Royal inaugurates tiles experience centre to aid local content

West African Ceramics Ltd has opened a tiles experience centre in Lagos, to improve consumer engagement and access to the commodity.
President of the Nigerian Institute of Building (NIOB), Shuaib Tijjani, lauded Royal brand for the experience centre initiative.

He described the experience Centre as a timely initiative in view of current realities of some of economic policies of the current administration.

“There is no doubt that considering the difficulties in importation generally and the current Change drive and in line with the local content policy of President Muhammadu Buhari, Builders, Architects and Project Owners should patronize the Royal Brand of Tiles and advantage of the availability of the same high standard and better quality tiles that are obtainable in the European markets,” he advised.

Tijjani said: “We should support the President’s Change mantra of resuscitating the economy by patronising our locally produced goods, particularly when the quality and standards are the same, if not better than the foreign goods.”

The General Manager, West African Ceramics Ltd, Bhaskar Rao, said the Royal Experience Centre has been established to redefine buying experience of tiles for building projects for consumers. He also introduced the new range of Digital, Digital High Gloss and brand new Double Charged Tiles from Royal stable to the market.

“I am proud to announce to you that our company is the first to manufacture Double Charged Designs, mostly used in higher end hotels and commercial projects which I think have positioned our brand, ROYAL as pioneer and pacesetter in the West African sub-region”, he added.

Rao said that all tiles were 100 per cent proudly made in Nigeria and come in an array of sizes.‘The Royal Experience Centre will be replicated in other major cities across Nigeria and will feature new trends of digitally mastered and designed tiles alongside conventional tiles. It will be opened to everyone including students in the fields of Architecture Science, Building Technology, and Ceramics Engineering as it serves as enlightenment centre on everything tiles and ceramics,” he said.

It would be recalled that West African Ceramic pioneered and initiated five-colour digital print technology for tiles in West Africa early last year.

The ceremony was well attended by notable stakeholders in the Built Environment such as the President of the Nigerian Institute of Building (NIOB), Shuaib Tijjani; Prof. Patrick Oaikhinan, a Professor of Ceramic Engineering; executive members of the Nigerian Institute of Building and the Nigerian Institute of Architects; and distributors of the Royal brand of tiles.