Lankatiles collaborates with Chinese company and American counterpart to export mosaic tiles to USA

 From left: Foshan Shiwan Yulong Ceramic Co. Managing Director Liang Yu En, North American Market Representative Benjamin Malloy and Lanka Walltiles Group Managing Director Mahendra Jayasekera

• Embarks on strategic partnership to seize emerging opportunities in high demand for mosaic tiles in US markets on account of recent trade barriers on China’s exports to the US

Lankatiles, the pioneering wall and floor tile manufacturer in Sri Lanka, announced that it would be entering the globally-competitive mosaic tiles segment. 

Lankatiles will collaborate with a Chinese mosaic tile manufacturer, Foshan Shiwan Yulong Ceramic Co. Ltd., to obtain the technical know-how and subsequently manufacture the tiles in Lankatiles factories in Sri Lanka in yet another pioneering move. 

Lankatiles is foraying into manufacturing mosaic tiles for exports to the international markets and North America in particular, which has high demand for mosaic tiles. This collaboration also involves North American counterpart – Benjamin Malloy as it would be the key market for this product.

Commenting further, Lanka Walltiles Group Managing Director Mahendra Jayasekera said: “Lankatiles has been on an aggressive expansion drive over the past few years. Our entry in the mosaic tile category has led us to collaborate with a Chinese mosaic tile manufacturer to gain the necessary expertise to manufacture mosaic tiles in Sri Lanka and to export to North America and other countries. This is an ambitious move by Lankatiles to yet again break new ground by pioneering value added mosaic tile manufacturing in Sri Lanka. 

“This new manufacturing capacity will not only generate valuable employment opportunities but will also add a new dimension to the company’s reputation as a world-class tile manufacturer and fill product gaps in the market. Our agility and willingness to innovate has consistently helped the company reap rewards by way of deepening our footprint in global markets, where Lankatiles is already a respected brand. We foresee immense export opportunity for mosaic tiles to North America and other countries and believe this collaboration will truly help the company unlock its potential.”

Lankatiles is already a well-established brand in North America for more than 40 years and the company is familiar with the intricacies of the market there, which will make it easier to target exports of mosaic tiles to specific buyers. 

Consistently looking for new growth avenues, this tie-up with a Chinese company is an opportunity that has arisen as a result of the US-China trade wars and one which Lankatiles seized for strategic advantage. Lankatiles expects to promote its diverse product range along with mosaic tiles exports to fulfill its aspiration to remain a dominant player in the local market and to deliver a better product to our local and overseas buyers.  

Lankatiles is already exporting to 12 countries including high quality markets such as USA, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Canada and certain countries in the European Union. In the company’s most recent expansion, more than 6,000 square meters of production capacity was added at a cost of Rs. 2.5 billion, at its factory complex in Ranala. Lankatiles is the only truly global brand from Sri Lanka that bears the name ‘Lanka’.