OUR HISTORY
Our journey first began with H&R Johnson Tiles, which was founded in Cobridge, Stoke-on-Trent, by the Johnson family in England in 1901, being the leading manufacturer and suppier of ceramic tiles with a long history of market leadership and industry production development. Throughout the first half of the twentieth century, the Norcros Group expanded the organisation and developed sister companies in South Africa, Greece and India as well as offices in Dubai and USA. These companies flourished and the Norcos Group then had a considerable global presence and buying strength. As it grew, the winds of expansion brought the Norcos Group to Australia, setting up its first venture trading as H&R Johnson Tiles Austraila Pty Ltd on 22 June 1963. Two sites were established - a manufacturing plant in Mascot, New South Wales and another in Coburg, Victoria. Both plants produced ceramic tiles and other cermaic goods for over twenty years and employed more than 600 staff.
primary production site for all Johnson Tiles ceramic and tile products. The antiquated Mascot and Coburg factories were closed. Around the same time, Johnson Tiles Australia purchased two companies in Bayswater, Victoria: Soveriegn Potteries and Johnson Brothers. Johnson Brothers were the primary supplier of the materials used for producing ceramic products. In the early-nineties, Johnson Tiles Australia invested heavily in converting the two newly acquired Bayswater companies into a brand new, state-of-the-art site with new kilns, machinery and warehouses. By the mid-nineties, product development, manufacturing, production, testing, head office and a sales outlet were all situated at the Bayswater plant, employing over 300 staff. The first Johnson Tiles retail and trade shop at Bayswater was established in 1995, and by 2001, Johnson Tiles Australia became the primary supplier of floor tiles, wall tiles and decoration products for Bunnings in Australia. In 2014, Johnson Tiles Australia was acquired by Kim Hin Industry Berhad, a public listed company in Malaysia with three manufacturing facilities in Malaysia and one in China. Johnson Tiles Australia continues its manufacturing tradition and has taken a huge leap forward in style, quality and production techniques. Today, Johnson Tiles Australia head office is still in Bayswater, Victoria. Five brand new showrooms have been set up across Australia with six distribution centres (including two in New Zealand) and our products can be found in almost every Bunnings warehouse throughout Australia and New Zealand.
The Evolution of Johnson Tiles
By the mid-eighties, H&R Johnson Australia was due for a change. In 1984, the trading name was officially changed to Johnson Tiles Australia and a brand new manufacturing facility was built in Croydon, Victoria. The Croydon plant became the
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