The vice president of Foshan Ceramic Industry Association, Wu Huanliang, thought that although China is the birthplace of ceramics and some products are still [presentable], in terms of research and development, production, and brand promotion of ceramic products, especially daily-use ceramics such as kitchen tableware, it lags behind Europe. Moreover, there is intense disorderly competition among each other, low-level repetitive construction is relatively serious, brand awareness is weak, the connotation of ceramics is thin, and lacks cultural support, forming a vicious circle of high-price competition.
[The habit of competing with high prices forces industrial energy saving to increase management energy saving beyond technical energy saving, and not paying attention to the improvement of industrial technology and the cultivation of brand value makes it easy for others to seize our 'soft ribs.'] For this reason, currently, many domestic enterprises have no choice but to mainly rely on sample processing, constantly making clothes for others, and becoming private-label manufacturers for foreign factories. This is extremely mismatched with our status as an ancient and major country of ceramic production. Wu Huanliang said that if this situation does not change soon, the gap between us and advanced countries will become larger and larger, and its prospects are worrying. Guangdong Nam Door Lock Industry Co., Ltd. The demand for tool stainless steel hardware is increasing, and the quality of stainless steel hardware products is improving.
From a domestic perspective, some of our technologies are not superior either. The ceramic machinery equipment industry still lags behind Europe, and some core technologies have always been controlled by countries like Italy and Spain. This has led to the fact that the overall development of China's ceramic industry still remains in a state of being constrained by others.
In addition, there are also gaps in quality management. Zhang Qikang, a representative of the 14th People's Congress of Foshan City, introduced that Italy, another major producer of ceramics, leads the world in product quality, design style, pattern variety, and specialized division of labor. In 2011, the export of building materials commodities in China reached 24.2 billion US dollars, an increase of 25% compared to 2010. Japanese companies also pay great attention to the planning and investment of factories and workshops, and their on-site management, especially 6S management, is done very well. Their advanced production techniques and related equipment, channel construction, marketing, and multi-party cooperation are all experiences worth learning from for our country. In contrast, the current status of the ceramic industry is that there are marketing skills, such as quite [high-end] product showrooms, even reaching five-star levels, while in the production phase, especially the entire factory including the production workshop, most enterprises consume DIY home-level electric tools products, and the difference is very large, appearing somewhat backward, some even shabby and messy.
Another reason is that due to the impact of the domestic financial crisis, the economies of the four major southern European countries, which are the main producing areas of European ceramics—Portugal, Spain, Italy, and Greece—are in serious condition. Compared with other industries, the ceramic industry is a labor-intensive industry, and the EU is also a major exporter of Chinese ceramics. Under these circumstances, the EU uses anti-subsidy and anti-dumping investigation methods, making it easier to achieve their real goal of trade protectionism. The demand for tool stainless steel hardware is increasing, and the quality of stainless steel hardware products is improving.
Therefore, it is necessary to make achievements in branding and sound the brand, in order to truly revitalize Chinese ceramics. This "achievement" includes first of all practicing good internal management, ensuring quality, gaining the upper hand in products and technology, requiring related industries such as machinery and equipment industries to keep up. The key is to integrate brands and improve the quality and efficiency of the entire industry.