World production and consumption of ceramic tiles

MARkETS
World production and consumption
of ceramic tiles
By DaviD Stock
The ceramic tile industry enjoyed robust, if admittedly lopsided,
growth in 2013 as four countries – Turkey and the Asian triumvirate
of China, India and Indonesia – sparked an upsurge in production
of 6.4 per cent. Worldwide consumption rose by almost 6 per cent,
with exports / imports accounting for an unprecedented 23.1 per
cent of overall sales.
Production
continent-wide progress of only 2.9 per
cent. In excess of four-fifths of ceramic
tile production is centred within ten prolific nations.
Asian countries preserved their
dominance of global manufacturing,
from a quantity viewpoint, strengthening their collective output by eight per
cent to 8.315 billion square metres. Tile
producers scattered across the hurriedly developing continent thus fashioned
seven out of every ten ceramic tiles
made around the world. Although the
production-related figures emanating
from China are notoriously difficult to
accurately quantify, due to deep-seated
Ceramic tile production climbed to
11.913 billion square metres with growth
overwhelmingly confined to Asia and
non-EU Europe. The expansion observed
in 2012 was more equally apportioned
with heartening upturns witnessed in
five of Acimac’s seven designated regions. In 2013 manufacturers in the
European Union and Central and South
America heightened their output by less
than two per cent, whilst their counterparts in Oceania and North America
stagnated entirely. Africa emerged as
the third-fastest growing region despite
WORLD MANUFACTURING AREAS
2013
(Sq.mt Mill.)
% on world
production
% var.
13/12
1,186
10.0
+0.7
OTHER EUROPE
(Turkey included)
590
5.0
+13.0
NORTH AMERICA
(Mexico included)
300
2.5
0.0
CENTRAL-SOUTH AMERICA
1,158
9.7
+1.8
ASIA
8,315
69.8
+8.0
359
3.0
+2.9
5
0.0
0.0
11,913
100.0
+6.4
AREAS
EUROPEAN UNION (28)
AFRICA
OCEANIA
TOTAL
54 | Tile Today #85 | www.infotile.com/publications
incongruities in the disseminated
statistics, more trusted sources have
ascertained that Chinese production
amounted to 5.7 billion square metres
in the previous year. This figure denoted
an increase that comfortably exceeded
Asian and worldwide averages; with the
output of ceramic tile manufacturers in
the single-party state escalating by an
impressive 9.6 per cent. Chinese sources have estimated their capacity to be
nearing ten billion square metres with
some 1400 companies and 3500 manufacturing lines. At present, the world’s
most populous nation singlehandedly
creates 47.8 per cent of all ceramic tiles.
The Indian tile industry continues
to improve with its manufacturers producing an admirable 750 million square
metres. These companies are heavily
concentrated in the Saurashtra region
of Gujarat, the nation’s westernmost
state, although tile producers can also
be found in northern areas such as
Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, as well
as Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh to
the south. Indian firms have almost
doubled their output over the past five
years which has prompted the more
high-end and reputable among them
to embark on a belated export strategy.
The uncharacteristic sluggishness that
enveloped the Iranian manufacturing
sector detracted from the continent’s
otherwise commendable performance.
The mixed and transition economy of
the Islamic Republic has regressed
in recent times with Gross Domestic
Product declining once the baneful consequences of domestic price controls
and subsidies and widespread corruption in the private sector could not be
contained or counterbalanced. Iranian
manufacturers succeeded in replicating
TOP MANUFACTURING COUNTRIES
COUNTRY
2009
(Sq.m Mill.)
2010
(Sq.m Mill.)
2011
(Sq.m Mill.)
2012
(Sq.m Mill.)
2013
(Sq.m Mill.)
% on 2013
world production
% var.
13/12
3,600
4,200
4,800
5,200
5,700
47.8%
9.6%
2. BRAZIL
715
754
844
866
871
7.3%
0.6%
3. INDIA
490
550
617
691
750
6.3%
8.5%
4. IRAN
350
400
475
500
500
4.2%
0.0%
5. SPAIN
324
366
392
404
420
3.5%
4.0%
6. INDONESIA
278
287
320
360
390
3.3%
8.3%
7. ITALY
368
387
400
367
363
3.0%
-1.1%
8. TURKEY
205
245
260
280
340
2.9%
21.4%
9. VIETNAM
295
375
380
290
300
2.5%
3.4%
204
210
219
229
228
1.9%
-0.4%
TOTAL
6,829
7,774
8,707
9,187
9,862
82.8%
7.3%
WORLD TOTAL
8,581
9,619
10,599
11,194
11,913
100.0%
6.4%
1. CHINA
10. MEXICO
Source / Fonte: Acimac Survey dept. “World Production and consumption of ceramic tiles”, 2nd edition 2014
their outstanding, record-breaking efforts from 2012 with production equalling, but not surpassing, 500 million
square metres. Despite this repetition,
the nation retained its status as the
third most prolific Asian producer and
the fourth biggest in the world.
A nation thoroughly deserving of
attention and praise encompasses the
sprawling archipelago to Australia’s
north. Indonesia’s inhabited islands
are home to ceramic tile manufacturers that have more than doubled their
output since 2006 leading them to supplant their counterparts in Turkey and
Vietnam. The latest upturn in production exceeded eight per cent, ensuring
that the Newly Industrialised Country
manufactured 390 million square metres last year, duly outstripping Italy, a
European heavyweight.
Vietnamese tile-makers recovered
in heartening fashion following a truly
nightmarish slump that saw the output of the Indochinese country, with its
rapidly expanding, socialist-orientated
market economy, deteriorate by close to
one-quarter. A modest but welcome return to form enabled Vietnam to heighten production to 300 million square
metres. Tile manufacturing in Saudi
Arabia is dominated by one outstanding
enterprise. Saudi Ceramics is the second biggest producer in the Arab World
– behind RAK Ceramics of the UAE
– and one of the ten largest globally,
with five premises coalescing to create
57 million square metres of product,
principally destined for consumption in
the flourishing domestic market, during
a twelve-month period that saw the absolutist kingdom augment its output by
5.9 per cent.
SCG Group and RAK Ceramics are
the most substantial manufacturers
in Asia. The former consists of some
21 production plants in Thailand with
an additional twelve spread throughout Vietnam, Indonesia and the
Philippines. Arwana Citramulia and
Mulia are foremost contributors to
Indonesian manufacturing, and White
Horse remains the principal source of
ceramic tile in Malaysia, with subsidiaries in Taiwan and Vietnam. Indian
companies are quite underwhelming in
stature when one considers the significant volumes of ceramic tile fashioned
across the country. Leading manufacturers on the Indian subcontinent are
H&R Johnson and Kajaria, which has
production facilities in Gujarat, and
other states such as Rajasthan and
Uttar Pradesh.
The straitened European Union is
engaged in a seemingly futile search
for consistent and meaningful growth,
with GDP contracting across the eurozone for the third time in five years.
Structural shortcomings have engendered economic underperformance and
uncertainty, as well as quite horrendous
levels of debt and unemployment. These
problems have gradually permeated the
ceramic tile industry, with a diminutive
but nonetheless symbolic regression
witnessed in 2012 and negligible progress recorded twelve months later. Its
twenty-eight member states produced
10 per cent of the world’s ceramic tile
– 1.186 billion square metres – in 2013.
Spain’s manufacturing resurgence
continued apace with the once unimaginable losses sustained during the
darkest days of the financial crisis recouped to some extent. The output of ceramic tile makers in the Iberian country
dipped by approximately 45 per cent,
and though much work needs to be done
– hopefully amid more favourable economic circumstances – four successive
years of ceaseless regeneration have culminated in firms producing 420 million
square metres, confirming Spain’s position as the largest tile producer in the
European Union. Castellon’s Pamesa
functioned at full capacity, to create 49.2
million square metres in five locallybased plants. Its turnover amounted to
234 million euro with more than 80 per
cent of the company’s output shipped to
foreign markets.
Italian tile production totalled 363.4
million square metres in 2013. The nation’s manufacturing sector dwindled
slightly, with three fewer enterprises
and a streamlined workforce minimising their output by 1.1 per cent.
Concorde Group employs one-tenth of
the personnel involved in Italian tilemaking, and remains one of the biggest
companies in the world on the basis of
volume with turnover approaching 600
million euro. Four companies achieved
double digit growth: Gold Art, Rondine,
Emilceramica and Novabell. Finfloor
and Fiandre-Iris reported upswings of
above three per cent, while discouraging drops befell manufacturers like
Gardenia Orchidea and Serenissima Cir.
Internationalisation is tremendously
important to the Italian industry, with
multiple subsidiaries established in
countries such as Germany, the United
States and Russia. Such operations are
partially or entirely controlled by groups
headquartered in Italy, who derive logistical simplicity and tens of millions of
euro from their overseas undertakings.
Eastern European production is heavily
concentrated in Poland where brands
such as Opoczno and Cersanit are manufactured by the Rovese Group – which
also owns smaller factories in Romania
and Russia.
The tile production that takes place
in non-EU Europe is centred in Turkey,
and to a lesser extent, Russia. These
nations are increasingly few in number as the untrammelled expansion of
the European Union has seen previously communist-controlled states and
sovereign countries that ceded from
Yugoslavia afforded membership with
breathtaking alacrity. Turkish companies were especially buoyant, as their
output soared by 21.4 per cent to 340
million square metres. This matchless improvement occurred despite
the capacity of ceramic tile producers
www.infotile.com/publications | TILE TODAY #85 | 55
MARkETS
stagnating, with economic progress
and anti-inflationary measures enticing
otherwise pragmatic concerns to make
the most of dormant resources. Turkish
manufacturers were responding to
greater consumer confidence which
more than made amends for decreasing exports. Kale Group is the nation’s
leading tile producer, with more than
20 factories committed to manufacturing Kalebodur, Canakkale and other
sought after collections. Edilgres and
Edilcuoghi are produced by Kale Italia.
Russian manufacturers continue
to prosper, their collective efforts
amounting to 166 million square metres. Companies such as Kerama
Marazzi have recovered from the Global
Financial Crisis which prompted production in the Eurasian state to diminish by 20 per cent, when the industry
reached its lowest ebb five years ago.
Russia has since enjoyed uninterrupted
growth but struggles to contend with
the demands of domestic consumers
(often quite affluent city dwellers) who
have obtained material comfort and
considerable riches in the post-Soviet
age. Production occurs in the Kaluga
and Voronezh oblasts of the Central
Federal District, as well as the semirural hinterland enclosing crucial economic centres such as Saint Petersburg,
Rostov and Moscow. Chelyabinsk and
Yekaterinburg, cities defined by metallurgy and metal engineering, are
becoming more adept at ceramic tile
making, too.
Three quarters of the ceramic tile
that emanated from Central and South
America was made by Brazilian firms.
The nation produced 871 million square
metres with Incefra, Majopar, Cecafi
and others functioning at almost their
optimum levels. Brazil’s manufacturing capacity is tipped to enlarge by 120
million square metres when industry
protagonists such as Eliane, Portobello
and Cecrisa begin to reap the benefits
of ample and continuous investment in
machinery and other technologies over
the next two to three years. Brazilian
producers are seeking to distance themselves even further from those they have
already surpassed (every nation except
China) by addressing the often prohibitive energy and labour costs that bedevil
their efforts to increase productivity.
Polished unglazed and low-thickness
glazed porcelain tiles are commonplace
and firms in the Santa Gertrudes
cluster, more prolific than their counterparts in Criciúma but lacking the
same degree of quality, are consciously
attempting to make more high-end
products by combining traditional drygrinding technologies with wet-grinding production lines. Ceramica San
Lorenzo (an Argentine group with operations in Peru, Colombia and Chile) and
Colombia’s Corona are noteworthy participants elsewhere in South America.
56 | Tile Today #85 | www.infotile.com/publications
The ceramic tile industry in North
America stood still with production returning to 300 million square metres.
Mexican enterprises such as Lamosa
and Vitromex are the leading lights of
the regional manufacturing sector, with
the first of those gargantuan concerns
producing more than half of the nation’s overall output at nine facilities.
Recognisable brands in the Lamosa
portfolio include Porcelanite, Firenze
and Verve. Mexico will hopefully forge
ahead following a torpid twelve months
that saw its manufacturing aptitude
wane despite a marked improvement
in overseas sales. However, the most
populous Spanish-speaking country
comfortably maintained its standing
as the tenth largest tile producer, creating some 228 million square metres.
Such endeavours in the United States
are often the preserve of groups based
in Italy, which have invested copiously
in areas such as Kentucky and Texas
and produce much of the ceramic tile
that originates in the US. Mohawk
Industries Inc. completed its purchase
of the eminent Marazzi Group in 2013.
African tile production remains
strongest in the north of the continent, with nations such as Egypt and
Morocco habitually exercising a more
pronounced influence than their counterparts to the south. Growth slowed
alarmingly in 2013 with the output of
ceramic tile manufacturers advancing
by less than three per cent, from 349
million to 359 million square metres.
This regrettable trend can largely be
attributed to the debilitating violence
in Egypt, which resulted in another
coup endorsed by the military. The
anguished country is home to Lecico
which has sizeable and long-established
premises close to Alexandria and the
Mediterranean Sea.
Despite the well-documented political
and economic hardships plaguing modern Egypt, the company endures as the
equal biggest tile firm in Africa. Lecico
performed to capacity during 2013 with
its output equating to 33.5 million square
metres. Lebanon is the most receptive foreign market, with some ceramic
tile and sanitaryware produced in the
Levant to cater for demand. An enterprise of equivalent stature is positioned
thousands of miles to the south on the
Indian Ocean coast. Ceramic Industries
was founded in Durban, South Africa in
1992 and has an Australian base in the
Hunter Region.
Oceania created five million square
metres of ceramic tile: an amount that
remained unchanged from 2012.
Consumption
Worldwide tile consumption totalled
11.574 billion square metres with
every continent and region except the
European Union enhancing demand.
The so-called BRIC economies propel
the industry, with Chinese and Indian
buyers forming the largest Asian markets, and Brazilians and Russians (specifically the 110 million based on the
western side of the Urals) holding sway
in the Americas and Europe.
Asian countries consumed twothirds of the world’s ceramic tile with
Chinese sales exceeding three square
metres per capita. The regional and
global economic engine therefore used
4.56 billion square metres of ceramic
tile almost entirely manufactured domestically. This substantial figure
points to an annual advance of above
seven per cent, with four out of every
ten ceramic tiles purchased and installed in China. Indian sales are much
less impressive when measured in per
capita terms as the average person in
the world’s largest democracy consumed
0.6 square metres during the preceding
twelve months. There is clearly enormous room for growth in this comparatively untapped and developing market,
with sales around the country swelling
by almost ten per cent to 748 million
square metres in 2013. Local products
predominate but Chinese imports are
more readily available with a surfeit
of otherwise unwanted tiles shipped
to Indian cities to counter the effects
of the legislation passed by European
lawmakers to curb the adverse and uncompetitive impact of Chinese suppliers
in congested EU markets. Millions of
consumers join the ranks of the Indian
middle class annually, and these better
WORLD CONSUMPTION AREAS
AREAS
2013
(Sq.mt Mill.)
% on world
consumption
% var. 13/12
EUROPEAN UNION (28)
854
7.4
-4.0
OTHER EUROPE
(Turkey included)
567
4.9
+10.3
NORTH AMERICA
(Mexico included)
449
3.9
+5.4
CENTRAL-SOUTH AMERICA
1,272
11.0
+4.2
ASIA
7,692
66.5
+6.4
AFRICA
OCEANIA
TOTAL
692
6.0
+13.4
48
0.4
+20.0
11,574
100.0
+5.9
MARkETS
TOP CONSUMPTION COUNTRIES
COUNTRY
2009
(Sq.m Mill.)
2010
(Sq.m Mill.)
2011
(Sq.m Mill.)
2012
(Sq.m Mill.)
2013
(Sq.m Mill.)
% on 2013
world
consumption
% var.
13/12
3,030
3,500
4,000
4,250
4,556
39.4%
7.2%
2. BRAZIL
644
700
775
803
837
7.2%
4.2%
3. INDIA
494
557
625
681
748
6.5%
9.8%
4. INDONESIA
297
277
312
340
360
3.1%
5.9%
5. IRAN
295
335
395
375
350
3.0%
-6.7%
6. VIETNAM
240
330
360
254
251
2.2%
-1.2%
7. SAUDI ARABIA
166
182
203
230
235
2.0%
2.2%
8. RUSSIA
139
158
181
213
231
2.0%
8.5%
9. USA
173
186
194
204
230
2.0%
12.7%
1. CHINA
138
155
169
184
226
2.0%
22.8%
TOTAL
5,616
6,380
7,214
7,534
8,024
69.3%
6.5%
WORLD TOTAL
8,535
9,491
10,436
10,932
11,574
100.0%
5.9%
10. TURKEY
Source / Fonte: Acimac Survey dept. “World Production and consumption of ceramic tiles”, 2nd edition 2014
educated city dwellers surely represent
a golden opportunity for European and
Middle Eastern manufacturers.
Tile consumption in Southeast Asia
mostly occurs in Indonesia and Vietnam
with sales in the former elevating to 360
million square metres despite a perceptible deceleration in growth from 2012.
Vietnamese consumer demand peaked
three years ago when per capita tile
use reached four square metres. This
unsustainable rate of consumption led
to unalloyed catastrophe as sales retrogressed from 360 million to 254 million
square metres in one calendar year. A
protracted construction boom ushered
in successive decades of conspicuous tile
consumption, which ended abruptly and
has not recommenced. Despite a more
temperate decline in 2013 Vietnam still
possesses the fifth biggest consumer
market in Asia and the sixth largest
worldwide with sales lingering around
the 250 million square metre mark.
The most significant consumers in the
Middle East experienced opposing fortunes with sales once again dropping
in the Iranian market (down by almost
seven per cent from 375 million to 350
million square metres) whilst edging
forward in Saudi Arabia by 2.2 per cent
to 235 million square metres. Per capita
consumption is quite incredible on both
sides of the Gulf, measuring 4.5 square
metres in Iran and 8 square metres in
Saudi Arabia.
Brazil and the United States
overshadowed other American countries with the protest-riddled former
Portuguese colony accounting for 65
per cent of Central and South American
consumption and the US purchasing
more ceramic tile than Mexico and
Canada and the Caribbean islands combined. Brazilian demand will almost
certainly amplify due to the forthcoming Olympics and the urgent need to
address a housing deficit estimated at
around seven million dwelling units.
58 | Tile Today #85 | www.infotile.com/publications
The nation consumed 837 million
square metres in 2013 with per capita
sales surpassing four square metres.
Demand in the States has nearly returned to pre-recession levels following
a fourth consecutive year of ameliorated
consumer confidence when annual sales
surged by almost 13 per cent from 204
million to 230 million square metres.
North American homeowners are obviously drawn to alternative materials
such as carpet and vinyl as consumption has yet to reach one square metre
per person despite growing recognition
and awareness of ceramic tile in parts of
the country (such as California) where
people are more cosmopolitan and the
climate less inclement.
European tile consumption rose from
1.402 billion to 1.421 billion square metres with non-EU nations having to
make amends for the ongoing compression of domestic markets within the
union. Annual sales in non-EU Europe
rose by 10.3 per cent – to 567 million square metres – with Turkey and
Russia once more determining the performance and prospects of the region.
Turkish people devoured 226 million
square metres with record-breaking
construction and renovation activity.
Per capita use approached three square
metres as the transcontinental country
achieved expansion of close to 23 per
cent. The marginally more substantial
Russian market enlarged by 8.5 per
cent to 231 million square metres with
the output of domestic enterprises supplemented by southern European and
Chinese products. The disparity that
exists between Russia’s output and demand has opened a window of opportunity for nascent enterprises in adjoining
Belarus and Ukraine.
The influence of the European Union
waned less dramatically than was previously the case with consumption decreasing from 890 million to 854 million
square metres. Almost every country
was culpable in that downturn with the
French and German markets shrinking
by roughly five per cent, from 123 million to 116 million square metres in the
former, and 116 million to 110 million
square metres in the latter. Spanish demand plummeted by 6.4 per cent to 102
million square metres having never truly recovered from the trauma inflicted
upon the construction sector during the
Global Recession and eurozone crises.
The driving force behind ceramic tile
production and consumption in Spain
was an immense housing bubble that
endured from the mid-1980s to the
late 2000s. Home ownership became
entrenched in the Spanish national
psyche as a sign of social mobility and
inclusiveness with exponential growth
in the building industry enabling four
out of five Spaniards to possess their
own property. Real estate prices trebled between 1985 and 1991 and did so
again in the decade preceding the financial crash. When the construction and
property sectors were blossoming, domestic consumption accounted for close
to 50 per cent of global sales of Spanishmade tile. This proportion had halved
by 2013. Domestic sales eroded across
Italy, with consumption falling by 7.2
per cent, from 93 million to 86.5 million
square metres. This level of demand
equated to just 1.44 square metres per
capita as the construction industry atrophied with building volumes declining by eleven per cent. Italian architects
have reported even fewer projects in
2014 and further degeneration is expected over the next three to four years
despite greatly anticipated construction
growth in countries such as France and
the Netherlands. Local consumption
most recently provided manufacturers
with 856 million euro in yearly revenue.
African consumer growth was pleasingly apportioned across several countries with Ghanaians and Nigerians
driving sales in the west and Kenyans
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and Tanzanians heightening their
ceramic tile consumption in the subSaharan southeast. North Africans are
notable consumers with Egypt and the
Maghreb nations – especially Morocco
and Algeria – registering simultaneous
increases. African demand intensified
by more than 13 per cent, with 1.1 billion inhabitants managing to acquire
692 million square metres of ceramic
tile between them. Egyptians are voracious buyers with close to one-quarter of
Africa’s consumption taking place in the
unstable country. There appears to be a
discernible shift towards the west of the
continent, with a population boom and
extensive reserves of oil bringing about
economic expansion and never-beforeseen consumer demand that will assuredly attract those looking to sell (or
produce) tiles overseas to Ghana and
the so-called Giant of Africa – Nigeria.
Oceania consumed 48 million square
metres of ceramic tile with sales across
the region growing by 20 per cent. Much
of this activity occurred unsurprisingly
in Australia.
Exports and Imports
Three major exporters of ceramic tile accounted for close to two-thirds of overseas
shipments in 2013. Eighty per cent of
Chinese products are consumed at home
with the remainder exported to flourishing markets such as Saudi Arabia and
Nigeria. Other countries that acquire
generous quantities of Chinese-made
tile range from the United States and
Brazil, to Asian markets such as South
Korea and Thailand. The nation’s export
growth rate continues to slow having
faded from 26.6 per cent to 5.7 per cent
over the past three years. This slump
has coincided with excellent growth in
terms of export value as shown by an
increase in the average selling price of
almost eighteen per cent during the last
calendar year. Export-based earnings
climbed by 24.3 per cent – to US$7.89
billion – as the average selling price of
exported Chinese tile rose from US$5.85
to US$6.88 per square metre.
Spain consolidated its position as
the world’s second largest exporter,
with international sales amounting to
318 million square metres. The turnover generated from these shipments
totalled 2.24 billion euro with a steady
average selling price of seven euro
per square metre. More than three
quarters of the ceramic tile manufactured in Spain is consumed abroad
with remarkable amounts attained in
several European and Middle Eastern
countries. Saudi Arabians are clearly enamoured of ceramic tiles with
Spanish origins and were credited with
purchasing 33.6 million square metres last year. Kuwait and the United
Arab Emirates have provided ambitious Spanish suppliers with lucrative prospects as have deeply troubled
Iraq and Libya. The North African
country, colonised by Italy during the
twentieth century, acquired 18.9 million square metres of ceramic tile from
Spain in 2013 to become its third most
important export market in terms of
quantity.
Spanish tiles continued to sell on the
other side of the Pyrenees although the
French market contracted during the
course of the year. Economically stricken southern European nations such as
Greece and Portugal are amongst the
most steadfast and traditional markets
for Spanish firms in the EU. European
partners received 35 per cent of Spain’s
exported tile and generated a disproportionate amount of the revenues it
derived from overseas: 47 per cent.
Asian and African nations purchased
32 per cent and 24 per cent of exported
Spanish products and endowed the historic tile producing country with over 40
per cent of the earnings its manufacturers accumulated in foreign markets.
Italy continues to dominate the sector on the basis of average export price
which emphasises the consummate
standards attained by Italian manufacturers. The nation shipped 83 per cent
of its output to international buyers in
2013 with exports totalling 303 million
square metres. As overseas sales increased by 4.8 per cent, the average export price swelled to an unrivalled 12.80
euro per square metre. This agreeable
combination ensured that Italian revenue in the export sector climbed by over
five per cent to 3.87 billion euro. Western
and Central Europe acquire enormous
quantities of ceramic tile from Italian
manufacturers with Germany and
France possessing especially astute and
prosperous buyers. North Africa and the
Middle East enlarged their consumption
by 30 per cent, whilst quite staggering
growth was recorded in North and Latin
America. Persian Gulf states enriched
by petroleum and burgeoning markets in
East and Southeast Asia are of greater
importance than before to Italian suppliers on account of their extraordinary
economic development and belated urbanisation. Richetti has the greatest
presence overseas (as a percentage of
production) with foreign buyers responsible for eighty-nine per cent of annual
sales. It is worth noting that Gambini
and Novabell also operate at above the
national average in other countries.
Preliminary figures relating to
January, February and March 2014 suggest that the European Union displayed
atypical strength with Italian sales to
the UK soaring by 29.2 per cent, reflecting renewed confidence in the British
economy. French and German tile buyers amplified their consumption by 10.2
and 16.5 per cent, while shipments to
Hungary and the Baltic states rose
prodigiously. When comparisons were
made to the corresponding period of the
previous calendar year, Australians had
magnified their quarterly expenditure
TOP IMPORTING COUNTRIES
COUNTRY
2009
(Sq.m Mill.)
2010
(Sq.m Mill.)
2011
(Sq.m Mill.)
2012
(Sq.m Mill.)
2013
(Sq.m Mill.)
% on 2013
national
consumption
% on 2013
world imports
% var.
13/12
1. USA
124
130
131
139
160
69.6%
6.0%
15.1%
2. SAUDI ARABIA
116
117
129
150
150
63.8%
5.6%
0.0%
45
66
80
105
121
100.0%
4.5%
15.2%
4. FRANCE
101
103
107
105
96
82.8%
3.6%
-8.6%
5. NIGERIA
30
33
44
60
84
100.0%
3.1%
40.0%
6. GERMANY
78
80
90
87
83
75.5%
3.1%
-4.6%
7. RUSSIA
30
41
56
70
80
34.6%
3.0%
14.3%
8. THAILAND
28
33
42
52
68
37.8%
2.5%
30.8%
9. SOUTH KOREA
55
59
63
61
65
61.3%
2.4%
6.6%
3. IRAQ
10. UAE
TOTAL
WORLD TOTAL
45
48
48
51
53
55.2%
2.0%
3.9%
652
710
790
880
960
63.6%
35.8%
9.1%
1,880
2,141
2,374
2,539
2,678
23.1%
100.0%
5.5%
Source / Fonte: Acimac Survey dept. “World Production and consumption of ceramic tiles”, 2nd edition 2014
60 | Tile Today #85 | www.infotile.com/publications
TOP EXPORTING COUNTRIES
COUNTRY
2010
(Sq.m Mill.)
2011
(Sq.m Mill.)
2012
(Sq.m Mill.)
2013
(Sq.m Mill.)
% on 2013
national
production
% on 2013
world
exports
% var
13/12
value 2013
(million €)
average
export price
(€/sq.m)
1. CHINA
867
1,015
1,086
1,148
20.1%
42.9%
5.7%
5,943
5.2
2. SPAIN
248
263
296
318
75.7%
11.9%
7.4%
2,240
7.0
3. ITALY
289
298
289
303
83.5%
11.3%
4.8%
3,870
12.8
4. IRAN
54
65
93
114
22.8%
4.3%
22.6%
n.a.
n.a.
5. TURKEY
84
87
92
88
25.9%
3.3%
-4.3%
455
5.2
6. MEXICO
57
63
68
80
35.1%
3.0%
17.6%
264
3.3
7. BRAZIL
57
60
59
63
7.2%
2.4%
6.8%
203
3.2
8. UAE
44
48
50
51
54.3%
1.9%
2.0%
n.a.
n.a.
9. VIETNAM
28
42
41
50
16.7%
1.9%
22.0%
159
3.2
220
4.6
33
36
41
48
36.1%
1.8%
17.1%
TOTAL
1,761
1,977
2,115
2,263
25.3%
84.5%
7.0%
WORLD TOTAL
2,141
2,374
2,539
2,678
22.5%
100.0%
5.5%
10. POLAND
Source / Fonte: Acimac Survey dept. “World Production and consumption of ceramic tiles”, 2nd edition 2014
on Italian-made tiles by a world-leading
28.2 per cent, to 40.2 million euro.
Iran and Vietnam made the greatest strides in 2013 with exports from
both Asian countries escalating by 22
per cent. Iran shipped 90 million square
metres to its war-ravaged neighbour,
Iraq, which constituted 79 per cent of
the nation’s exports. An additional 24
million square metres were consumed
in Afghanistan and former Soviet
states that bound the Caspian Sea
such as Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan.
Vietnamese exports have doubled in
five years to 50 million square metres
with international revenue of above 150
million euro reinforcing the local industry at a time of eroding domestic sales.
Shipments departing Polish territory escalated once again with consumers in Germany and other countries
acquiring 48 million square metres
from Eastern Europe’s most successful
post-communist state. Mexican suppliers are beholden to buyers in the United
States who spent US$299 million on
ceramic tiles transported across the
world’s most frequently traversed border. Brazil is likewise dependent upon
the US market, as well as Paraguay,
Uruguay and the Dominican Republic.
Smaller quantities are sold in various
Caribbean and South American nations
such as Trinidad and Tobago and Peru.
Exports from the UAE totalled 51 million square metres with sales strongest
throughout the Middle East.
The only major exporter to experience a downturn was Turkey, with overseas demand lessening by 4.3 per cent.
Germany, Iraq, Israel and the United
Kingdom are the most prolific buyers
with the bulkiest shipments heading
to Iraq, to be used in its reconstruction
programme. Export-based earnings still
managed to scale new heights with international revenue surmounting 450
million square metres for the first time.
Germans and Israelis made the greatest contributions in value terms with
one-fifth of the abovementioned figure
earned in those markets.
African exports collapsed by 29 per
cent, whilst Oceania’s participation in
the export sector dwindled to the point
of nonexistence.
The main importer of ceramic tiles
was the United States which boosted its
consumption of overseas-made products
by 15.1 per cent. Chinese and Mexican
WORLD EXPORTING AREAS
AREAS
2013
(Sq.mt Mill.)
INTERNATIONAL TRADE 2013
% on world
exports
% var.
13/12
EUROPEAN UNION (28)
789
29.5
+5.2
OTHER EUROPE
(Turkey included)
153
5.7
+4.1
86
3.2
+19.4
116
4.3
+0.9
1,490
55.6
+7.0
44
1.6
-29.0
0
0.0
-
2,678
100.0
NORTH AMERICA
(Mexico included)
CENTRAL-SOUTH AMERICA
ASIA
AFRICA
OCEANIA
TOTAL
tiles are unquestionably popular, as are
the pricier alternatives from Italy and
Spain. Turkish and Colombian imports
have soared appreciably, whilst suppliers in Thailand and Peru have found
themselves relegated to the periphery
of an exceptionally competitive market.
Seventy per cent of the ceramic tiles obtained by Americans – which equated
to 160 million square metres in 2013 –
were manufactured abroad and shipped
to US ports of entry.
Saudi Arabian residents are enormously fond of ceramic tiles produced in
China and Spain with foreign workers
and nationals consuming 117 million
square metres from those respective
countries. Egyptian suppliers receive
orders from buyers in the theocratic
state as do several Italian enterprises.
Nigeria and Iraq only consume imports
with the ethnically diverse citizens of
Africa’s most populated state specifically attracted to Chinese product, constituting the second biggest market for
ceramic tile exporters in the People’s
Republic. Iraq, quite astonishingly,
has become the world’s third largest
importer, with massive quantities procured from neighbouring Iran to make
(on Total World Consumption)
Domestic sales
76.9%
Import
Export
23.1%
+5.5
www.infotile.com/publications | Tile Today #85 | 61
MARKETS
possible the rebuilding of decimated
towns and villages in the absence of domestic manufacturing facilities.
Europe’s foremost tile importers
– Germany and France – have both
reduced consumption in consecutive
years. The two countries are disposed
to pursue high calibre arrivals from
Italy, but also show evidence of different tastes and proclivities with French
buyers more inclined to source ceramic
tiles from Portugal and Spain owing to
the benefits of geographic expediency, a
deserved reputation for excellence and
the artistic and cultural cachet that
the Iberian Peninsula has carried in
France since the mid-nineteenth century. French tile imports plunged from
105 million to 96 million square metres
but still accounted for over 80 per cent
of consumption. Czech and Polish firms
have successfully established themselves in Germany, the biggest Central
European tile market. Turkish products
are consumed in significant amounts
with demand unquestionably dictated
by the three million residents descended from Turkish immigrants or themselves born in Turkey. Chinese imports
have dipped since anti-dumping duties
were imposed across the European
Union three years ago. Despite the relative health of the construction industry,
German imports worsened by 4.6 per
cent to 83 million square metres.
Tile imports to Russia have virtually
doubled in the past three years with
shipments mushrooming from 41 million to 80 million square metres. More
than one-third of the domestic market
consists of ceramic tiles made overseas
with an increase of over fourteen per
cent in the last year alone. International
manufacturers have made comparable
and concomitant advances in Thailand
where imports have risen from 33 million to 68 million square metres over
the same timeframe. South Koreans recaptured their enthusiasm for ceramic
tile consumption and shipments to the
federated principalities of the UAE
reached an historic peak.
Figures made available by the
Australian Bureau of Statistics indicate
that Australia imported 36.897 million
square metres of ceramic tile during the
2013/14 financial year. We enlarged our
consumption of glazed and unglazed
products made abroad by 14 per cent,
eclipsing the totals recorded immediately prior to the onset of the Global
Financial Crisis. In fact, Australians
have acquired more imported tile on
only one occasion – ten years ago –
when economic forecasts provided cause
for optimism locally and globally.
New South Wales bolstered its purchases by eleven per cent, while Victoria
and Queensland made more impressive
progress. Territorians were credited with
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the most extraordinary growth on the
basis of percentage whilst shipments to
South Australia and Western Australia
elevated by seventeen and 25 per cent.
Approximately four-fifths of our ceramic tile imports are consumed in three
states with New South Wales accounting
for 35.6 per cent of overall sales. Victoria
consumed 23.9 per cent of Australia’s
imports with unglazed products proving exceedingly popular. Queenslanders
bought 20.1 per cent of the nation’s imported tile – perfectly in keeping with
the Sunshine State’s share of the population. South Australians purchase a
disproportionate amount of ceramic tiles
from Malaysia while their counterparts
in Western Australia are more likely to
source product from Italy, with 14.4 per
cent of sales in the mineral and petroleum-rich state consisting of ceramic tiles
made in the Mediterranean country.
This compares favourably to the Italian
presence in the national market, which
improved marginally to 8.8 per cent.
China supplied 63 per cent of our
acquisitions from abroad despite slower
export growth, and Malaysia’s market
share diminished to 10.2 per cent. Spain
replicated its participation with 3.2
per cent of our imports and Sri Lanka
eclipsed Vietnam. The total customs
value of Australian tile purchases increased by 30.2 per cent during 2013/14
to A$342,619,347.
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00 | TILE TODAY #85 | www.infotile.com/publications
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