End User Focus: Playing ceramic catch-up
By
Published: Tuesday, 03 July 2012
There are three main sectors for production of ceramics in the world: porcelain/tableware, sanitaryware and tiles. In all of these markets, China is the world’s leading producer and consumer and it is just the global ceramic tiles sector that will be considered in the following.
By Ian
Wilson – Consultant, UK
There are three main sectors for
production of ceramics in the world: porcelain/tableware,
sanitaryware and tiles. In all of these markets, China is the
world’s leading producer and consumer and it is just the
global ceramic tiles sector that will be considered in the
following.
Current situation
For global tiles production there was a slowdown in 2008 and a
sharp decline in 2009 with production and consumption
recovering in 2010. Figures from Ceramic World Review Chinese
Edition 2012 (Paola Giancomini) report that production rose
from 8.151bn m2 in 2009 to 9.515bn m2 in
2010, an increase of 11.7%. Total tile consumption grew by
10.5% to 9.350bn m2 in 2010 from 2009.
Global production and consumption in
2010
Figures for 2010 are shown in Table 1 for production and Table
2 for consumption: All regions, apart from Oceania, showed an
increased production in 2010 over 2009 and apart from the EU,
where consumption fell by 5.0% in 2010 from 2009, showed an
increased consumption. Asia showed the strongest growth in
production and consumption, with increases of 14.9% and 14.0%
respectively in 2010 over 2009.
|
AREA
|
2010 (Million
sq.metres)
|
% World
Production
|
% Increase
2009/2010
|
|
European Union
(27)
|
1,128
|
11.9
|
+4.8
|
|
Other Europe (incl
Turkey)
|
443
|
4.7
|
+12.2
|
|
N. America (incl
Mexico)
|
257
|
2.7
|
+8.2
|
|
Central-South
America
|
940
|
9.9
|
+4.9
|
|
Asia
|
6,370
|
66.9
|
+14.9
|
|
Africa
|
370
|
3.9
|
+6.6
|
|
Oceania
|
7
|
<0.1
|
0.0
|
|
TOTAL
|
9,515
|
100
|
+11.7%
|
|
|
|
Global
Consumption of tiles by Region in 2010 (Million
sq.metres)
|
|
AREA
|
2010
(Million sq.metres)
|
% World
Consumption
|
% Increase
2009/2010
|
|
European
Union (27)
|
941
|
10.1
|
-5.0
|
|
Other
Europe (incl Turkey)
|
456
|
4.9
|
+9.1
|
|
N. America
(incl Mexico)
|
389
|
4.2
|
+7.0
|
|
Central-South
America
|
978
|
10.5
|
+7.6
|
|
Asia
|
6,026
|
64.4
|
+14.0
|
|
Africa
|
516
|
5.5
|
+9.3
|
|
Oceania
|
44
|
0.4
|
+2.3
|
|
TOTAL
|
9,350
|
100
|
+10.5%
|
Source: Ceramic World
Wide Review 2012
|
Leading tile producing countries
The top 10 leading tile producers by country for 2010 are shown
in Table 3, with figures for these countries addionally shown
back to:
|
Table 3:
Production of Tiles from 2006-2010 for 10 leading
countries (based on 2010
figures).
|
No
|
COUNTRY
|
2006
|
2007
|
2008
|
2009
|
2010
|
%
World
|
%Change
2010/2009
|
|
1
|
CHINA
|
3,000
|
3,200
|
3,400
|
3,600
|
4,200
|
44.1
|
+16.7
|
|
2
|
BRAZIL
|
584
|
637
|
713
|
715
|
753
|
7.9
|
+5.4
|
|
3
|
INDIA
|
340
|
385
|
390
|
490
|
550
|
5.8
|
+12.1
|
|
4
|
IRAN
|
210
|
250
|
320
|
350
|
400
|
4.2
|
+14.3
|
|
5
|
ITALY
|
569
|
559
|
513
|
368
|
387
|
4.1
|
+5.3
|
|
6
|
VIETNAM
|
199
|
254
|
270
|
295
|
375
|
3.9
|
+27.1
|
|
7
|
SPAIN
|
608
|
585
|
495
|
324
|
366
|
3.8
|
+12.8
|
|
8
|
INDONESIA
|
170
|
235
|
275
|
278
|
287
|
3.0
|
+3.2
|
|
9
|
TURKEY
|
265
|
260
|
225
|
205
|
245
|
2.6
|
+19.5
|
|
10
|
EGYPT
|
122
|
140
|
160
|
200
|
220
|
2.3
|
+10.0
|
|
|
OTHERS
|
1,693
|
1,747
|
1,759
|
1,690
|
1,732
|
18.3
|
|
|
|
WORLD
TOTAL
|
7,760
|
8,252
|
8,520
|
8,515
|
9,515
|
100
|
+11,7
|
Source:
Ceramic World Wide Review 2012
|
In 2010, the 10 leading countries accounted for 81.7% of tile
production with China well ahead with 44.1%. The top 30
producing countries in the world accounted for 96% of world
production. Of note has been the significant increase in
production from China, Brazil, India, Iran, Vietnam, Indonesia
and Egypt from 2006 to 2010, while Italy and Spain have shown a
decrease in output.
A comparison between global
production in 2006 and 2010 for the 10 leading countries (based
on 2010 output) is shown in Figures 1 and 2.
It clearly shows that, in 2006,
Spain had an 8% share of the global output, which has fallen to
4% in 2010, with Italy showing a reduction from 7% to 4% from
2006 to 2010.
In the corresponding period
(2006-2010), China has gained five percentage points rising
from 39% to 44% (Figure 3) with rises for Brazil, India,
Vietnam, Indonesia and Iran.
A plot, excluding China, of the other nine leading producing
tile countries is shown in Figure 4 for output of tiles from
2006 to 2010. This clearly shows the countries that have
increased and decreased output.
Exports/imports accounted for 20.5% of world consumption, as
shown in Table 4, with 79.5% being for domestic sales.
China
China controlled 44% of the world market in 2010 according to
Ceramic World Review. According to Roskill associate consultant
Eileen Hao, production of ceramic tiles in China consists of
porcelain tile (40%), polished tile (30%), antique tile (20%),
external wall tile (9.5%) and 0.5% roof tile. At IM21 in
Budapest in March 2012, a paper by Hao and Robert Baylis
(Roskill Information Services) indicated that Chinese ceramic
tile output reached an estimated 9bn m2, with a
forecast for 2015 put at 9.5bn m2.
They report that the Chinese
ceramic industry will continue to improve quality by investment
in new technology and aim to export higher quality products.
Emphasis will also be on reducing emissions and energy saving.
But pressures, internally and externally, during the Five Year
Plan (2011-2015) will come from more competition in the export
markets, rising production costs in China, environmental
constraints and, perhaps, further government measures to
control rapid expansion of real estate.