# Unitile

Unitile Group of Companies is a Russian enterprise specialising in the production and sale of facing tiles, ceramic porcelain tiles, decorative elements, and bricks. The holding company was established in 2007 on the premises of the Stroyfarfor plant, which was then a leading Russian producer of facing tiles.

## History

In the early 2000s, the Russian economy experienced rapid growth in construction volumes. According to data from the Russian Federal State Statistics Service, the domestic construction industry registered an average annual growth rate of 10–14% between 2003 and 2008. During the same period, the overall Russian market for facing tiles grew by 20–25% annually. This growth was largely driven by the widespread adoption of facing tiles as a replacement for outdated technologies, such as water-based wall painting applications.
In 2007, Lazar Shaulov merged all his companies into the Unitile holding to ensure better management of assets. The holding consisted of the Stroyfarfor plant (Shakhty), a high-melting clay mine in Vladimirskaya (Rostov Oblast), the Voronezh Ceramic Factory (Voronezh), the "Quartz" plant (Saint Petersburg), and the Markin Brick Factory (village of Markin, Rostov Oblast). Upon its establishment, the group of companies controlled approximately 25% of the production of facing tiles and ceramic porcelain tiles in Russia.
According to the holding's official website, the total annual production of facing tiles and ceramic porcelain tiles by the group is approximately 26 million m² per year. The facing tiles plant in Shakhty (formerly the "Stroyfarfor" plant) remains the group's key production asset. The Shakhty plant produces around 17.6 million m², while the plant in Voronezh produces 8.4 million m² of facing tiles and ceramic porcelain tiles annually. In 2018, the total volume of the Russian market was estimated at 200 million m² by the IndexBox consulting company, while the total domestic production of facing tiles and ceramic porcelain tiles reached 172 million m².

### Timeline

* 1954 - foundation of Voronezh ceramic factory. Production capacity: 1.18 million m$^2$ per year.
* 1964 - Shakhty faience plant opens.
* 1978 - a ceramic tiles production site opens at Shakhty faience plant. Production capacity: 1.4 million m$^2$ of tiles per year.
* 1993 - mining operations start at Vladimirskaya high-melting and refractory clay deposit.
* 1998 - large-scale manufacturing improvements. Technical re-equipment of whiteware production site. Start of two facing tile production lines.
* 1999 - national distributor network established, regional subsidiaries open in the cities of Rostov on Don and Novosibirsk.
* 2005 - start of production of a new product - ceramic porcelain tiles.
* 2006 - Shakhty faience plant starts production of dry mix mortars.
* 2007 - holding group Unitile («Юнитайл») established.
* 2009 - introduction of the new brand name Unitile to the market.
* 2012 - mining operations start at Fedorovskoe white-burning clay deposit.
* 2013 - introduction of the new brand name Gracia Ceramica.
* 2016 - Russian Union of Builders awarded Voronezh ceramic factory with a badge of honour “Construction Glory” and an honorary diploma “For the contribution to the development of building and housing sectors”.
* 2017 - Unitile's Shakhty production line's modernization program included into the list of “100 Governor’s Investment Projects”

### Management

* Lazar Shaulov (2007–2014)
* Andrey Fradkin (2014–2015)
* Ruslan Nikitin (2016–2018)
* Evgeniy Fedorov (2018-2019)
* Artem Polyakov (2019–present)

## Structure of UNITILE group of companies

The holding company is composed of three production sites in different regions of Russia, two companies specialised in mining and processing of raw materials, a network of sales offices across Russia and CIS countries, warehouse complexes and a logistics center.
* “Shakhty Ceramics” LTD (ООО «Шахтинская керамика»), which manages the facing tile and ceramic porcelain tiles production site in Shakhty, Rostov Oblast. In 2017 the company's revenues were 3 billion 505 million rubles, net profit amounted to RUR78.2 million. The company is fully controlled by the Cyprus-based offshore company Simidella Limited;
* “Voronezh Ceramics” LTD (ООО «Воронежская керамика») - facing tile and ceramic porcelain tiles production site in the city of Voronezh. In 2017 the company's revenues were RUR1 billion 153 million, net profit amounted to RUR 22.2 million. The company is fully controlled by the Cyprus-based offshore company Simidella Limited;
* Vladimirskaya high-melting and refractory clay deposit in Krasnosulinsky District of Rostov Oblast. In 2017 the company's revenues were RUR 611.4 million, net profit amounted to RUR 32.1 million. 91.67% of the company belongs to “Shakhty Ceramics” LTD.;
* Markin brick factory in Oktyabrsky District, Rostov Oblast – the largest manufacturer of facing ceramic bricks in the South of Russia;
* “Unitile” trading house;
* Managing company of Unitile Holding Company (ООО «УК Юнитайл») – established in late 2018, no financial statements were available as of July 2019. Fully controlled by the Cyprus-based offshore company Simidella Limited