Poceram Produtos Cerâmicos
THE ABANDONED FACTORY IN PORTUGAL
The Portuguese factory ‘Poceram Produtos Cerâmicos’ manufactures and markets ceramic floor tiles and coverings. The factory went bankrupt in 2009.
The historic Coimbra-based company Poceram has been led since 1973 by the Marques family.
The factory made a typical Portuguese product, the Azulejo. These are painted tin-glazed ceramic tiles. You can find Azulejos on the interior and exterior of churches, palaces, houses, schools. Presently you can still see them on modern buildings like restaurants, bars, and even railway or subway stations. They were not only used as an ornamental art form, but also had a specific function like temperature control in homes.
This pottery announced the closure of its factory with the loss of 153 jobs in 2010. The plant was already inactive since April 2009. The liabilities of the unit exceed 20 million euros. Also, the workers have to complain about a million euros of unpaid wages. The photos of ‘Poceram Produtos Cerâmicos’ were taken in 2016.
