Portobello Group, a leading producer of porcelain and ceramic tile in Brazil, has announced the start of construction of its U.S. factory in Baxter, Tenn. The planned facility is slated to encompass approximately 895,000 sq. ft., at a 92-acre site about 70 miles east of Nashville.
Total investment is expected to reach $160 million U.S. of which $80 million will be allocated to the construction of the new facility, with the rest focused on the company’s tile production machinery. Construction is projected to be completed by the end of the fourth quarter of 2022. Portobello estimates the facility will create 220 local jobs.
“We are proud to soon present Portobello America’s new United States-based factory. We believe in the strategy, the market potential and, above all, the combination of our know-how with the American team and culture,” stated Portobello Group’s CEO, Cesar Gomes, Jr.
Luiz Felipe Brito, Portobello America’s CEO, added, “The construction of the factory is the next step of our strategy that began in 2018. We have assembled a world-class team, curated a product portfolio that has proven to be very successful and have partnered with the best independent distributors in the country.”
The project site is located on the south side of Interstate 40 in Baxter. Situated in Putnam County, the overall region is considered a national hotbed for ceramic tile manufacturing due to the region’s vast natural supplies of clay and feldspar, according to the company.
Portobello currently has two distribution centers in the U.S. market, strategically located in Florida and Tennessee, where the future industrial facility will be located as well as Portobello America’s U.S. headquarters.
For more information, visit www.portobelloamerica.com.
