Iran exports $455 million worth of tiles and ceramics every year, said the secretary of the 1st International Conference on Tile, Ceramics, and Sanitary Ware (ICTS 2014) on Saturday.
Mohammad Roshanfekr told iribnews that currently, Iran produces some 550 million square meters of ceramic tiles per annum out of which some 350 million square meters are exported. The ICTS 2014 hosted participants from European and Asian countries as well as researchers, experts, and industrialists.
The major issues on agenda at the two-day conference include developing new technologies and production processes, formulation and preparation of tile body, glass tiles, glazed and unglazed decorations, self-cleaning and anti-bacterial tiles, raw material and machinery, as well as tile production’s environmental impacts.
Over $3.6 billion has so far been invested in the industry, creating 380,000 job opportunities across the country.
Experts in the sector say if the industry can reach the five-year goal to annually produce 1 billion square meters of ceramic tiles and export half of the output, the country will earn over $1 billion per year.
Iran is now the fourth biggest producer and exporter of tiles and ceramics in the world. Iraq and Afghanistan are among the main markets for Iranian-made tile products.
