Ardian & Sicer: Innovating ceramic surfaces with quality and sustainability at the core

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Ardian & Sicer: Innovating ceramic surfaces with quality and sustainability at the core

16 February 2026
Private Equity
Expansion
Italy

Reading time: 2 minutes

Discover how Sicer, a world leader in ceramic surface solutions, with Ardian as a strategic minority partner, combines innovation, sustainability, and international presence to deliver tailor-made cutting-edge products and rapid customer service worldwide.

Ardian & Sicer | Innovating ceramic excellence worldwide

In this video, Gianfranco and Giuliano, the visionary entrepreneurs behind Sicer, share how the company has developed from a ceramic decoration products specialist into a global leader in specialty coatings solutions for gres porcelain. With Sicer's value-added proposition, including innovation (over 60 R&D experts), a strong focus on sustainability, a customer-centric business model, and Ardian’s support, the company is successfully growing also in high-potential markets like India and the United States.

From local innovator to global leader

Founded in 1993, Sicer began by developing products for ceramic decoration and has since evolved into a world leader in specialty coatings for high-end ceramic production, with a special focus on gres porcelain. Its product range spans frits, glazes, grits, and digital inks that transform clay surfaces into high-quality finished products.

The company’s R&D department drives continuous innovation and aesthetic research, ensuring Sicer remains at the forefront of the industry.

40+

international markets served through 6 production plants across the globe
60+

R&D experts including geologists, engineers, and chemists

Sustainability and customer-centric approach

Sicer places sustainability at the heart of its innovation. As a recent example, the company has successfully developed a new series of low-emission inks to help its clients meet strict environmental standards during tile firing. The company’s commercial agility, customer focus and growing footprint at international level (from Italy, to India, United States of America, Mexico, Spain and Indonesia) have enabled it to expand worldwide.

Each local subsidiary operates its own research center, coordinated from Italy, ensuring rapid, consistent and effective customer service and product development.

Partnering with Ardian for international expansion

Since Ardian’s investment in March 2025, Sicer strategy has further developed with a focus on internationalization. Ardian has supported the company on several ESG initiatives, including securing a sustainability-linked loan, and has provided advanced data processing and analysis capabilities through its internal Data Science Center.

The partnership aims to strengthen Sicer’s presence across recently penetrated high-potential markets following a distinctive and consistent business model and maintaining its position as one of the best-performing players in the market.