Viglacera’s Journey In Bringing ‘Made In Vietnam’ Building Materials To The World

Established in 1974 by emerging 18 factories producing fire clay bricks in Hanoi, Viglacera, previously named Terracotta tiles and Ceramic Company, has grown into a leading building materials manufacturer in Vietnam. The 50-year history of this corporation is not only a brand development story but also a reformation of Vietnamese families’ lifestyles from their houses.

From the first bricks

In the 70s, building material production in Vietnam was still very manual, with rudimentary tools like shovels, “soil scissors” (kéo cắt đất), bricks, wheelbarrows, and rigs, depending mainly on physical work. Concerned over "how to reduce the labor burden for workers," Viglacera leaders worked day and night to research and launch the single-channel integrated Tuynel kiln. This technological breakthrough is a revolution that significantly improved the working environment for workers and opened a new chapter for bricklayers.

In 1994, Vietnam’s very first ceramic tiles were produced in the Viglacera Hanoi tile factory, using the technology from Welko – a leading Italian ceramic manufacturer. The advent of this high-quality product raised the domestic standards for building material production.

Viglacera tiles have a naturally beautiful gloss, low abrasion, great perpendicularity, and uniform thickness. The quality criteria are strictly followed under the standards of building materials. Ceramic production lines are always updated to meet Vietnamese and global consumers’ increasingly demanding tile quality and design requirements.

At that time, the first products made from that plant were the first hand-baked clay bricks on the market. These bricks, however small, laid the firm foundation for the development of Vietnam's building materials industry.

Pioneering products in reshaping Vietnamese house

In 2021, Viglacera was valued at over $59 million and voted in the top 50 most valuable brands in Vietnam, according to Brand Finance. In addition to the significant business results, the building materials manufacturer remained a nationally beloved brand for nearly five decades.

The presence of Viglacera products in Vietnamese houses is stronger than ever, from sanitary equipment and porcelain tiles to construction glass, energy-saving glass, aerated concrete, and high-grade mirrors. Made under careful consideration to suit the local climate, living habits and needs of Vietnamese people, these products of user-centric quality have accompanied many generations of Vietnamese people through the country's transformations.

The key that has kept Viglacera going and developing through many hardships and changes lies in the history of always being the pioneer in technology investment. All their products, including construction glass, ceramic and granite tiles, sanitary equipment, and terracotta, are applied "green" technology and made in the world's most advanced production line. These products are expected to satisfy not only the domestic market but rather the meticulous ones such as Japan, the US or the EU.

The designs and features of Viglacera sanitary equipment show great care for users’ comfort and safety. With breakthrough technologies such as Nano Titanium enamel coated with antibacterial silver and Turbo Vortex – a powerful flushing technology, Viglacera sanitary wares bring the advanced solution to create a cleaner and more modern living space, taking customer experience to a higher level.

Viglacera Low-e glass can minimize heat transfer, reduce the energy cost for the cooling system, save electrical energy using air conditioning up to 45%, and prevent up to 99% of UV rays. As for these advantages, Viglacera energy-saving glass can increase energy efficiency and improve consumers’ quality of life.

Viglacera's ALC panel is another environmentally friendly building material with simple installation and high flexibility, which can cater to wide-ranging construction demands.

When it comes to ceramic and granite tiles, Viglacera offers multiple thickness and surface options, including slip resistance, for all types of tiles, from antibacterial tiles, white bone tiles, copper bone tiles, to Slimtech tiles. Viglacera continues to expand its tile factory in the Southern region, developing new product lines such as large-format porcelain - the perfect architectural surface solution, and high-grade porcelain tiles for export.

Aside from manufacturing building materials, Viglacera is the largest real estate investor and the leading industrial park developer in Vietnam. Adhering to specific orientations over the year, the corporation has experienced impressive growth, reaching over 1 billion USD of market capitalization on May 12th, 2021.

Bringing “Made in Vietnam” building materials to the world

Now, Viglacera is a leading corporation in building material manufacturing with more than 8,000 employees, exporting products to over 40 countries around the world.

Viglacera is also the only building material manufacturing enterprise nominated by Vietnam to attend the Asia - Pacific International Quality Award 2019 - 2020 and honored in the highest category: World Class Award for large-scale production. By the end of 2021, Viglacera kept thriving by entering the Top 20 tile manufacturers and Top 30 manufacturers of Porcelain Protection worldwide.

Since the dawn of Viglacera, its leaders have always considered the utmost importance of technology to reach out to the world. Viglacera continues to focus on implementing the Eurotile - Viglacera Tile Factory, investing in SACMI Continua+ technology (Italy) to produce high-quality large-format porcelain.

The plant features SACMI’s most recent forming and decoration technologies to create high-quality large-format porcelain slabs with "through-the-body veining" (size 3,200mm x 1,600mm). This is part of Viglacera’s strategy to improve production capacity, expand its market, and reaffirm its vision and product development orientation in the high-end segment.

Conclusion

Nearly 50 years in the business, Viglacera has always affirmed its pioneering role in the building material industry in Vietnam, striving to transform itself to adapt to changes in the market and becoming one of the brands that Vietnamese people are most proud of.

Translated by Bich Tram