Anatolia Scales Global Presence with State-of-the-Art Manufacturing and Sustainable Innovation

From humble beginnings as a Canadian tile distributor to becoming a global manufacturing powerhouse, Anatolia Tile + Stone’s story is one of remarkable growth and innovation. Founded in 1995 in Toronto by the Elmaagacli family, who brought nearly four decades of industry experience from Turkey, the company has transformed the surface materials landscape.

“We’ve grown our business into 5 billion square feet of warehouse distribution space all across the globe,” explained Maher Kayali, marketing manager, Anatolia. “We have a warehouse in Savannah, a river warehouse in Toronto, a warehouse in Turkey that facilitates European Asia and African sales.”

In September 2023, Anatolia marked a milestone with the opening of its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Aliaga, near Izmir, Turkey. The 250,000-square-meter plant represents one of the world’s most advanced facilities for slab production. The facility features cutting-edge automation throughout its processes, including advanced digital management systems that optimize production while minimizing environmental impact.

“It utilizes all of the latest technology pulling in for different industries. ERP, integrated automation, industry, with sustainability at the core in terms of water recyclings, solar panels across the two lanes,” Kayali said.

Currently running three production lines, the facility has ambitious plans to expand to 11 lines, positioning Anatolia as a major player in the global market.

Led by founder Cengiz Elmaagacli and his siblings Bekir and Berrin, the company has earned recognition as one of Canada’s 50 Best Managed Companies by Deloitte, maintaining this prestigious designation for the past three years. As a primary supplier to major distributors and national DIY chains throughout North America, Anatolia operates from a 900,000-square-foot headquarters in Toronto, with global facilities totaling nearly five million square feet.

The company’s commitment to quality extends to every aspect of production. 

“We look at every piece of the product from the body, the glazing, the surface finish, the color, the scanning, every level is so intricately developed,” Kayali said. 

Innovation extends to their logistics solutions as well. “Our packaging system actually stands up from the industry in terms of the amount of product you’re able to load on it, the safety measures, it’s not just your typical wooden a-frame,” Kayali explained. “Those wooden aprons, you typically just throw them out. Ours are reusable, so it’s sustainable.”

Anatolia uses the most desirable natural stones as inspiration for its porcelain slabs. “We can produce any design, any shade, any color we want,” Kayali said. “We are getting as close to nature as humanly possible in every detail in terms of the color, the finish, and it’s so natural and subtle.”

While polished slabs are the company’s top-selling slabs, honed finishes are becoming more popular. Architects, designers, and builders use the slabs for floors, wall facades, countertops, and furnishings. 

The company’s next move is to create tiles from the most popular slab designs. “We felt that it was very important to bring it into tiles, but only the designs that lend themselves very well to tiles,” Kayali said. 

Looking ahead, Anatolia is actively expanding into new markets. “We want to get into more of the A&D community,” Kayali shared. “We’re currently expanding into parts of Europe, Northern Africa, Asia. We see a lot of opportunity there.” Their new Turkish facility is specifically designed to serve these expanding markets with top-of-the-range products.

Antolini will showcase its design solutions at The International Surface Event in Las Vegas for the first time this year. Products will include sintered stone slabs, ceramic and porcelain collections, and Guardia & Guardia Pro surface protection solutions.