Maincer was founded in 1987 as a company for the repair and manufacture of machinery for the fruit and ceramics sector and industrial maintenance in facilities in Onda. It soon embarked on the manufacture of industrial machinery and automatisms, always under the protection of the ceramics sector in Castellón. The gradual growth of the company has led it to expand its facilities from just over 800 to the more than 10,000 square metres it has today.
Over the years, Maincer has successfully diversified into sectors such as structural ceramics, both brick and tile, tableware ceramics, graphic arts, packaging manufacturers, the chemical and food industry, etc.
For more than 25 years, Maincer has also been exporting to numerous countries, not only in Europe, but also in America, Africa and Asia. It currently has distributors in several markets, such as France, Belgium, Holland, Luxemburg, Turkey, Mexico, Indonesia, etc.
Today Maincer is well known for its long history as a manufacturer of industrial machinery, for the quality of its machines, for the very high customisation of its projects and for its after-sales service.
Interview with Gabriela Pereira, Marketing Manager at Maincer.
Easy Engineering: What are the main areas of activity of the company?
Gabriela Pereira: Maincer has three well-differentiated business areas. Firstly, there is the business area focused on the design, manufacturing, assembly, and commissioning of lines for ceramic glazing. Within this segment, Maincer provides a wide range of applications suitable for glazing lines, including tiles, ceramic slabs, bricks, tiles, and dishes, as well as lines for the internal transportation, handling, and logistics of ceramic products within factories.
Secondly, there is the production of custom machines and lines for cutting and processing, both for ceramics and related materials (natural stone, marble, quartz sintering, concrete, bricks, etc.). This business segment also encompasses dry squaring lines, which has experienced significant growth in recent years.
Lastly, Engineering represents the third business line. This aspect of our production includes highly customized machines or solutions tailored to specific needs. Within this category, we can include diverse machines such as double-sided tape applicators, adhesive application plotters, tanks for the accumulation, homogenization, and maintenance of fluids, etc. Internal transportation lines in factories of different types would also fall under this category, where we specialize in belts, chains, bands, scales, modular meshes, etc.
E.E: What’s the news about new products/services?
G.P: In the last fair we have participated we have shown our latest novelties in machinery dedicated to the ceramic sector. We have presented our MCM model, a revolutionary machine for the manufacture of steps. This machine enables in a single step to format the piece to the correct size of the step and to miter it. On the other hand, the MCV model, in its improved version, which can cut the tiles, manufacture skirting boards and obtain the miter for the assembly of technical stair treads. And finally, the second evolution of the MRV, which is an even better version of the previous one and allows the production of skirting boards and mitered edges. In the second-generation version of this machine, we can observe improvements such as its very high watertightness, the new electrical panel location and composition and the new orientation of the touch screen. These factors contribute to the reduction of water consumption and no deterioration of the electrical panel. The new location of the display also improves ergonomics.
E.E: What are the ranges of products/services?
G.P: Maincer offers a diverse range of products and services across its three main business areas:
- Ceramic Glazing Lines:
- Design, manufacturing, assembly, and commissioning of lines for ceramic glazing.
- Applications for glazing lines include tiles, ceramic slabs, bricks, tiles, and dishes.
- Provides solutions for the internal transportation, handling, and logistics of ceramic products within factories.
- Custom Machines and Lines for Cutting and Processing:
- Production of custom machines and lines for cutting and processing ceramics and related materials (natural stone, marble, quartz sintering, concrete, bricks, etc.).
- Includes dry squaring lines, experiencing significant growth in recent years.
- Engineering Solutions:
- Offers highly customized machines or solutions tailored to specific needs.
- Examples include double-sided tape applicators, adhesive application plotters, tanks for the accumulation, homogenization, and maintenance of fluids, and internal transportation lines in factories.
- Specialization in belts, chains, bands, scales, modular meshes, etc.
These ranges of products and services demonstrate Maincer’s versatility and commitment to meeting the diverse needs of clients in various industries, particularly in the ceramics sector.
E.E: What is the state of the market where you are currently active?
G.P: The ceramic machinery manufacturing industry is currently going through a period of complexities. Several factors are affecting the stability of this sector, especially after the Covid-19 pandemic. It all started with the energy crisis linked to the Ukraine-Russia war. This was followed by the conflict with Algeria, the decarbonization of the ceramics sector, and the Hamas-Israel war, among other turbulent elements. These events have negatively impacted the performance of the ceramic machinery manufacturing sector, as we are highly dependent on the health and prospects of the ceramics sector. Despite the mentioned challenges, our sector has managed to weather the adversity by diversifying into other international markets and industrial sectors.
E.E: What can you tell us about market trends?
G.P: One of the trends in the ceramics sector nowadays is sustainable and environmentally friendly products. As Maincer is a company that cares and respects the environment, it looks for ways to upgrade products to be more sustainable. Most of the machines manufactured by Maincer have water recirculation systems, in order to save as much water as possible. For the same reason, dry machine lines are becoming more and more popular.
Large format tiles are another trend in this sector, used in different applications such as façades, worktops, flooring, etc. We try to ensure that our machines are increasingly adapted to slabs of this format, so we try to implement in the new versions of our products systems that are adjusted to the large format.
Finally, process digitalisation is also considered to be one of the trends in the sector. At maincer we rely on digital twins for our machines, as these systems provide access to data in real time. In addition, they can be used to facilitate decision-making through simulation, machine learning and reasoning.
E.E: What are the most innovative products/services marketed?
G.P: Together with Spanish and Portuguese institutions and companies we are part of a project called Life Eggshellence. This project’s main objective is to demonstrate the technical viability of using eggshell as a secondary raw material in the manufacture of tiles. Maincer enters the project with the Eggshell Recycler, an innovative machine that mechanically separates the organic from the inorganic part of the eggshell. The whole eggshell is introduced into the machine and after the process, the membrane is obtained on one side and the calcium bio-carbonate on the other side. This project has been honoured with the goODS awards, which highlights our dedication to innovation in industrial machinery and our commitment to sustainability, aligning ourselves with the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. At Maincer, we value every step we take towards a more sustainable future and are committed to promoting initiatives that contribute to global wellbeing.
E.E: What estimations do you have for the beginning of 2024?
G.P: At Maincer we like optimism without falling into excessive positivity that would divert us from prudence, so necessary in troubled times. Despite all the uncertainty that surrounds us, the perspectives for this year are good. Gradually, we are experiencing a renewed increase in interest in the ceramics sector with new investments. However, thanks to the good performance of other markets such as Central and South America and other sectors that we also serve, we expect to close a good year 2024. We also hope that the trade fairs help us to achieve our goals for this year.