Upon completing 70 years of operations in Brazil, Incepa reaffirms its influence on the history of architecture and decoration in Brazil
It is with great joy that Incepa, a brand belonging to Roca Brasil Cerámica and a reference in the wall tiles sector, celebrates its 70 years of history. Since 2021, part of the Mexican group Lamosa – the second largest manufacturer of ceramic tiles in the world -, Incepa has been present in the affective memory of Brazilians and is always connected to the main world trends and different styles of living.
“Incepa’s history demonstrates all of our pioneering spirit and highlights the development of wall tiles in Brazil. With cutting edge technology and a product development team aligned with the main world trends, we are proud to be a reference and focus, always, in way in which we can evolve”, says Sergio Wuaden, who has been linked to Incepa for over 30 years and, today, act as the group’s Managing Director.
Pioneering history
Innovative and irreverent, Incepa is part of Roca Brasil Cerámica, a global company that always invests in up-to-date technologies that guarantee a complete portfolio, with solutions for all types of projects. They are coverings for floors and walls that can be applied in all environments of the house, with aesthetics that explore graphics, three-dimensionality, metals, and the full range of reproductions of natural textures – exclusive effects achieved through HD printing. The company has manufacturing plants in Campo Largo, São Mateus do Sul (both in Paraná), and Mogi Guaçu, in the interior of São Paulo, which together employ more than 1,500 people.
With an avant-garde look, Roca is recognized for presenting a portfolio that understands the desires of the sector and constantly invests in its factories – as is the case of the investment of BRL 220 million announced in March 2022 to expand the use of the most modern technology in the world for the production of ceramic tiles (the Contínua+ supercompactor), which will now have a second production line at the Campo Largo plant. This is an innovation that Sergio Wuaden is keen to point out: “We were the first company in Brazil to operate this technology, which allows the manufacture of extremely thin SuperSizes products. Today, we reaffirm our pioneering spirit by being, once again, the first to invest in a second unit of the Contínua+ supercompactor in the Americas”.
The technology allows Incepa to produce extremely thin SuperSizes pieces, just 7 mm thick and up to 320 cm long.
All this without forgetting the sustainable look. “Our industrial park is one of the most sustainable in the country. We work with eco-efficiency, combining environmental responsibility and market intelligence”, points out Wuaden
Perspectives for the future
With historic results, Incepa does not stop innovating and is part of Grupo Lamosa’s expansion and investment plans for Brazil in the coming years, which will make the brand even more recognized and with greater international prestige.
In this sense, Wuaden talks a little about how the company views these coming years: “We intend to continue with the pioneering role that we have played in recent years, bringing equipment and processes to the Brazilian installation that allow us to maintain this advantage we have achieved. We will continue to fulfill our mission of delivering a better company to the next generations than the one we received. Therefore, we will be stronger, generating more value for employees, customers, suppliers, shareholders, and the communities where we operate”.
Complete portfolio
With more than 60 lines, Incepa is proud to be present in all environments of Brazilian homes. In its portfolio, the highlight is the wall inserts, which enchant with their textures, graphics, and shades. The welcoming aesthetic is combined with the technology of the 30×90 cm format, one of the brand’s flagships – an intelligent dimension for allowing the creation of pieces that bring the sensation of small formats, but which have all the ease of understanding and laying larger plates. They share space with versatile and neutral lines, but that does not leave technology aside – as is the case of SuperSizes wall tiles, which reach dimensions of 100×200 cm and can be applied to floors, walls, and even give life to furniture. “Another highlight is our lines with different finishes, which allow us to visually integrate environments with different needs”, says Christie Schulka, Marketing Manager at Incepa.
Incepa and the evolution of the Brazilian wall tile
With a history dating back to 1952, Incepa since its origin has presented itself as an innovative brand, quickly becoming one of the biggest references in Brazil. Proof of this is the 50% growth in its production in its first year. Between 1962 and 1966 the production capacity tripled, with the expansion of the manufacturing area. “In a short time, our monthly production corresponded to 10% of all tiles manufactured in the country”, recalls Waden.
Always a pioneer, the brand innovated by bringing to the market, even in the 1960s, pieces of small formats in cheerful colors, breaking the tradition of sobriety of tiles, and was the first to invest in the production of decorated tiles, with reliefs and paintings. manuals, even having signed lines, as Wuaden highlights: “With the evolution of technology in the sector, we were one of the first to manufacture Pure Stoneware floors, more resistant and with less water absorption. They later developed into porcelain. We were also pioneers in extending its use to swimming pools, in 2005and also in investing in non-slip ABS technology”.
The Company’s seven decades are shown in the Casa Incepa’s timeline
With such a rich history that follows the evolution of wall tiles in Brazil, Incepa inaugurated Casa Incepa to mark its 70th anniversary. With 100 m², the space is now incorporated into the brand’s showroom, in Campo Largo (PR), and tells the evolution of wall tiles, decade by decade, as well as the impact of the Incepa brand inside Brazilian homes. “We built spaces ideal for photos and rescued original pieces from each era, showing how Incepa has always been present in everyone’s homes”, says Christie Schulka, who also adds: “We can consider this creation as the cornerstone of a future museum that reveals the evolution of the wall tile, as well as the trajectory of our brand”.
Inaugurated on May 5, Casa Incepa will be open until December 2022 and can be visited by family members and company employees. It has a scenographic work developed by the architect Carlos Bianco, from Arquitecto – Arquitetos Associados, who also focused on research work to create seven environments that transport visitors to other decades.
To tell the whole story, Incepa also sought several testimonies from former employees or local people who agreed to open their homes. The result was a series of videos that, in addition to illustrating Casa Incepa, will air on the brand’s YouTube channel. All these achievements are the subject of Christie’s celebration. “More than just products, Incepa’s history is built by people. People who dedicated themselves and left their mark on the factory or who have in their homes, their most precious asset, a little piece of Incepa. We were very happy to be able to rescue some of this legacy, immortalizing it in this huge project”.
About Roca Brasil Cerámica
Innovation, cutting-edge technology, and high-quality standards. All this translated into the total satisfaction of our customers and a vision of the future marked by environmental responsibility, precisely the two aspects that guide the DNA of Roca Brasil Cerámica and that make the company today a reference among the largest manufacturers of ceramic tiles in the world, with its Roca Cerámica and Incepa brands.
To this end, Roca constantly invests in innovation and technology in its factories. Together with the work of its product development teams, this allows the company to deliver to the market a robust portfolio of parts that follow architectural and construction trends in full technical compliance – as is the case of the very high capacity compactor, the Supercompactadora Contínua +, acquired by Roca Brasil Cerámica in 2014, and whose operations started in 2015. In addition, the production process has a 180 m oven and a polishing system with 60 heads, which are capable of reducing energy use, establishing a more sustainable process when compared to traditional presses. Thus, sustainability and beauty go hand in hand, creating lines with solutions for all home environments, with small and SuperSizes pieces, capable of serving the wall tiles and furniture market. Since the end of 2021, Roca Brasil Cerámica has belonged to Grupo Lamosa, a Mexican company with a worldwide presence focused on the manufacture and sale of ceramic tiles and adhesives. The Group has been in the building materials industry for over 130 years, with operations in 9 countries and 33 production centers in the Americas and Europe. Today, Grupo Lamosa occupies the leading position in the markets in which it participates, being the world’s second-largest manufacturer of ceramic tiles with an annual installed capacity of more than 225 million m².
