ABOUT US

Gresmalt was founded in 1968 as a manufacturer of floor tiles in single firing, then gradually transforming the offer to follow the technological evolution of the ceramic industry. Today with more than 162 million in revenue, the company ranks among the top 10 Italian manufacturers producing porcelain ceramic tiles. The collections articulated in different formats, cover the different architectural requirements for both floors and walls, thanks to the final cutting finishing, cutting and lapping.

The Group has three production units in Italy located in the Municipalities of Scandiano (Reggio Emilia), Viano (Reggio Emilia), and Frassinoro (Modena). Each factory is equipped with logistics and warehouse area. Gresmalt is positioned in the global ceramic tiles market as a generalist manufacturer, with a greatest competitive advantage is the high quality/price ratio that combines products with the best features of the “made in Italy” at relatively low cost.

The production of above 18 million m2/year of ceramic tiles is sold through two commercial brands turned to direct sales channel (Sintesi and Abitare). Also part of the production (25%) is paid to the GDO market (large retail chains) in the field of building materials (Ceramiche of Frassinoro brand). The share of revenues derived from exports amounted to 64% and the domestic market is 36%. The main markets are France (23%), Germany (10%), Belgium (6%) USA (5%) etc. Also it turns out to be the company with the highest index of operating efficiency thanks to optimal levels:

• 35,500 m2/employee

• € 320,000 turnover/employee

ABOUT US

Rey Juan Carlos University (URJC) is a young public university with several campuses in Madrid, whose mission is to foster innovative research and high-quality education. URJC has managed to grow to 38.000 students and nearly 1,400 lecturers, being currently the third largest among the six public Universities in Madrid. URJC has a strong international projection, with an academic community comprising 3.500 foreigners from 92 countries.

The Department of Business Administration now gathers Organization, Applied Economics II and Foundamentals of Economic Analysis research areas. For this project, professors from Organization and Strategic Management disciplines will be involved. The Research Office has a consolidated expertise in Project design and management supporting the building of industry-academia partnerships and fostering the active participation to EU programmes for R&D&I.

URJC has been participating actively in international projects since Sixth Framework Programme. URJC has established an European Projects Office (EPO) to strengthen the participation in international research activities. EPO collaborates in two main ways: on one hand attending and handling both administrative and financial issues from the different projects and action, and on the other hand assisting the researchers and the project/action individually by providing support in different tasks regarding Technology Transfer, IP management and support, Open Access, Technology Watch and so on. The EPO has a staff with a technical and financial background, and skills to develop the above described activities. Additionally, the EPO has a delegation located in the Office of the Madrid Region in Brussels whose primary mission is to serve as liaison and interface, between researchers and the European institutions.

As of the date URJC has been involved in around 50 European projects, of which 10 belongs to the H2020 Programme.

ABOUT US

The University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (1176) is the third oldest University in the world, and has always been ranked among the first Italian universities for quality of teaching and research since 2007. It is a networked campus located in the towns of Modena and Reggio Emilia. It counts about 20.000 students, 14 departments, 13 PhD programs. UNIMORE has excellent international network including academic and industrial organisations. It actively participates in EU S&T programmes across different domains. Its project portfolio in the period 2007-2013 comprised 69 FP7 projects, 9 LIFE+ projects and several industrial research project financed by the JTIs (ENIAC/ARTEMIS).

The Department of Sciences and Methods for Engineering (DISMI) is involved in methodological and applied researches, and education in various areas of engineering and basic sciences related to. DISMI assemble professors and researchers with a wide international range of experiences and knowledges, active in the main sectors of engineering and basic sciences applied to. These transversal expertises and a strong interdisciplinar approach are essentials to be successful in the most modern and complex technological challenges. DISMI is able to provide dynamic and qualifiedsolutions to any engineering need, both in its purely theoretical aspects, and in its designing, prototyping and testing.

The Department of Engineering “Enzo Ferrari” (DIEF) was created in 2012 by unifying all the Engineering Departments of the University. It now gathers Mechanical, Materials, Environmental, Civil, Information and Electronic Engineering. The former Materials and Environmental Engineering Department will be involved in the project. Its primary research interest is the study of new materials, the development of new treatments, devices and systems which could bring benefits in terms of sustainability and competitiveness, pursuing the maximum efficiency with minimum environmental impact.