Andre Mehling has been appointed Area Sales Manager at Argelith, one of Kemtile’s most valued global supply partners.
Argelith manufactures high quality, durable tiles for industrial use from its factory in Bad Essen, Northern Germany and has carved out a reputation over 150 years for best-in-class product design and manufacture.
Andre is responsible for growing commercial sales across a wide range of territories including the UK and Ireland, Benelux and Africa.
Just two months into the role he joined colleagues from Kemtile at PPMA 2025 this week for the first time – a leading show for the process and packaging machinery sector in the UK – to get to know the people and the market in a key territory.
He said: “I want to work very collaboratively from the start with Jamie and his team at Kemtile – there is a lot we can learn from each other – and I see great opportunity in the UK with their talented specialist tiling team and strong food and drink industry – a key sector for us.”
Other sectors of interest all align with Kemtile’s own and include sub-sectors of the thriving food and beverage scene, notably brewery, bakery, drinks, meat and seafood.
Fire stations, automotive, pharma and retail also figure high on the agenda and Andre is planning a relationship offensive with end customers, lead plant engineers, architects, planners and construction companies to get them to specify Argelith as their tile of choice.
Having recently moved from a large engineering firm where he was product manager for components used in industrial furnaces Andre sees plenty of crossover in skills and experience.
"The furnaces were similar to ones used in the ceramics industry,” he said. “I also studied geosciences giving me a natural connection with the ingredients used in creating the tiles.”
Argelith tiles are made from 100% natural ingredients like clay and felspar and are light on processing with no chemicals involved, making them a sustainable flooring choice.
Andre again: “Times are changing – sustainability is a growing consideration for all manufacturing companies looking to meet ESG compliance targets.”
He also brings experience in product management and marketing, and most important listening to customer feedback. He added: “Taking a customer centric approach always delivers the best solutions.”
So why Argelith and why now?
The quality of the products and the chance to join a successful family-run firm with over 15 decades of expertise was key to the decision for Andre.
“Argelith lead the market in quality as well as durability bringing technical advantage to a first-class aesthetic which, if well maintained, will last 30 years,” he said.
It is a commitment to high performance flooring systems which stand the test of time shared by Kemtile. Director Jamie Cook said, “We use the Argelith tiles in a range of specially engineered pre-approved technical fixing systems to deliver the durability we need.”
Kagetec AR or GFK is the system of choice, used in the majority of Kemtile’s industrial ceramic floor projects. The combination of vibration tiling and a plastic mesh reinforced epoxy adhesive layer between the tiles and the bedding medium makes the GFK system one of the toughest flooring solutions available. It also allows installers to create intricate falls within the bedding screed.
The AR system embeds into a high tolerance concrete – which Kemtile can install if needed – which makes it particularly strong and highly resistant to demanding thermal and mechanical stresses.
Jamie explained: “Every tile is encased in epoxy resin. If the grout is damaged the tile bedding is protected. It is also ideal for very wet areas due to its totally impervious substrate.”
All Argelith tiles are also HACCP and EHEDG accredited, which looks set to be more important than ever with changing EU legislation in July next year.
This will make UK exports in the ready to eat sector subject to more scrutiny around listeria and heighten opportunities for Kemtile and Argelith in UK-based food and drink companies serving international customers.
Andre again: “Lead generation, business introductions, conversations in both directions, sharing of intel – I am looking forward to a successful partnership with Kemtile in the UK.”
Jamie added: “All our global partners – Panelchok bollards, Polysto kerb technology – together with our extensive Stonhard Group resin product range – work together to create bespoke and robust single source solutions for our customers. We look forward to working with Andre and the wider Argelith team.”
On the best piece of career advice ever received Andre said investing effort for the long-term and never giving up was fundamental.
When not working Andre is a black belt in karate – a sport he has pursued since childhood – and was recently part of a team crowned champions of Northern Germany!
To get in touch with Andre please email him at a.mehling@argelith.com
For more information on Argelith go to their website https://argelith.de/en/home-en/
