NG Kütahya Seramik opens €150 million high-tech factory in Turkey

By Ahmet Taş | Acil Host

KÜTAHYA, TURKEY — NG Kütahya Seramik has opened its new 30 Ağustos Factory in western Turkey following a €150 million investment, adding an annual production capacity of approximately 16 million square meters with Industry 4.0, automation and AI-supported manufacturing systems.

The facility, located in the 30 Ağustos Organized Industrial Zone in Kütahya, was officially inaugurated with the participation of Turkey’s Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır. According to NG Kütahya Seramik, construction began in April 2025 and the plant was made production-ready in June 2026, completing the development phase in 14 months.

The company said the investment is designed to expand value-added ceramic production while strengthening its technology-based manufacturing infrastructure and sustainability capabilities.

€150 million investment expands ceramic production capacity

The new factory covers a total open area of 235,000 square meters, including approximately 110,000 square meters of enclosed production space.

NG Kütahya Seramik said the plant has an annual production capacity of around 16 million square meters of ceramic products.

The company is positioning the factory as the next phase of the manufacturing and technology investment it previously launched with its 100. Yıl Factory.

Speaking at the inauguration, Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacır said Kütahya was combining its long-established ceramics tradition with modern production technologies.

Kacır referred to the project as an approximately 8 billion Turkish lira investment and said the facility had the potential to strengthen both Kütahya’s industrial base and Turkey’s competitiveness in the international ceramic market.

He said Turkey was seeking to move traditional industries forward through greater use of technology, innovation and sustainable manufacturing.

The opening ceremony was also attended by Kütahya Governor Musa Işın, local officials, lawmakers, business representatives and executives from NG Group and its affiliated companies.

Industry 4.0 and AI integrated into production lines

Digitalization is a central part of the new plant’s production model.

According to the company, the 30 Ağustos Factory has been designed around an Industry 4.0-compatible infrastructure with systems covering the entire manufacturing process.

The production model includes real-time data flows, traceability and extensive automation, allowing different stages of production to be continuously monitored and coordinated.

NG Kütahya Seramik also said artificial intelligence-supported systems are being used within the facility.

The objective is to increase control over production, improve consistency and enable faster use of operational data across manufacturing processes.

For ceramic manufacturers, digitalization is becoming increasingly important as producers seek to manage energy consumption, raw material use, quality control and production efficiency at greater scale.

The company says the new facility was designed to combine increased capacity with a more data-driven production structure rather than simply adding conventional manufacturing lines.

Kacır highlights Turkey’s global manufacturing ambitions

At the ceremony, Kacır linked the investment to Turkey’s broader industrial strategy.

He said the country had developed into a major manufacturing center across a number of sectors and argued that Turkey had a particularly diverse export base across the broad economic region stretching from China toward Central Europe.

Kacır said traditional industrial sectors would increasingly need to combine existing manufacturing expertise with advanced technology, innovation and sustainability.

He described Kütahya’s ceramics ecosystem, including its organized industrial infrastructure and design and technology activities, as an example of that transformation.

The minister said the new factory could contribute not only to local production but also to the international competitiveness of Turkey’s ceramic industry.

Turkey has a significant ceramic manufacturing and export sector, and Kütahya has long been one of the country’s principal centers for ceramics and porcelain production.

Kacır also said the government would continue supporting industrial investments aimed at raising production, technology and export capacity.

Solar investment planned to raise renewable capacity to 47 MW

Energy efficiency and sustainability are another major component of the investment.

According to Kacır, a 15-megawatt solar power investment is planned for the new factory.

Once completed, the additional installation is expected to increase the company’s total solar power generation capacity to 47 MW.

The factory also incorporates advanced heat-recovery systems intended to reduce energy losses and improve resource efficiency during ceramic production.

Ceramics is an energy-intensive industry because manufacturing processes require high-temperature kilns and significant thermal energy.

Reducing energy consumption and increasing renewable electricity use can therefore have a material impact on both production costs and environmental performance.

NG Kütahya Seramik said the new facility was designed with these factors in mind as it expands output.

Ceramic waste is returned to the production process

Waste management is another part of the plant’s production model.

The company said ceramic waste generated at the 30 Ağustos Factory is processed through an integrated crushing and grinding system and then recycled back into production.

This approach is intended to reduce material losses while supporting the factory’s stated zero-waste principles.

According to the company announcement, the project was recognized in the 2025 Productivity Project Awards, presented under the Ministry of Industry and Technology.

The combination of recycling systems, heat recovery, renewable energy and production monitoring is intended to lower resource consumption as output expands.

For manufacturers facing rising energy and raw-material costs, such measures can increasingly serve both environmental and commercial objectives.

Erkan Güral calls the opening ‘a new beginning’

NG Kütahya Seramik Chairman Erkan Güral said the opening represented more than the addition of another production facility.

He said the investment reflected the company’s confidence in Turkey and its strategy of investing in technology, skilled production, sustainability and human resources as global competition intensifies.

Güral described the facility as one that the company aims to position among the world’s technologically advanced ceramic production plants.

He said the new capacity was expected to support Kütahya and Turkey through production, exports and improved international competitiveness.

For the company, however, the project does not mark the end of its investment program.

“For us, this opening is not a destination, but a new beginning.”

Güral said NG Kütahya Seramik intends to continue expanding production and creating additional value for the Turkish economy.

With the new plant now operational, the company is combining €150 million in new investment, approximately 16 million square meters of annual capacity, digital manufacturing, artificial intelligence, recycling and planned solar generation in its latest expansion in Kütahya.

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