Industrial ceramics in Spain

Outlook for glass and ceramics in Spain

E. Criado¹, E. Sanchez², M. Regueiro³

¹Instituto de Cerámica y Vidrio. CSIC. 28500 Arganda del Rey. Madrid

²Instituto de Tecnología Cerámica. Univ. Jaume I. Castellón

³Instituto Geológico y Minero de España. MCYT. Madrid

The Spanish glass and ceramic industry reached in 2002 a new record production value of 6500M€ almost 2 % of the GDP, which places Spain, after Italy, as the UE country in which those sectors are, in terms of value, the most important national industrial activity. A preliminary outlook for 2003 points to an ever higher production level. All together both sectors employ more than 110 000 in around 3 000 companies, with a distinct regional distribution according to sectors and specific products. The Spanish ceramic industry has experienced an amazing growth in the last five years. Such expansion has affected all sectors, but has been particularly noteworthy in those directly related to construction: tiles, glazes, bricks and roof tiles. A combination of an extraordinary exporting effort, together with a record figure in new housing projects (700 000 houses in 2003), are responsible for such outburst. Ceramic tiles production in 2002 reached almost 700 Msqm accounting total sales of 3600M€, and placing Spain (13% of the global market) as the second biggest world producer after China (estimated in 37%). Spain is now the main European glaze producer with most companies located in the Castellón area (eastern Spain). Other sectors, such as refractories have undergone significant growths due to the high rate of steel production increase, also in historical record figures (15mt in 1999). All this sectors doubled altogether the growing rate of their main European competitors. Raw material production has had an even more effervescent trend, almost doubling 1995 production. Such dynamic growth has been associated to a remarkable quality increase and to an unparalleled technological innovation process.

But those unprecedented production growths have reached a peak in 2003 and the sector faces a clear slowdown. The outlook points more to a production reduction than to a crisis, as most companies are working at top capacity and in many cases double shifts. Considerable preoccupation is also felt for the ever increasing imports from China, but the sector is ready to face the slowdown and compete with cheap imports enhancing quality and developing client service policies.