La Paloma Cerámicas, with roots in Pantoja, Toledo, a leader in the manufacture and marketing of high-quality bricks in the Iberian Peninsula and one of the leading companies in the construction sector internationally, is celebrating its 45th anniversary. An anniversary framed by the debate on the safety of materials used in the construction and rehabilitation of homes, especially following the fire that devastated a building in the Campanar neighborhood of Valencia, for which the construction sector is criticized. and monitor the characteristics of materials to ensure the protection of property and people.
Since 1979, the company has evolved and developed its activity without giving up its family character. Originally, its average daily production was 50,000 bricks. Today, the company produces one million bricks every day, which represents in one year 4 million square meters of facade and one million square meters of paving stones.
“We never thought a brick could travel“, explains Francisco Rodríguez, CEO of La Paloma Cerámicas and second generation to lead the company. “Since my father opened his first factory in Pantoja, I have witnessed every step that has shaped a family project with a vocation for growth. “I am proud to be able to say that we are the fifth largest brick producer in Europe and the tenth in the world.”
Francisco Rodríguez, CEO of La Paloma Cerámicas, in a photo at the start of the company
With 9 factories spread between Spain and Portugal and more than 300 employeesThe company is present on five continents, including more than 50 countries to which it exports 35% of its total production. According to Francisco Rodríguez, the latest acquisition of Cerámica Malpesa (Bailén, Jaén), in 2023, is a strategic move to strengthen its leadership and expand the production capacity of facing bricks, pressed bricks, ceramic paving stones and construction systems for all types of solutions. Thus, at the end of the year, the turnover amounts to 51.2 million euros, 9% more than the previous year.
In addition, the Spanish company has reached an agreement collaboration with Wienerberger, the largest manufacturer in the world, for which, in addition to becoming its exclusive distributor for the Iberian Peninsula, it promotes the La Paloma Cerámicas brick in all the countries where the Austrian giant is present.
Brick as a solution
The Campanar fire A few months ago, a debate began about the safety of materials used in construction and, in particular, in the cladding of facades. In this sense, La Paloma Cerámicas highlights the need to carefully review the properties of construction elements and opt for safe solutions, such as facing bricks, which are fireproof and resistant to the most severe weather conditions.
“Unfortunately, time puts every subject in its place and Brick, besides being a resistant and fireproof material, is a clear example of sustainability. Its age of more than 10,000 years supports it,” says Julio Pascual, general manager of La Paloma Cerámicas. “People’s safety, their peace of mind, is our maxim. That is why we are one of the few companies in the world with a quality seal and a century-old guarantee,” he says.
Likewise, with the aim of continuing to promote the use of this architectural icon, La Paloma Cerámicas has a qualified team specialized in innovation that explores – and exploits – the possibilities of brick at a creative level and as a constructive system, thus reinforcing its qualities. . and improve its versatility to face increasingly demanding projects and meet the needs of a society that prioritizes the security of the spaces it inhabits without sacrificing aesthetics and design.
“Another of the great challenges that professionals in the sector face when considering the planning of new buildings and the rehabilitation of those already built is the preservation of architectural heritage. In this sense, especially in urban areas where brick predominates on facades, this material constitutes a safe and sustainable solution that promotes energy efficiency without disturbing aesthetics,” adds Julio Pascual.
Among the the most emblematic projects that have La Paloma Cerámicas bricks on their façade include the extension of the Prado Museum or the Atocha train station in Madrid, the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences of the University of Extremadura in Badajoz, the campus of the Loyola University of Seville or the L’Icon residential tower in Barranquilla (Colombia)
