Passion for
cement
products is
company’s
foundation
Union Tiles has evolved from its 1910
origins as a small cement and terrazzo tile
producer, and has become a multi-faceted
wall, floor, ceramic, natural stone
corporation. It also offers a wide range of
wall coatings, Roman plasters, mosaics,
and sanitaryware, to name but a few.
Our founder Mr Giacomo Ghisleni (far top right) and son
Mr Andrew Ghisleni (top 2nd left), with staff at Jeppe factory
Mr Gus and Mr Andrew
Our founder –Giacomo Ghisleni
Giacomo arrived from Bergamo, Italy, in the early part of the 20th
century, and commenced a partnership in a cement products and
terrazzo tile company named “Ornamental Cement Tile Factory”.
In 1927 he managed to buy out his two partners, who no longer
wanted to be involved in the terrazzo tile business. His initiative
and passion for cement products were the foundation of Union
Tiles as it is known today, in which his two sons –Andrea (Andrew)
and Giglio (Gus) soon became involved, and the company
became
the leading manufacturer of terrazzo.
The Union Tiles Factory
was initially called Union Flooring
Tiles Factory. Ongoing demand for its products led to diversification
into ceramic tiles and mosaics, leading to the establishment in
1965 of Union Mosaic and Tiles, a specialist division for these
products.
Union Tiles Bedfordview Building 1968 to 1996
Growth within the industry resulted in further expansion for the
group, and, in 1984, National Tiles was formed,specialising in
marble, granite and other natural stone products including slabs
from all four corners of the globe.
Today the Union Tiles Group is the largest independent tile distributor
in SA, handling the widest range of floor and wall tiles in the country,
in either ceramic, porcelain,natural stone or cementitious finishes.
Dia Star a new division within Union Group offer a wide range of
natural stone proccessing equipment, from diamond flexible polishing
pads to wet hand held polishers and floor grinders.
Stairwell at our showroom in Bedforview
Our first factory and deliver vehicle: Jeppe South 1922-1950
Union Tiles Building Today
with Branches in:
Bedfordview, Randburg, Pretoria,
George, Nelspruit, Bloemfontein,
Ballito, Windhoek, Pietermaritzburg,
Burgersfort, Capetown and Zambia
Union Tiles Corprate Profile 2011
Page 1
Vision for
Union Tiles
Union Tiles attaches great importance to searching for the latest
trends and developments in the tile, wall and floor décor industry.
It prides itself on stocking the latest tile fashions from Europe, Asia
and locally produced goods. Newly developed and manufactured
products include coloured wall plasters, coloured floorscreeds and
cementitious paints.As well as our newly launched “Terra-Stone” a slim line,
full bodied conglomerate stone tile.
products & service overview
As with most things in life, our choices are sometimes
‘'governed’' by other deciding factors. Corporate
applications would require you to be aware of many
influencing factors in terms of textures, lighting, surface
hardness and scratch resistance. Union Tiles sales
staff are qualified to assist in advising the best products
to achieve the desired effect.
Frequent trips are made to global trade fairs to ensure that the company
stays abreast of the wall and floor tile industry, and quarries around the world
are visited to find the best marbles, granites and sandstone.
According to Nellie Botha, sales manager and group designer of Union
Tiles, the company offers a wide and diverse product range that encourages
innovative and aesthetic ideas.
“In terms of my vision for the future with regard to design and decor,all I
can say is ‘wow’! Every day is filled with new challenges. The building
industry and property markets are slowly but surely ‘feeling’ the impact of
the electricity cuts, Credit Act and crime rate in the country. I believe that
architects, builders and designers should concentrate on energy saving
features for homes and offices, and the tile selection and application of
them, plays a role in such cost savings. Says Nellie.
Union Tiles would encourage customers to spend time on their budgets
and research the quality and aesthetic value of the intended product that
they wish to purchase, Nellie Botha adds.“Many customers are influenced
by fashion trends only, resulting in the purchase of products that are
inferior in quality, or not suited to the required application. Union
Tiles will concentrate on ongoing training and service
delivery, to ensure that the staff understand the
needs of the customer and give advice to
meet those needs.”
Union Tiles Head Office and showroom Bedordview
Union Tiles Bedfordview
Building 2011
Page 2
Union Tiles Corprate Profile 2011