Margon Portugal

Contact

Margon (Portugal) - Materiais e Revestimentos Modernos p/ Edificações, S.A.

Cruz da Légua

2480-854 Pedreiras (Porto de Mós) - Portugal
Telf: + 351 918 446 559
Fax: + 351 211 454 048
e-mail: margonportugal@hotmail.com

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MARGON PORTUGAL was the first company in the branch of structural ceramics to be awarded in 1996 with the title of Certified Enterprise by the IPQ (Portuguese Institute of Quality).
We are aware that quality has become a decisive factor in industrial and commercial development in our highly competitive markets. Thus, the success of an enterprise is based upon Certification as a way to guarantee the implementation and the maintenance of a System of Quality.We have always made strong efforts to respond with quality to the market demands of our customers. As a company that has received important certifications and that has constantly been assessed by its customers, it is the quality of our products and our services the essential issues of our image on the market.

Quality and Environment go together
It is our aim to supply high quality products reducing as far as we can the environmental impact.

The advantages of MARGON PORTUGAL products:
» Produced from a mixture of different high quality types of clay and subject to strict production control, MARGON PORTUGAL tiles are present in the most beautiful Portuguese roofs.
» A rigorous final touch as well as the fine colour of MARGON PORTUGAL roof tiles, made possible by the most updated technological developments in this branch, enable the building of beautiful roofs that match the beauty of our natural landscapes.
» A vast range of accessories and fittings are available to adjust the finish of the roofs to all kinds of architectural style.
» Above all, MARGON PORTUGAL tiles guarantee the best thermal and hygrometric balance because they are highly waterproof and resistant.

The Company
The company was founded in 1960. The factory was initially created for the production of ceramic products and the trading of plastic materials. However, the circumstances of the market led to rapid conclusion that its activity should focus exclusively on the production of ceramic material, mainly cap vaults and bricks, as well as roof tiles and roof fittings.
By the end of the 60s, MARGON PORTUGAL begins its full dedication to the production of tiles, in particular the models Lusa and Marselha, in order to meet the needs of the customers who found it difficult to find suppliers of high quality ceramic roof products.
Due to the ever increasing demands of the customers, it was clear that the existing capacity was not enough. Thus, in the mid-70s, MARGON PORTUGAL invests in a new factory unit, entirely automated, allowing for the production of clay tiles and fittings to be twice as much.
Its products are then subject to all the normative tests and accredited, from the LNEC (Civil Engineer National Laboratory) to be of great quality.
With its production and management policy directed towards quality, MARGON PORTUGAL witnesses an increase in the number of orders for exportation to both European and American markets. This success is also seen in the many international prizes MARGON PORTUGAL was awarded, such as the Trophy for Commercial Prestige (Portugal), the PME Prestige (Portugal), the European Trophy for Quality (France), the International Trophy for Exportation (Spain), the Trophy for the best Service and Quality in Portugal (Spain), the International Trophy for Quality (Spain), the International Trophy for Technology (Germany) and the American Trophy for International Trading (USA).
In 1988, the company becomes a joint-stock company, although it still maintains the characteristics of a family business.
In the meantime, the market evolution and the expectations which stemmed from the Portuguese membership to the EEC, led to the rethinking of market strategies, in view of a more global perspective of the economy worldwide. Issues such as the evolution of trends, or the demands for better quality, better response capacity and more competitiveness with the other countries within the European community, began to be more seriously considered. Therefore, in the mid-90s there is the need of a new large investment in order to implement a project which would upgrade and make more profitable the company’s productivity. This project belongs to a reshuffling process which introduces deep changes, not only on the department level but also on the level of the production process. New staff is admitted, state-of-the-art technology is installed and training courses are scheduled. In brief, the changes are the following:
1993 - The project of Quality improvement is carried out;
1994 - A new laboratory of I&D and Quality control is set up; The productive line F1, which had been submitted to technological improvement, starts working again; the production capacity of tiles is reinforced;
1995 - The productive capacity in the accessories line is reinforced;
1996 - MARGON PORTUGAL is awarded the title of Certified Company by the IPQ (Portuguese Institute for Quality). It becomes then the first company to be certified by the norm NP EN ISO 9002 in the branch of structural building ceramics;
1997 - The building destined to the new preparation of pulp is built. Here the most modern technology in the market is due to be installed;
1998 - The ground for the storage of clay or for the piling and maturation of the batches is enlarged and becomes three times bigger; A project of environmental reconversion is implemented: low polluting technology is installed, for instance, natural gas starts being used from next year on;
1999 - The factory unit F2, which starts working the following year, is technologically reconverted; the pressing line in the factory unit F1is technological reconverted, too; the new model of the Margon Portugal Lusa clay tile, the T Plus-S, is launched;
2000 - The covered area in the loading park is built, with a view to offering more protection and comfort to our customers during the loading process; the productive capacity of tiles is again reinforced; the new model of Margon Portugal Marselha clay tile is launched.
2002 - MARGON PORTUGAL has a site in the World Wide Web;
Our beliefs remain solid – to be able to offer the best quality. We also wish to take part in international development when competing with our European partners.

Production Process

Extraction and transport
After having drilled the soil and having gathered samples to be analysed, tested and ranked in the laboratory, the ground for the extraction of clay is chosen.

Setting-up of batches and maturation
The different kinds of clay are stored separately in enclosed open-air areas. After a series of laboratorial tests, the mixtures of clay on each batch are carefully determined. Then, each batch is set up. The mixture of the clay is carried out in horizontal layers.

Pre-preparation of the pulp
This stage consists of decompacting, crushing, smashing and making a new mixture of the batch, so that it achieves a grain growth, which is less than 3 mm and the mixture is more homogeneous.

Preparation of the pulp
This stage consists of mixing the pulp, after water is added, with a view to upgrading the level of homogenisation and giving the mixture its final features of plasticity. The pulp is then rolled in order to achieve the desired grain growth.

Pre-configuration: extrusion
The pulp enters an extrusion room and is there subject to vacuum and compression in order to reach a compactness, which allows it to continually go out from a mouthpiece with the shape of a "tongue", whose shape has been previously determined. Then, the "tongue" is cut so that a "ballast" appears, which should have the required size in order to proceed to the pressing stage.

Configuration: pressing
The "ballast" is pressed and the final shape of the wanted model of clay tile is attained.

Configurated Tiles Stock
After the pressing, the tiles are led to a waiting line, where they wait for their turn to enter the drying room.

Drying
This long-lasting stage intends to remove the humidity, which had been added, so that the pulp could obtain the required plasticity. The "dry tiles" are then led to the waiting line of the kiln.

Baking
This is one of the most important stages of the whole manufacturing process. Here we try to get the final characteristics of the tile that determine its good performance on the roof, namely its capacity to be highly resistant and waterproof. After being ordered into "cassettes", the tiles are piled into wagons, especially prepared to resist high temperatures. The loaded wagons start their slow and long-lasting route through the tunnel kiln. As they slide through the kiln tracks, the tiles go through gradual degrees of warming, baking and cooling that cause different kinds of chemical reactions, providing them with the wanted features.

Baked Tiles Stock
When the baking cycle comes to an end, the wagons loaded with baked tiles are led to the waiting line in order to cool, while waiting for their turn to be unloaded and the tiles packed.

Packing
In tandem with the pace of the wrapping process, the wagons are unloaded and the titles, which meet the predetermined quality patterns, are packed.

Expediting
The manufactured clay tiles are classified as finished product ready to be sold. According to their model and category, they are then registered in stock and stored in a park especially built for this matter, and wait there to be expedited.

History of Clay Tiles

The History of Clay Tiles

The word ceramic derives from the Greek term KERAMIKÉ, which comes from the word KERAMOS or clay. It comprises those activities whose purpose is to obtain a wide range of objects made of all kinds of clay. In its "plastic" stage, clay is easy to shape and becomes easily hard when drying or through baking.Ceramics is certainly one of the oldest techniques of manufacturing tools and objects to be used in the building and decoration of homes, or in the storing and transportation of goods (such as food), among others. It is estimated that the use of red clay dates from the Neolithic period (8000 years B.C.).

At the end of the Stone Age, clay starts being baked in ovens, which enabled to obtain more resistant products. It is then that this raw material starts being used in more daring projects such as the famous Tower of Babel, the Great Wall of China, or the first hieroglyphic inscriptions in slabs of clay. The Romans developed and improved many ceramic techniques, and spread its secrets to the different peoples in their empire, which led to a more widespread use of clay for different kinds of buildings.
The word Tile originates from the Latin word Tegula, which was the word used by the Romans to define the different kinds of tiles used in roofs. Some of those tiles still have the distinctive mark of the manufacturer. It is thought that the use of tile is as old as the use of brick. However, the bad condition of the monuments before the Roman Age makes it difficult to know exactly how the roofs were and when tiles started being laid.
After its use became more widespread, and mainly due to its wide resistance and durability, the tile started being used for decoration as well. A new range of decorative items, such as women heads, flowers, leaves or animals were also laid as complement to the other tiles.

The Romans used two different kinds of tiles: the Tégulae and the Imbrices. The former were flat and rectangular, with edges on the longest sides and were on average 34 to 40 cm long and 23 to 27 cm wide. The latter had a semi cylindrical section, and were used to fill the joints left by the Tégulae.
Roman tiles were in use until the 18th century. But already from the 11th century onwards new models (such as the Champagne or Flemish tile and the concave or channel tiles) and new shapes (such as the trapezoidal ) appeared.
It was finally in 1841 that an invention came to revolutionize the production of tiles. This invention, ascribed to the Alsatian brothers Gilardon d’Altkirche, consisted of the emergence of the gutter tile.
It was this way that later a new tile emerges, resulting from the combination of the Tégulae and the Imbrice, which is the Lusa tile, also known in the south of Europe as Portuguese tile.

Certification

Certification Norms:

EN 1304 - Definition and specification of the product.

EN 1024 - Geommetrical features.

EN 539-1 - Waterproofness (test made according to Method 2).

EN 539-2 - Resistance to frost (test made according to Method C).

EN 538 - Resistance to bending.

Description of Lusa Roofing Tile

These are medium-sized tiles, of excellent proportions, which achieve an aesthetic effect in itself very similar to the traditional Portuguese roofs (concave tile).

They are rather easy to lay and there is a vast range of accessories available, which enables a good adjustment to any kind of architectural style, i.e., modern or traditional.

Lusa Plus S Tile

This model comes naturally from the previous model Portuguese T Plus, already known by its qualities such as:
» Resistence, this is due to the high baking temperature (about 1050 ºC);
» Fine Colour, because of both the careful selection of pulp and the high baking temperature;
» Excellent final aesthetic effect, because of both the careful selection of pulp and the high baking temperature;
The new model has other advantages apart from those mentioned above:
» Less number of tiles required for each square metre (12,3 tiles/m2 as opposed to 13,2 tiles/m2 in the previous tiles), which naturally reduces the costs of each square metre;
» He fittings have a better longitudinal and transversal clearance enabling a less demanding size of the chantlate, in terms of angle plate and distance between the shingles. Thus, it also means less labour force needed because the working time needed is also less;
» Quicker laying, due to the two aspects mentioned before and, consequently, the costs for each square metre are reduced;
» A wind-mill is set on the top of the concave tile which intends to conceal the "collar" of the previous tile. A better visual effect is therefore achieved;
» Better overlapping of fittings, which is advantageous in windy areas or in roofs with just a slight inclination. The main advantage of the bigger overlapping area is precisely the fact that the wind (or water that comes with the wind) finds it more difficult to penetrate the roof through the fittings.

Packing: 280 tiles; Palette 113 x 9cm; Weight 1.080 kg

Technical of Lusa

Accessories For Lusa Roofing Tile

Ibérica Tile

Description of Marselha roofing tile

Their flat shape with a double channel enables them to be highly impervious to wind and rain, hindering eventual whirls caused by mighty rivers in periods of heavy rain as well as tree leaves and other things brought by the wind.
Their traditional design of fine proportions maintains the beauty of old Portuguese roofs. So, French gutter tiles are those chosen to restore roofs from old houses.

This model has the following advantages:

» Resistence: this is due to the high baking temperature (about 1050 ºC);

» Fine Colour: because of both the careful selection of pulp and the high baking temperature;

» Traditional aesthetic effect, which is achieved from a design of fine proportions in order to reproduce the beauty of old Portuguese roofs.

» Better imperviousness due to the kind of fitting. This enables one to obtain a "closer" roof (if compared to the Normal Portuguese tile model), which is especially advantageous in slabless roofs;

» Quicker laying due to the shape of the fitting. It also means less costs for each m2 laid;

» There are two different ways to lay these kind of tiles, since they have been carefully designed to allow to make the roof either with aligned courses or courses which go different ways. In both cases the result is a perfect fitting.

Packings: 320 Tiles; Palette 113 x 91cm; Weight 1.170 Kg