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10 NEWS The ceramic Tiles markeT American producers look to the future by investing in technology and innovation by Graziano Sezzi Everything that has happened since last year can be traced backed to the USA, which must ever, is where opinions tend to differ: some analysts say the upward trend will begin in 2010, others are betting also be the starting point to try and on 2011 while yet another school of find the causes. thought is even more pessimistic. The An exercise which has involved the only optimist note worthy of mention sharpest brains from the political-eco- are the August figures for the resinomic world, but without yet supplydential building sector, which saw an ing a precise, convincing answer. increase of 1.5% compared with July. So wouldn’t it be better to try and And because this is the first positive understand what the near future has news since November 2008, it is con- in store for us? sidered an extremely important sign. There are basically two questions One thing is certain however, the which we would like to try to answer: record levels of 2005-2006, with more a. when will the USA economy and than 2 million new homes started and construction market pick up again? completed, will not be reached. An b. how high will the demand be for excellent result would be a level of ceramic tiles compared with other around 1.5 million new homes per floor and wall covering materials? year in 2012-2013, which represents To answer the first question, we can the same volume as the average figure get an idea from the forecasts of the over the last 30 years (see Table 1). major economical research institutes And for now, as mentioned above, the and by screening various articles writ- objective of registering at least a small ten Il by mercato the most americano prestigious, and delle even piastrelle increase di ceramica in August compared with the less prestigious, economists. previous month was reached. This is a Their opinions may be summarised as real turning point which, if confirmed follows. in the following months, would have The construction industry is at its low- an immediate positive psychological est ever level, which means things can effect on both constructors and buy- only get better. Exactly when, howers. Table 1 Units 2.250.00 2.000.00 1.750.00 1.500.00 1.250.00 1.000.00 750.00 500.00 250.00 USA - Housing Starts (1978-2009) 8-year cycle Longer cycle (more than 16 years) Ceramic Tiles The issue regarding ceramic tiles is more specific. In recent years, the use of ceramic tiles has reached a level where they represented up to 11% of the total consumption of floor materials in the United States (which dropped to 8.6% in 2008), from a starting point of less than 5% at the beginning of the 1980’s: a constant growth trend which has rewarded the performance and aesthetic qualities of a product in continuous innovation (see Table 2). Table 2 The Usa Floor covering markeT in 2008 Billions of $ Square feet (wholesale) billion* % (sqf) Carpets + Rugs 12.8 13.31 67.7% Vinyl 2.1 2.91 14.8% Ceramic tiles 1.8 1.69 8.6% Parquet 1.5 0.79 4.0% Laminates 1.0 0.77 3.9% Rubber 0.5 0.20 1.0% Total 19.7 19.67 100% Source: processed data published on Floor Covering News *1 m 2 = 10,76 square feet
These market quotas have been gained out on the field and are further consolidated by the results and also by the perception of market operators (designers, builders and consumers) who have had the opportunity to get to know and appreciate the quality of the material. There is still considerable margin for growth and even if we don’t use countries where ceramic tiles account for more than 50% (and in certain countries more than 80%) of floor materials as a reference, the area to cover and conquer is still very high. Ceramic tiles are now a consolidated part of the United States consumer culture and, apart from boasting the highest levels of technical and aesthetic performances currently available, they also offer decisive advantages in terms of ecologically sustainable processes and products and a superior service life compared with alternative materials. The drop in recent years may be reabsorbed and a return to an annual level Table 3 Year 2009 (Jan-June) 2008 (Jan-June) 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 of 250 million m 2 , as in 2002-2003, is a realistic hypothesis (see Table 3) Where Will the Ceramic Tiles Sold in the Next Few Years Be Produced? In the last few years local production has maintained a stable quota of the consumer market, around 18-20% (see Table 4). Some of the most well-known Italian groups (Marazzi, Panaria, Florim and GranitiFiandre) and local producers (Daltile and Crossville) have invested heavily in new technology, leading to an upgrade of goods on offer with the capacity of satisfying a more demanding market. At the same time, numerous obsolete production facilities have been closed down. Mexico has made enormous progress. USA companies have installed production facilities, and together with the consolidated national producers have reached an export level of 20% of the consumption in the USA (2008 – in consUmPTion oF Tiles in The UniTeD sTaTes accorDing To coUnTrY oF origin (2005-2009) (millions of square metres) Country of origin Italy US Spain Mexico Brazil China Other countries Total consUmPTion oF Tiles in The UniTeD sTaTes (2000-2009) (millions of square metres) Source: Analysis by D. Grosser and Associates, Ltd based on US Dept of Commerce data *Estimates Table 4 USA producers shipments 19.8 22.6 45.0 50.1 58.5 61.1 64.6 57.1 60.3 54.9 60.4 Millions of m2 64.0 57.7 33.9 38,0 42,0 20.9 47.2 303.7 Import Export US consumption Change % (6 months) 59.3 77.0 156.6 202.4 253.8 246.0 231.2 207.2 189.0 159.5 155.0 2.2 * 2.3 4.7 4.4 4.2 3.4 3.2 2.7 3.1 3.1 3.4 2005 2006 2007 2008 Jan-August 2009 Millions of m2 Millions of m2 Millions of m2 Millions of m2 % % % % % 21.1 61.4 19.9 48.7 19.6 35.9 18.4 14.73 14.9 19.0 54.3 17.6 45.7 18.4 38.6 19.8 17.00* 17.2 11.2 32.2 10.5 20,0 8.1 11.4 5.8 4.91 5.0 12.5 42,0 13.6 40.9 16.5 39.0 20.0 23.47 23.8 13.8 40,0 13.0 27.7 11.2 15.2 7.8 7.13 7.2 6.9 32.2 10.5 32.6 13.1 28.7 14.7 16.83 17.1 15.5 46,0 14.9 32.5 13.1 26.4 13.5 14.60 14.8 303.7 100.0 100.0 248.1 100.0 195.2 100.0 98.66 100.0 Source: Analysis by D. Grosser and Associates, Ltd based on US Dept of Commerce data *Estimates 76.9 97.3 196.9 248.1 308.1 303.7 292.6 261.6 246.2 211.3 212.2 -21.0% -20.6% -19.5% 1.4% 3.8% 11.9% 6.3% 16.5% -0.4% terms of quantity). If the production in the USA is added to the Mexican figures, and if we also include the amounts imported by USA producers from overseas, the total is slightly lower than 50% (see Table 4). In this situation, and with the currently weak dollar, this quota is destined to rise, although it is difficult to predict a noteworthy increase in local production. As in Europe, North America is now a single market where production is mainly carried out in the southern part of the continent. And it is no coincidence that the association of USA producers has now spread into Mexico, anticipating a true picture of what the future has in store. How Will the Market Be Sub-divided? As with other industries, the tendency is to head towards a more marked polarisation. On the one hand there is demand, estimated at approximately 75% of total consumption, for base materials – and of a much higher quality compared with the past – in which the price is the determining factor. On the other hand there is demand, estimated at approximately 25% of total consumption, for more select and specific goods which may only be satisfied by producers with a well-equipped production and commercial structure. In this segment with a higher added value, factors such as the technical quality of the product, the brand name, the quality of service offered and the ability to dialogue with the points of sale and directly with designers will assume a more decisive role. Other important factors will be “ecological” elements which will become increasingly perceivable and perceived, traceable to the nature of the process and the ceramic product itself, and the adoption of a code of conduct for those who operate in the sector. In such an uncertain moment for the global economy we firmly believe that all those concepts connected to the real economy must emerge: the ability to produce, to promote and to sell. And that the ceramics sector and ceramic products are a prime example of a “true” real economy. 11
Page 1 and 2: Year XI - No. 29 - November 2009 IN
Page 3 and 4: Year XI - No. 29 - November 2009 IN
Page 5 and 6: 3 fIERE Photo 1 The Mapei manufactu
Page 7 and 8: LUIGI DI GESO NEIL MCMURDIE EPHRaIM
Page 9 and 10: TRADE FAIRS COVERINGS 21 Even in th
Page 11: Photo 4. Some of the representative
Page 15 and 16: Photo 1. As soon as you landed at t
Page 17 and 18: y private cabanas belonging to some
Page 19 and 20: throughout the ground level were se
Page 21 and 22: gold to orange, the DTI team instal
Page 23 and 24: Photo 1. Outside view of the Trump
Page 25 and 26: held in Syracuse from the 22 nd to
Page 27 and 28: Above: the team which developed HPS
Page 29 and 30: PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT 1 - Preparation o
Page 31 and 32: PROJECTS DYNASTONE AT WORK DYNASTON
Page 33 and 34: 1 fic at the end of September 2008.
Page 35 and 36: IN THE SPOTLIGHT Dynamon SR3 DYNAMO
Page 37 and 38: 2 3 Photo 1. The state of deteriora
Page 39 and 40: mm thick) of PLANITOP HDM twocompon
Page 41 and 42: Photo 1. The Centre Court at Wimble
Page 43 and 44: the general public. Award winners*
Page 45 and 46: The New Acropolis museum A new buil
Page 47 and 48: ins and special additives was used
Page 49 and 50: s Percy Norman Aquatic Centre This
Page 51 and 52: Above. The APAC production facility
Page 53 and 54: PROJECTS In France a “mazerie”
Page 55 and 56: 3 WHaT iS eMiCODe eC1 CerTiFiCaTiON
Page 57 and 58: 1 Photo 1. The Ruby Princess in the
Page 59 and 60: Photo 5. In the sumptuous foyer, si
Page 61 and 62: Photo: Beppe Gennone (Bari, Italy)
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two-component corrosion-inhibiting
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14 ADESILEX MT32 adhesive in water
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19 authorised the use a silicate-ba
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Petruzzelli Theatre, Bari (Italy) P
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All the hard work of Aldo Sassi, Di
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All champions in the Mapei Trophy.
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of Sassuolo, Stefano Pioli, who pla
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Viganò, Andrea Noè, Gianni Motta,
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REOXTHENE REOXTHENE T ENE Patent TE
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