Confindustria Ceramica

23   Dicembre   2013

The Italian ceramic industry, 236 companies with 27,000 employees, posted a turnover of 5.5 billion euros in 2013

Italian-produced tiles generated revenues of 4.73 billion euros (+3.16%) as exports rose (up 5.66% to 3.87 billion euros) but the domestic market continued to experience difficulties (-6.84%). The ceramic sanitaryware, refractory materials and tableware sectors reported a combined turnover of more than 740 million euros and employed 6,500 people

Statistical surveys for the various segments of the Italian ceramic industry were unveiled at the Confindustria Ceramica 2014 Members’ Meeting. The 236 ceramic tile, sanitaryware, tableware and refractory materials manufacturing companies operating in 2013 employed a workforce of 27,060 people and reported a total turnover of 5.5 billion euros, 75% of which was generated by exports.

Ceramic tiles produced in Italy.
In 2013 there were a total of 156 ceramic tile manufacturers operating in Italy (3 fewer than in 2012). These companies employed a workforce of 20,537 people (-3.83%), produced 363.4 million square metres of tiles (-1.05%) and posted sales of 389.3 million square metres (-1.85%). The markets showed the opposite trend, with a further 7.18% downturn in Italy (to 86.5 million square metres in 2013) and a substantial increase in exports (4.76%) to 302.7 million square metres. The total turnover of 4.73 billion euros (up 3.16%) consisted of 3.87 billion euros from exports (+5.66%) and 856 million euros from domestic Italian sales (-6.84%).
Investments totalled almost 225 million euros, close to 5% of annual turnover, with a further 248 million euros anticipated in the current year (10% up on 2013).

Ceramic sanitaryware.   
There were a total of 36 industrial level ceramic sanitaryware manufacturers operating in 2011, including 32 located in the Civita Castellana area (province of Viterbo). The sector employed a total workforce of 3,723 people, produced 3.8 million pieces (-6.77%) and sold 3.6 million pieces (-6.07%).
Total turnover was 308.4 million euros (-8.68%), consisting of 204 million euros of domestic sales and 104.2 million euros of exports. According to Eurostat figures, imports of sanitaryware dropped in terms of volumes by 17.94%.

The refractory materials industry.
The 35 companies producing refractory materials in Italy employed 2,125 people (6 more than in 2012) and reported a production of 421,172 tons (-10.07%) and sales of 442,694 tons (-9.17%). Domestic sales dropped to 279,680 tons in 2013 (-12.67%), corresponding to 63.2% of total sales volumes.
The total turnover of 392.8 million euros consisted of 238.3 million euros from domestic Italian sales (-11.17%), 91.7 million euros from exports within the EU (-4.25%) and 62.8 million euros from exports outside the EU (+0.33%).

Ceramic tableware.
The 9 industrial-level Italian companies operating in the sector employed a total of 675 people and reported production and sales of 13,000 tons of finished product. Domestic sales made up about 80% of the total.
The 2013 turnover totalled 40 million euros, about 70% of which was generated in Italy.
One particularly important development was the introduction in May 2013 of antidumping measures on imports of Chinese tableware to Europe, which will result in duties of between 13.1% and 36.1% being applied to Chinese exporters over the next 5 years. This measure has already resulted in a 40% reduction in imports to about 200,000 tons per year.


The ceramic tile industry’s first quarter of 2014.

The recovery of consumption in the European Union, bringing Italy’s ceramic tile exports back to double-figure growth after several lacklustre half-year periods, is driven by Germany (sales up 16.46%), France (+10.18%) and the UK (+29.20%). Very positive results were also reported in a number of central European counties (Hungary +42.71%; Czech Republic +15.03%) and in the Baltic region (+43.11%).
Exports to non-European countries on the other hand are stagnant, with first-quarter turnover stable (+2.38%) after strong growth in 2013. Whereas sales have fallen in Russia (-16.05%) – amidst the devaluation of the rouble, the conflict in the Caucasus and the slowdown in the domestic economy – and in the Gulf region following the sharp growth over the past few years, exports in Africa (+12.08%) and Australia / Oceania (28.57%) have risen strongly.