This document summarizes Sibelco's technical services and capabilities for ceramic customers. As a leading global supplier of ceramic raw materials, Sibelco works closely with customers to develop tailored mineral solutions and technical support. They operate several technical centers across Europe equipped to support all aspects of ceramic production from raw material analysis to body development. Sibelco's technical experts are dedicated to improving customers' manufacturing processes and products through structured evaluation and testing to increase yields, productivity, and profitability. Their research also focuses on developing new processing techniques and mineral solutions to help customers shape their future needs.

1. There’s more to our minerals...
than meets
Delivering value through quality, flexibility and technical service.

2. Global resources
Minerals play an essential role in the
production of high quality ceramics.
That’s why, as one of the world’s leading providers of
ceramic raw materials, our commitment to quality is as
strong as yours. For over 300 years, Sibelco and its
predecessors have been supplying premium mineral
products, working with customers who are focussed
on continually improving yields, increasing productivity
and delivering market-leading ceramics.
Quality is worth little unless it can be tailored to your needs. So at
Sibelco, we work hand in hand with our customers to identify and
develop the best raw material solutions from a multi-mineral portfolio
that encompasses plastic clays, kaolins, fluxes, silicas, prepared
bodies and glaze minerals. And with operations
on five continents, we can bring value to your business no matter
where in the world you are.
All our products are backed by the very highest standards of
technical support, provided by our specialist teams of Technical
Service Engineers dedicated to each of our key application areas:
sanitaryware, tiles, tableware, structural ceramics, electrical porcelain
and craft pottery.

3. Local expertise Map Showing the Location
To reinforce our ability to meet changing market of the European Ceramic
Technical Centres*.
needs we are increasing our focus on key ceramic
markets, not only with infrastructure investments in
quarrying, processing and distribution but also with
state-of-the-art technical facilities. We’re
harnessing Sibelco’s local expertise at locations
around the globe and creating regional technical
centre networks.
In Europe, we currently have four fully operational ceramic
technical centres that produce leading edge application support Sanitaryware
to our customers, and are equipped for a vast range of technical
procedures on all aspects of ceramic production, from raw
material analysis through to customer body development. Our Structural
technical centres deliver the very highest standards of technical
support for existing and new customers whilst providing the ideal Tableware
platform for research and development work into future minerals
for this industry.
Tiles
*In addition to our dedicated application centres we also undertake
project work for all other areas of ceramic whitewares.

4. Technical
support Some of the key benefits of Sibelco technical support are:
I Complete raw material evaluation
I Customer body development assessment
I Customer body optimisation to improve yield or to reduce loss
I Production fault diagnosis
The main aim is to deliver an agreed programme
of manufacturing improvement either by process
change or body re-formulation.
The process aims to deliver:
The Key Stages in Sibelco’s Application Support Process for Customers
Structured work plans
• Development work follows a logical sequence
• Timescales set for completion of various
phases of work
Benchmarking Proposal Trials Production
Targeted improvement
• Raw material analysis. • Targeted to achieve • Initially small scale. • Body analysis at regular
• Customer specific problems are identified • Full body analysis. agreed improvements. • Assisted intervals on introduction
and specific recommendations made to of new material and after.
• Yield cost • Yield analysis production trials.
overcome them • Regular technical visits.
benefit analysis. to ensure viability. • Yield analysis to
ensure targeted • Direct access to
Measurable results improvements. Sibelco technicians.
• At key stages a cost/benefit analysis
undertaken to ensure improved profitability

5. Technical centres Particle Analysis, a key consideration in the development of high performance
Each production site within Sibelco has a dedicated ceramic body formulations, the particle sizing suite is capable of measuring particle
quality control laboratory and associated staff, size characteristics from several millimetres down to nanometres by various
methods. These include optical microscopy, laser light scattering, sedimentation
devoted to ensuring superior product quality and
and BET specific surface area.
consistency. The Technical Centres support these
quality control laboratories as well as providing Thermal Analysis for assessment of firing properties, including contact and non-
contact dilatometry, thermal gravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry
Technical Service, Development and Research for and optical shrinkage and melting behaviour
our core ceramic applications.
Fault Diagnosis, cross-section preparation, optical microscopy techniques and
Each Technical Centre is equipped to undertake almost any project energy dispersive X-ray analysis
within the application area, from raw material analysis and evaluation Mineralogical Evaluation, X-ray powder diffraction and thin section optical
through to body (and glaze) development and performance testing, petrography
and is staffed with Technologists and Experts from relevant scientific Rheology, traditional ceramics industry techniques such as Ford Cup and TTV and
fields and industries to ensure project delivery. apparent viscosity, along with rotational and oscillatory rheometrical instruments
Chemical Analysis, qualitative and quantitative X-ray fluorescence, flame
These industry specific methods and evaluations are augmented photometry, carbon and sulphur, soluble salts by ion chromatography and trace
by a full range of instrumental techniques, either at each Technical analysis by ICP-OES and atomic absorption
Centre in the case of key methods (such as chemical analysis, Materials Testing, including Pfefferkorn plasticity, 3-point bending, tensile and
rheometry and particle analysis) so that a fast efficient turnaround compressive force and dynamic materials analysis (DMA)
of analyses can be achieved, or as shared facilities in the cases of All backed by Pilot Plant facilities capable of producing large scale samples of trial
the more specialised equipment. materials and minerals, as well as emulating many full-scale industrial processing
methods such as spray drying, milling, firing and mixing.

6. Research
Serving customers in diverse industries with
wide product portfolios demands continuous
development and improvement.
Much of Sibelco’s research work is focussed
on future mega trends such as energy reduction,
sustainability and local resource maximisation. Our Research team also plays a critical role
in supporting our technical service functions:
A key aim is to ensure that we provide customers
• it helps evaluate and develop new processing techniques
in all locations with a multi- mineral portfolio that
for minerals
is economically sustainable and meets end user
• it assists in the development of improved products
requirements with minimal supply chain costs –
• it provides a platform for in-depth analysis of customer
in essence adding value to minerals to enhance processing problems
their manufacturing capabilities.
Research for Sibelco is about identifying the future needs
of the industries in which we serve, which can only be done
through partnership with customers so we can help
shape all our futures.

7. Your Partner
for the future Sibelco’s European technical centres provide the highest levels
of technical support. By combining our research capability with
dedicated application based teams we can provide the ideal
partnership for the future.
Technical Service Process Innovation
We can assist with manufacturing performance improvement If you’re looking for a real step change in both manufacture
based on structured assessments of production cycles. and innovative products for the future, working with Sibelco can
From these, we’ll find the best fit raw materials to maximise take your business beyond today’s traditional manufacturing
productivity, giving you the necessary process and raw boundaries towards new mineral solutions for the future.
material information to make an informed choice on how to Combining our technical service capability with research and
improve the manufacturing process and final product quality. development and working in partnership with you, Sibelco can
provide the support you need to help shape your future.
Improved yields Research New
More saleable applications
Increased productivity
pieces and/or
Enhanced quality
higher selling
New
Structured prices New idea, products
Technical Service shaped Technical Service
with the
New
Customer processes
Increased Development
Sales Creating a
revenue Sustainable Future
To create a step change
for your business, There’s more to our minerals than meets
simply contact us at:
qualityceramics@sibelco.com