Structural ceramics industry presents the balance of 2012

Hispalyt recently published data from the sector for the year 2012. Royal Decree Law 9/2013 law of fiscal measures for sustainable energy that negatively affect the cogeneration do not make more than aggravate the situation of structural ceramics industry and put at serious risk the viability of the companies in the sector. Of structural ceramics, despite the hard times which passes through industry, continues combining efforts on the bet by the dissemination of products and ceramic building systems properties.

Hispalyt recently published data from the sector for the year 2012. Submitted by Hispalyt data is collected in the following table:

The structural ceramics sector is suffering from 2008, as well as other sectors related to construction, a drop in sales that has forced companies to adapt inevitably to the situation. This adaptation can happen by concentrating production in certain months of the year, which has had a direct impact over the past years in the fall in the number of workers, the volume of business, etc. As firms are concerned, in the year 2007 had in the sector 430 companies, while in the year 2011, there were 260 and in 2012 had 220. This implies a reduction in the number of companies of nearly 50% compared to the year 2007 and 15% over the previous year.

Regarding production, it is observed that one exercise, continued the same decline started in 2008. Thus, in the year 2007 production was 28.8 million tonnes, while in 2011 it was 6.9 million tons in the year 2012 was 5.2 million tons. This implies a reduction in the production of more than 80% with respect to the year 2007 and about 25% over the previous year.

Of the total production, significant changes in the demand for the different product families, being the breakdown by types of products the following are not appreciated:

As for export, according to data prepared by Cepco from Icex and Aeat, highlight that this occurs in the sector mainly in the case of the ceramic tile, being data of 15.578.000 euros in 2007, the year 2011 of 10.074.000 euros, and the year 2012 15.440.000 euros. Data of the year 2013 (January to April) already account for 12.552.00 euros, which seems to indicate this year 2013 the end results are very positive in terms of export of ceramic tiles. In terms of the volume of business is concerned, we can see that there has been an effect similar to the production of the sector, from EUR 1,505 million in 2007, to 380 million euros in 2011 and 285 million euros in the year 2012. In terms of the number of employees, in 2012 the figure has fallen around 22% with respect to 2011, which coincides with the drastic fall in production of ceramic products in recent years.

Other actions played Hispalyt recently to highlight the qualities and advantages of the ceramic building products has been the diffusion of the video 'Modern Life - Modern Buildings'. It's a documentary prepared by the Working Group of European suppliers of machinery, materials and engineering services for the production of ceramics and related technologies grouped in the European Ceramic Technology Suppliers (Ects) highlighting the virtues of ceramic building materials, such as long life, respect for the environment and its insulating propertiesboth thermal and acoustic.

The ceramic is an environmentally friendly material environment. Ceramic materials are produced from natural raw materials such as clay, and have a long shelf life compared to other materials. Thus, construction ceramic products are among the more environmentally friendly environment.