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Case study · Ridgeline Surfaces · Phoenix, AZ

Lowering firing energy without touching finish

How Ridgeline Surfaces trimmed 12% off its single biggest cost line — firing energy — across three kilns, with no change to color or finish.

Industry
Multi-plant group
Location
Phoenix, Arizona
Line
Three kilns (AZ & TX)
Live since
2024

The challenge. Firing is the most expensive and least forgiving step on any tile line, and across three kilns it was Ridgeline’s biggest cost. Leadership wanted savings — but not at the price of a single color or finish complaint.

What we did. tyle.tech modeled each kiln’s firing curve against energy use and defect rate, then recommended curve adjustments per body and glaze — firing hot enough for a clean result and no hotter. Changes rolled out kiln by kiln with finish held inside spec.

The results

−12%
Energy / m²
Same color and finish.
3
Kilns tuned
Across AZ and TX plants.
0
Finish complaints
No change customers could see.
1season
To ROI
Savings on the biggest cost line.

“Twelve percent off our biggest cost line, and nobody could tell the difference in the tile. That’s the whole game.”

Marcus Bell · VP Operations, Ridgeline Surfaces

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