel applications in the U.S., where the cost of installation is relatively high and LVT offers a more affordable option.

How will the acquisition of Eliane in Brazil strengthen your global business?

Brazil is one of the largest tile markets in the world and growing. Eliane is a leader in that market with one of the most recognized brands, a strong management team and broad customer base. It’s a powerful opportunity for us. We’re investing in new capabilities that will enable Eliane to introduce more high-end products, such as large glazed porcelain tiles, to the market and further strengthen the business’ competitive position. The combined assets of Eliane and our business in Mexico provide us a strong base to grow in the very large South American ceramic tile market.

How are you responding and positioning the business for further growth in the U.S.?

We’re emphasizing the superior aesthetics, longevity and natural characteristics of ceramic tile. We’re also focused on moving up-market with new products such as large porcelain panels and large, structured, complex wall tiles. Finally, we’re testing a new installation method to increase the speed and reduce the cost of tile installation.

In what areas of the world are you seeing your best growth
opportunities?

Some of the fastest-growing markets will be Mexico, South America, Russia and Eastern Europe. We also expect there will be opportunities to make accretive acquisitions in some of our more mature markets as the industry continues to consolidate. At some point in the future, we’ll also look at opportunities in the world’s two largest markets, China and India, as they develop and mature.

How does the expansion of the countertop business complement the ceramic business?

There are many synergies that will allow us to leverage both our customer relationships and sales efforts. The best example is in the builder and specified commercial market segments. We can add countertops to the complete line of flooring products that we already sell to these customers and who have purchased solid stone countertops from us for many years. The growing popularity of quartz and porcelain countertops provides us with a much bigger opportunity to further leverage our national distribution and showroom network.