Stonepeak Ceramics hosted a ribbon cutting on September 12 to celebrate the grand opening of a new production line for large-format panels in the Tennessee plant. The company invested $70 million to add a new panel production line and is the first in the country to manufacture the company's 5x10 ft. panels stateside.

Stonepeak, a subsidiary of the Italian holding group Iris Ceramica, employs 280 and is adding 160 jobs over the next five years. Stonepeak opened its U.S. tile plant in Crossville in 2005 and will have invested nearly $250 million to grow the plant to nearly 1.3 million square feet.

The line produces tiles ranging from 6 mm to 2 cm in thickness. It is the only production line in the world capable of producing porcelain ranging from 12x12 in. tiles to 120x 60 in. panels.

For more information, visit www.stonepeakceramics.com.