VitrA (sanitaryware)

Not to be confused with Vitra (furniture).
Vitra
Company typePrivately held company
BİST: ECYAP
Founded1942; 82 years ago (1942)
FounderNejat Eczacıbaşı
HeadquartersIstanbul, Turkey
Area served
Turkey, India, United Kingdom, Germany, Russia, France, Italy
ProductsSanitaryware and bathroom furniture
Websitewww.vitra.com.tr

VitrA is a Turkish manufacturer of sanitaryware, bathroom furniture, brassware and ceramic tiles. It is part of the Eczacıbaşı Group, a multinational corporation involved in building materials and consumer products.

History

Former VitrA logo used from 2002 to 2006

1942–1999

VitrA was founded in 1942 by Nejat Eczacıbaşı, the same year its first factory was built in Kartal, Turkey.[1]

After the war, the company started growing rapidly. Its core products at the time were ceramic plumbing fixtures. This represented an innovation in the Turkish market, dominated by marble. The ceramic novelty brought to an immediate success, so much so that in 1958 the company changed sectors from tile manufacturing to sanitaryware to meet the increasing demand.[2]

In 1966, the VitrA brand name was adopted. In 1977 production was started in Bozüyük, in 1979 an armature factory, in 1991 a bathroom furniture factory, and in 1992 a ceramic factory was built.[2]

The early 1980s saw the company begin to export its products, initially to Germany, where it opened its first foreign branch.[3] In 1999 VitrA acquired a tile factory in Ireland, 5 years after the acquisition of the tile factory a new one was built.[4]

2000s–present

In 2002, Vitra changed its logo after 11 years, to try to make the company a world brand.[5] In 2006, the company changed its logo again; the new logo was introduced at the UNICERA Ceramic and Bathroom Fair in Istanbul.[6]

In 2011, VitrA started its production branch in Russia by building a factory in Serpukhov, Moscow, which cost about 30 million Euros.[7] In 2019, the company opened its first branch in Italy.[8]

In March 2020, the company won the 2020 iF Design Award in the awards' 66th year.[9] In 2021, VitrA was awarded the TPM Excellence Award by the JIPM (Japanese Institute of Plant Maintenance).

Ferit Erin, who joined the Eczacıbaşı Group in 2009, started as the general manager of Vitra on July 1, 2018.[10]

Sponsorships

From 2010 to 2021, Vitra sponsored the Turkish women's volleyball team Eczacıbaşı.[11] Vitra is also the sponsor of the International Hotel Awards for the Asia Pacific region and the Istanbul Festival of Architecture.[12][13]

References

  1. ^ "VitrA ile Estetik ve Konforlu Tasarımlar | VitrA Türkiye". VitrA (in Turkish). Retrieved 2022-03-18.
  2. ^ a b "VitrA" (PDF). 2005. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
  3. ^ "Avrupa'nın en büyük Vitra mağazası" [Europe's biggest Vitra store]. Hürriyet (in Turkish). Retrieved 2022-03-18.
  4. ^ "Vitra builds new factory in Ireland". www.ceramicworldweb.it. 23 August 2004. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
  5. ^ "Eczacıbaşı, dünya markası olmak için logo değiştirdi". www.hurriyet.com.tr (in Turkish). Retrieved 2022-03-18.
  6. ^ Kurucusu, Aygül Öndeş Bigumigu (2006-04-13). "VitrA ve Artema logoları yenilendi". Bigumigu (in Turkish). Retrieved 2022-03-18.
  7. ^ "VitrA due to start up in Russia at the end of 2010". www.ceramicworldweb.it. 30 March 2010. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
  8. ^ "VitrA opens branch in Italy". www.ceramicworldweb.it. 22 August 2019. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
  9. ^ "iF DESIGN AWARD 2020 kazananları belli oldu". The Brand Age (in Turkish). Retrieved 2022-03-18.
  10. ^ "VitrA ile Estetik ve Konforlu Tasarımlar | VitrA Türkiye".
  11. ^ "Eczacıbaşı |". www.eczacibasi.com.tr. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
  12. ^ "VitrA to become the main sponsor of İstanbul Festival of Architecture!". İstanbul Mimarlık Festivali. Retrieved 2022-03-19.
  13. ^ "Our Headline Sponsor". International Hotel Awards. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
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