意大利人感到威胁吗?
在五年的持续增长之后,意大利瓷砖行业在2018年首次遭遇低迷。组成意大利瓷砖行业的137家公司交出了一份这样的成绩单:产量同比下降1.6% 至4.15亿平方米(下降700万平方米),总销售量下降2.8%至4.101亿平方米,销售总收入下降3%至54亿欧元。
它们的出口受世界需求疲软的影响最大,其出口数量下降了3%(从3.38亿平方米下降到3.28亿平方米),尽管产品组合的附加值更高了,但是由于难以提高产品平均价格(稳定在13.9欧元/平方米),出口金额下降了3.3%(达到45亿欧元)。
他们国内的销售继续停滞不前,下降1.6%至8240万平方米(不到危机前数字的一半),销售总额为8.34亿欧元(下降1%),这还要归功于10.1欧元/平方米的平均价格。
如上所述,意大利如果不是世界唯一的,至少也是少数几个国内市场平均售价低于出口市场平均售价的国家之一:10.1比13.9。
来自其他陶瓷生产国的竞争越来越激烈,这些国家非常有能力制造出与意大利(西班牙、中国以及某些市场,现在还有印度)一样好的特定风格和尺寸,而来自替代材料特别是层压塑料的竞争日益激,还有就是保护主义贸易政策和中美之间的关税战争等不确定因素,这些都是导致意大利瓷砖出口放缓的主要原因。
2018年,意大利成功地保持了在欧洲市场的稳定销售,其中西欧市场销售了2.22亿平方米,略有下滑,希腊、罗马尼亚和保加利亚取得了强劲的业绩。
但意大利陶瓷在世界其他地区的市场销售额下降:在北美的美国、墨西哥和加拿大-5.4%(4600万平方米),在远东-4.3%(2000万平方米),在北非和其他中东国家-10%(1000万平方米)和最后在南美洲-6.8%(400万平方米)。
“全球形势仍然非常复杂,尽管今年第一季度意大利出口的利好数据(+1.4%),但谈论2019年的好转还为时过早,”他们陶瓷行业的领导人解释说。
意大利陶瓷行业在其生产运营的国际化方面处于世界领先地位,至少有16家外国公司由9家意大利陶瓷集团控制,这些公司在主要位于美国(意大利以外30%的产量)、欧洲和俄罗斯的工厂生产瓷砖,加上意大利本土和国外的产量,总产量超过5亿平方米,出口达到4.14亿平方米,相当于其产出的80%!
虽然市场业绩低于陶瓷行业的预期,但意大利人正在做的的一件很重要的事情是对工业4.0的投资,其目的是使工厂现代化,旨在通过使用尖端科技,提高竞争力,这些都带来了很多的乐观情绪。
我不认为他们这样做只是因为他们感到威胁,他们总是想办法不断提升,继续保持与来自西班牙、印度、中国和世界上其他大型生产国的竞争距离。
The Italian ceramic tile industry experienced a downturn in 2018 for the first time after five years of uninterrupted growth. The 137 companies making up the Italian tile industry reported a 1.6% year-on-year decline in output to 415 million m2 (a fall of 7 million m2), while total sales dropped by 2.8% to 410.1 million m2 and total sales revenue fell by 3% to 5.4 billion euros.
Their exports suffered the most from the weakness of world demand, falling by 3% in terms of volumes (from 338 to 328 million m2) and 3.3% in value (to 4.5 billion euros) due to the difficulty in raising their product average price (stable at 13.9 €/m2) despite a higher value-added production mix.
Their domestic sales continued to stagnate, dropping 1.6% to 82.4 million m2 (less than half of the pre-crisis figure) and generating revenues of 834 million euros (-1%) thanks to an average price of 10.1 €/m2.
Italy as you have seen above is one of the few if not the only country in the world where their average selling price in the domestic market is lower than their average selling price for the export market: 10.1 vs 13.9
The increasingly fierce rivalry from other ceramic producing countries that are very capable of making certain styles and sizes as good as Italy (Spain, China and in some markets and now also India), the growing competition from alternative materials, particularly laminated vinyl and the uncertainty caused by protectionist trade policies and the tariffs war between USA and China are the main causes of the slowdown in Italian tile exports.
In 2018 Italy succeeded in keeping their steady sales in European markets, where it sold 222 million m2 with a small fall in Western Europe and strong results in the Greece, Romania and Bulgaria.
But the Italian Ceramic sales declined in other geographical areas of the world like: -5.4% in North America USA, Mexico and Canada (46 million m2), -4.3% in the Far East (20 million m2), -10% in North Africa and other Middle Eastern countries (10 million m2) and last -6.8% in South America (4 million m2).
“The global scenario remains highly complex and it’s still too early to talk of a turnaround in 2019 despite the positive figure (+1.4%) for the Italian exports in the first quarter of this year,” explained by the leaders of their ceramic industry”
The Italian ceramic industry is the world leader in terms of internationalization of its manufacturing operations with no fewer than 16 foreign companies controlled by 9 Italian ceramic groups, which produce tiles in production plants located mainly in the United States (30% of production outside Italy), Europe and Russia. Adding together production in Italy and abroad, the sector’s total output volumes amount to more than 500 million m2 and exports to 414 million m2, which equates to 80% of their output!
While the market results were below the ceramic industry’s expectations, an important thing that the Italians are doing that gives a lot of optimism is investments of the in the Industry 4.0 aimed at modernizing factories, for the purposes of improving competitiveness through the use of cutting-edge technologies.
I don’t think they are only doing this because they feel threatened, they always find ways to keep improving and keeping their distance with the competition from Spain, India, China and other large manufacturers of the world.
Humberto Valles
ICC General Manager
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