One of the most respected Portuguese tile brands, Recer was founded in 1977. Today it is a medium sized producer of porcelain tiles, and ceramic wall tiles, offering home owners and designers a wide range of contemporary solutions with its wide and diversified product portfolio. In 2022, Recer produced around 5 million sq. metres of tiles, achieving total sales of Euro 45.3 million.
Sustainable production is an ongoing objective at Recer. This requires relentless effort in a number of areas. Energy efficiency is addressed by optimising processes and upgrading equipment to reduce energy consumption, and through the cogeneration of electrical and thermal energy. Recer also reduces water consumption by focusing on treatment and reuse. Raw material consumption is minimised by cutting waste and turning it into usable resources. The company also uses environmentally-friendly packaging and pallets made from responsibly-sourced wood.
Recer has a global perspective, and is thus a familiar presence at major international events, like Cersaie and Coverings. Today the company sells to around 60 countries, with export sales representing more than 60% of turnover.
Export success is based on offering a range of tiling solutions that meet the aesthetic and technical requirements of key overseas markets. Recer is particularly well established in the UK, France, Spain, Germany, Netherlands, and the USA. The company says that the keys to this success are technological innovation, design, quality, and service; all key components in Recer’s corporate strategy.
One way Recer aims to keep relevant and successful is by nurturing all the key skills for successful ceramic tile manufacturing in house. As well as guaranteeing quality, Recer believes that this allows the company plan for the future with positivity, because it allows the company to not only anticipate trends, but also to supply what is demanded by these key global markets.
Recer is not complacent, however, and continues to invest in new production technology, as well as design, in the constant search for fresh ceramic solutions. This, along with a deep commitment to product quality and environmental sustainability, are the company’s guiding principles. Certified in the fields of quality, environment, and product compliance, Recer is proud to be a pioneer when it comes to applying the principles of lean production.
Recer’s product portfolio is roughly divided into three sections. The first, Blend It, pairs ceramic wall tiles with porcelain floor tiles to facilitate seamless transitions, and guaranteed co-ordination, between wall and floor finishes in any space. The ranges either offer co-ordinated wall and porcelain floor tile solutions, or suggest combinations that will work together harmoniously.
The other two main product categories are porcelain tiles, and SIB. The latter category, an acronym for Small Is Beautiful, spans a multitude of small formats; such as 100 by 100mm, 75 by 300mm, 100 by 200mm, and 200 by 200mm.
As the key tile exhibitions in the past few years have clearly demonstrated, small sizes are very much back in fashion. Versatile and highly decorative, they offer countless combinations, allowing professional designers or home owners to create unique spaces. Recer’s range provides unusually appealing colour choices: such as white ice, soft cream, black olive, yellow lime, orange sunset, red cherry, blue sky, green kiwi in the Twist collection; or white, beige, light blue, coral, taupe, light grey, grey, and black in 150 by 300mm in New Neutrals range. Urban is even more expansive, delivering 19 colours – Branco Brilhante, Pérola, Amarelo, Verde Pastel, Branco Mate, Cinza, Pergamon, Lilás, Verde Claro, Cinza Claro, Castanho (2 options), Azul Claro, Verde Escuro, Cinza Escuro, Azul Natureza, Preto, Azul Médio, and Azul – in 200 by 200mm, 100 by 200mm, and 100 by 100mm.
In terms of colour, the most varied range of all is the company’s specification collection of wall tiles; Projectos. This features some 44 colours, in 100 by 100mm, 100 by 300mm, 150 by 150mm, and 200 by 200mm formats.
Other key ranges in the portfolio include Magnes, Grand, Native, Revival/Twenties, Attitude, Pergola, Lamour and Ritmo. The latter is a very versatile collection in 100 by 100mm and 75 by 300mm, with 14 classic colours.
But one range, More, probably captures the distinctive essence of Recer. Offered in 300 by 900mm, 300 by 60mm, and 250 by 400mm large and medium formats, it features nine sublime sculpted surfaces – Natur, Bend, Sensi, Shape, Ikon, Chic, Pure, Code, and Petal – in white matt and gloss glazes.
The Pergola collection sees Recer as the centre of current wall tile design trends. Named after the horticultural framed support, the range features a set of leaves and flowers with a flexible, clean, light personality, as pure and spontaneous as nature itself. The colours – Cinza, Neve, Pérola, Bege, etc, – were selected to be complemented with various colours that make up the Projectos series. This impressive pairing throws up a supremely wide variety of aesthetic solutions. The decor option comprises eight different pieces, packaged as a random assortment, for the ceramic quilt look..With ranges like More and Projectos, Recer’s product USPs are probably the palette of colours, and the sheer variety of 3D wall tile surfaces. The letter spans the geometric pyramidal and circular forms of Napery, including convex and concave metros, through more abstract and flowing forms, right down to the highly detailed embossed relief patterns of Triplex.
The clearest indication of the Recer’s international standing lies in the impressive portfolio of projects that feature the company’s tiles. These include the Louvre Museum, Paris; London Olympics Training Pool, England; Marriot Residence Courtyard Hotel, Aberdeed, Scotland; São Bento Train Station, Porto, Portugal; various BMW Showrooms in England; La Défense Financial Center, Paris; Athens New Art Gallery, Greece; and El Sadar Stadium, Pamplona, Spain.
A new post by Joe Simpson, Diary of a Tile Addict, October 2023.