The development history and prospects of Foshan’s ceramic industry

(pasted in the government affairs disclosure column of the Foshan government website)

Abstract: After thirty years of reform and opening up, the rapid development of With the development, Foshan has become the largest production base of building and sanitary ceramics in my country and even the world. The development of the ceramic industry has a strong role in promoting the economic development of Foshan. However, with the intensification of competition and the development of the situation in the domestic and foreign ceramic industry, Foshan's ceramic industry is facing a series of problems that restrict sustainable development. Affected by internal and external factors, the development of Foshan's ceramic industry is facing a severe situation of retreat if it does not advance, and retreat if it advances even if it is small.

This article first elaborates on the development process of Foshan's ceramic industry, especially the development process of Foshan's ceramic industry after the reform and opening up. Secondly, it analyzes the current situation of Foshan's ceramic industry, including its achievements and bottlenecks restricting its development. Finally, looking forward to the development prospects of Foshan's ceramic industry, it is pointed out that its development direction is: taking a sustainable path, strengthening regional brands, strengthening independent innovation, industrial upgrading and industrial transfer, etc.

Keywords: Foshan; ceramic industry; development process; outlook

China is one of several ancient civilizations with a long history in the world and has made great contributions to the progress and development of human society. Many significant contributions. The achievements made in ceramic technology and art are of special significance. In China, the emergence of pottery technology can be traced back to the era from 4500 BC to 2500 BC. It can be said that an important part of the development history of the Chinese nation is the history of the development of ceramics, the achievements of the Chinese in science and technology, and their impact on The pursuit and shaping of beauty are reflected in many aspects through ceramic production, forming very typical technical and artistic features of each era.

When talking about ceramics, one has to think of Foshan. Foshan is a famous cultural city with a long history. Foshan has a diverse history and culture, and ceramic culture is undoubtedly the most distinctive, influential and widely spread among them. Shiwan Ceramics is a bright "business card" of Foshan. It has enabled Foshan to win the title of "Ceramic Capital of Southern China" and extended the concept of "Great Foshan Ceramics" regional economy.

1. The development history of Foshan’s ceramic industry

Foshan is a bright pearl embedded in the hinterland of the Pearl River Delta. Foshan ceramics have a long history, with ancient southern style stoves and five-hundred-year-old kilns. The fire keeps going, and Shiwan dolls are famous both at home and abroad. Foshan ceramic production began in the Tang Dynasty, was founded in the Song Dynasty, and flourished in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Today it has become one of the largest ceramic production areas in my country. Its development has gone through the following stages:

(1) The glory before the founding of the People's Republic of China And Decline

Foshan Shiwan has already revealed the prelude to the history of pottery making in the shell mound sites of the late Neolithic Age. During the Qin and Han Dynasties, Shiwan's pottery-making technology reached a high level. The large number of pottery figurines, animals, utensils, etc. unearthed locally prove that ceramic art with local characteristics had already been formed at this time. During the Six Dynasties, Shiwan people had mastered the ceramic glaze technology. In the Tang Dynasty, commercial production of ceramics began to appear in Shiwan. During the Song Dynasty, Shiwan ceramic products transitioned from circular kiln production to dragon kiln production, gradually forming a specialized and large-scale production system for ceramic products. During the Ming Dynasty, Shiwan's ceramic industry entered a period of prosperity. At this time, Shiwan, as a concentration of folk ceramics production (the so-called folk kilns), had formed significant industry production characteristics, integrating the production technology and high-temperature glazes of major famous kilns in the Central Plains. The widespread use of ceramics has made Shiwan ceramics manufacturing technology more and more perfect. Fine art ceramics began to appear as an art with local folk characteristics, which also greatly improved the artistic taste of Shiwan ceramics. "Poetry Collection of the Ming Dynasty" contains: "Shiwan tiles are the best in the world", which summarizes the status of Shiwan ceramic production at that time.

In the Qing Dynasty, Shiwan's ceramic industry entered its heyday, with the production of a large number of various daily-use ceramics and unique styles of ceramic tile ridges, architectural decorative components, ceramic statues of gods and Buddhas, garden supplies, exterior furnishings, study utensils, artistic figures, and The production of fine art ceramics such as flowers, birds, insects and fish not only operates in the vast market in many provinces and regions in South China, but is also exported to Southeast Asia, Europe and the United States in large quantities through the "Maritime Silk Road". It became an industry with considerable production technology and commodity economy at that time. The developed ceramic production and marketing base made its own contribution to the formation of Foshan, which was one of the four famous towns in the country along with Hankou in Hubei, Jingde in Jiangxi, and Zhuxian in Henan, and was listed as one of the "four major gatherings" of national commodity distribution centers. .

After the middle of the Qing Dynasty, especially after the Opium War, Foshan's ceramic industry stagnated and declined. During the Kuomintang's rule, Foshan's ceramic industry not only failed to develop, but also became increasingly depressed and declining. The import of foreign porcelain showed a trend of increasing year by year. On the eve of liberation, Foshan's ceramic industry was on its last legs. Still, it survives.

(2) Re-emergence after the founding of the People's Republic of China

After the founding of New China, by confiscating bureaucratic capital and transforming capitalist industry and commerce and individual handicrafts, my country's ceramic industry has achieved rapid recovery and development. , established a socialist ceramic industry system. During this period, Foshan's ceramic industry developed rapidly, with Shiwan as the center, producing art, chemical and architectural ceramic products. It occupied an important position in domestic and export terms. In the 1970s, export volume accounted for 20% of the country's total.

But the rapid development of Foshan's ceramic industry only occurred thirty years after the reform and opening up. After the reform and opening up, Foshan's ceramic industry, led by Shiwan, seized the opportunity of development that had never been seen in a thousand years, quickly adjusted its production layout, introduced advanced equipment, reformed production technology, and developed architectural and decorative ceramics, creating another glories for the millennium pottery capital. In only thirty years of rapid development, the development process of Foshan's ceramic industry can be roughly divided into four stages:

The first stage is from the reform and opening up to the late 1980s. Foshan's architectural sanitary ceramics started to take off, marking the rise of my country's modern architectural sanitary ceramics production. In 1982, Guangdong Fotao Group took the lead in introducing the first Italian automatic production line of glazed tiles with an annual output of 300,000 square meters in mainland China. In the mid-1980s, Fotao Group took the lead in introducing the first modern sanitary ceramics line from Germany in mainland China. The production line marks the first step for China's ceramic industry to bid farewell to traditional craftsmanship and traditional production methods. During this period, state-owned enterprises were mainly the backbone, and the government provided strong support in terms of investment, introduction or development of technology and equipment, etc. The large state-owned enterprise Guangdong Foshan Ceramics Group can be called the leading enterprise in the development of China's architectural and sanitary ceramics. Under the conditions at that time, the enterprise had great advantages in investment, production, technology, products, and management, and had cultivated a large number of ceramic production professionals. Technical personnel and management talents have made great contributions to the rapid development of Foshan Ceramics. As the base of my country's architectural and sanitary ceramics, Foshan Ceramics Group gathered all kinds of technical forces at that time. Its production continued to rise, and its corporate profits continued to grow, thus driving the development of some local state-owned and collective ceramic enterprises. On the other hand, the market demand for ceramic products is very strong. Since a lot of equipment for the construction of sanitary ceramics production lines had to be introduced at that time, the investment was large, there were many links such as project construction approvals and loans, the construction period was long, and the production technology threshold was high. Therefore, the development of production could not keep up with the growth of demand, forming a seller's market. The efficiency of the enterprise is excellent, and the brick press is known as the "money printing machine".

The second stage is from the early to mid-1990s. Foshan's construction and sanitary ceramics industry has realized the coexistence and development of enterprises of multiple ownership types, and achieved a balance between supply and demand. After Deng Xiaoping’s speech during his southern tour in 1992, my country’s economy entered a period of rapid development. It happened that the four counties directly under the jurisdiction of Foshan were successively changed into county-level cities under the jurisdiction of Foshan, such as Nanhai County was changed to Nanhai City, and Shunde County was changed to Shunde City. In order to develop the economy, these newly established county-level municipal governments encouraged To develop the ceramic industry, villages and towns around Shiwan, such as Lecong in Shunde and Nanzhuang, Xiqiao and Luocun in Nanhai, have established township ceramic enterprises.

During the same period, Guangdong took the lead in carrying out enterprise restructuring reforms. Personal capital began to enter the ceramic industry, and some state-owned enterprises and collective enterprises began to transform into private enterprises. The changes in systems and mechanisms formed a production pattern in which multiple economic components coexisted. At the same time, Fo Tao Group used its own technological advantages to provide technical support or consultation to township enterprises in the form of technology shares, which promoted the rapid development of the ceramic industry and also cultivated competitors for Fo Tao Group itself. At this time, the technical equipment was still mainly imported. Due to the large investment in technology introduction, high investment costs, and difficulty in raising funds, the process of equipment localization continued to accelerate, and new domestic equipment was continuously invested, such as large ball mills and spray drying towers. With the increase in the number of ceramic enterprises, the expansion of production capacity, and the doubling of product output, Foshan has become the largest production base of construction and sanitary ceramics in the country. The rapid development of Foshan's ceramic industry at this stage is inseparable from the encouragement of the government. However, because the government did not have a unified plan for the ceramic industry and built factories everywhere without realizing the importance of environmental protection, smoke appeared everywhere in Foshan, and disorderly competition in ceramics also began to appear at this stage. At this time, the supply and demand of Foshan's ceramic industry have reached a balance, and product prices are stable but declining. Domestic sales of products mainly rely on local and regional ceramic wholesale markets. Exports of products are mainly through compensation trade, and the export volume is not large.

The third stage is from the mid-to-late 1990s. This is a period of development and improvement of Foshan's architectural and sanitary ceramics. Some township and village enterprises and private enterprises, with the policy support of local governments (mainly town-level governments), with flexible mechanisms and guaranteed funds, rely on domestically developed large-scale spray drying towers, large-tonnage presses, and wide-section roller conveyors. Equipment such as kilns, polishing lines and new production technologies are introduced at low cost and produced at low cost. They continue to develop and grow and become the protagonist of Foshan's ceramic industry. In one year from the second half of 1997 to the first half of 1998, nearly 200 new production lines were put into operation in Foshan. The production capacity of building sanitary ceramics expanded rapidly, with an increase of 60%. Industry insiders called it "white terror". A situation of oversupply began to emerge. As market competition begins to escalate, some state-owned and collective enterprises have fallen behind due to backward management mechanisms and equipment that has been used for more than ten years. At the same time, because they have no funds for technological transformation, the quality of their products is unstable and their market competitiveness has declined. In the end, they were eliminated by themselves. If you defeat the competitors you cultivate, you will have no choice but to quit. At the same time, various technical talents from state-owned enterprises took advantage of their technical advantages and began to engage in supporting industries related to ceramics, such as chemical raw materials, colored glazes, ceramic machinery and advertising companies, etc., promoting the development of Foshan's ceramic industry grow. The emergence of product distribution systems and exhibition hall sales has also promoted the development of the ceramic industry. Domestic sales of products still rely mainly on wholesale market sales. According to statistics, there were 13 ceramic wholesale markets in Shiwan, Foshan in 1998. However, due to the increase in product varieties and colors, some companies have begun to build large-area exhibition halls to display products. , sell directly to customers, and at the same time establish its own marketing team to promote throughout the country. Because the equipment purchased by enterprises was mainly domestically produced, export compensation trade gradually decreased, and general trade increased, but at a slower pace. By 1999, Foshan's annual ceramic export value was approximately US$70 million.

The fourth stage is from the beginning of the 21st century to the present. Foshan Ceramics began to embark on the development path of technological innovation, product brand strategy and market development. Due to the oversupply in the domestic market, ceramic manufacturers began to focus on improving the level of technical equipment. Large-tonnage presses, advanced wide-section roller kilns and automated new distribution systems were widely used. Ceramic product varieties were constantly innovated. Natural stone polished tiles , antique tiles, high-end glazed tiles and large-sized ceramic tiles have been developed. The products are not only at the leading level in the country, but also partially reach the international level and have strong competitiveness. During this period, Foshan ceramic companies began to pay attention to brand building and worked hard in product display, advertising and marketing, and more well-known brands emerged. At this stage, Foshan's ceramic industry has shown continued and steady growth.

According to data provided by the statistics department, in 2006, there were 547 ceramic enterprises in Foshan, with a total industrial output value of 57.274 billion yuan, an industrial added value of 16.492 billion yuan, total assets of 32.394 billion yuan, total profits of 2.141 billion yuan, total tax revenue of 2.193 billion yuan, and all employees The annual average number is 151,280, an increase of 59.9, 245.9, 270.7, 51.4, 1197.6, 192.8 and 31.8 respectively compared with 2000. The average annual growth rates are 8.1, 23.0, 24.4, 7.2, 53.3, 19.6 and 4.7 respectively. In 2007, the scale of Foshan There are 366 ceramic industry enterprises above, with a total industrial output value of 61.445 billion yuan, industrial added value of 18.462 billion yuan, export delivery value of 6.505 billion yuan, total assets of 29.372 billion yuan, total profits of 3.644 billion yuan, total tax revenue of 1.809 billion yuan, and all employees The annual average number is 124,180, accounting for 5.5, 7.3, 7.9, 3.5, 6.6, 9.2, 5.9 and 7.8 of the city's above-scale industries respectively. In 2007, the total export value of Foshan's ceramic products was US$1.49 billion, accounting for 5.7 of the city's total export value. The market Covering more than 170 countries and regions around the world. Among the top 50 Chinese ceramic exporters in 2005 announced by the China Light Industry Chamber of Commerce, Foshan has 13, accounting for 26 of the country's total and 56.5 of the province's (23).

2. Current situation of Foshan ceramic industry

As one of the national ceramic industry centers, Foshan has made remarkable achievements after years of development and accumulation, especially the rapid development after the reform and opening up. Human achievements have also encountered development bottlenecks.

(1) Achievements in the development of Foshan’s ceramic industry

1. It has become the largest ceramic production base in the country and even the world

Currently, Foshan has more than 1,000 ceramic production lines Article 1, the annual production capacity of construction and sanitary ceramics accounts for about 40% and 16% of the country's total, and 25% and 5% of the world's total, about 80% and 80% of the country's ceramic machinery, and about 50% of the country's ceramic glaze production.

2. It has formed the largest ceramic product distribution and exhibition center in the country and even the world

At present, Foshan has formed five major ceramics companies: Qingke, Land, Huayi, Shagang and Hedang. Professional wholesale market, two major ceramic display and exhibition centers, China Ceramic City and Huaxia Ceramic Expo City, and two major ceramic professional streets, Jiangwan Road and Nanzhuang Avenue, with annual sales exceeding 10 billion yuan. At the same time, Foshan has two exhibition venues, Foshan International Convention and Exhibition Center and China Ceramic City. After the integration of the ceramic exhibition industry in 2004, the Ceramic Products Exhibition (China Foshan (International) Ceramics Expo and Trade Fair) and the Ceramic Industry Exhibition (Foshan China (International) Ceramic Industry Exhibition) and Ceramic Art Exhibition (Ceramic Art Festival) are three pillars of the ceramic exhibition pattern.

3. Industrial clusters and mature industrial chains have been formed

With the development and growth of the ceramic industry, related supporting industries such as ceramic machinery, ceramic raw materials, refractory materials, ceramic accessories and Professional manufacturers such as ceramic packaging have also rapidly developed in Foshan, and a professional division of labor and collaboration has been formed. Foshan also has ceramic research institutes, ceramic product testing centers, professional schools, developed professional media, advertising companies, transportation companies, ceramic wholesale markets and exhibition venues. Currently, there are more than 1,000 such related enterprises and departments in Foshan City. A long industrial chain has been formed, with obvious aggregation benefits. According to expert assessment, the maturity level of Foshan's ceramic industry development is leading in the country and is very close to that of the famous Italian town of Sassuolo.

4. The technology is leading in the country, and some technologies have reached the international advanced level.

After thirty years of introduction, digestion, absorption and self-innovation, Foshan ceramic industry has become technologically advanced. into a system. From the perspective of production equipment, although the overall level still lags behind the developed ceramic producing countries Italy and Spain, Foshan currently has the most advanced equipment at home and abroad, and it is in a leading position in the country. From the perspective of innovative technology, Foshan has successfully developed China's first glazed tiles, crystal tiles and polished tiles, etc. It can produce curved tiles that cannot be produced abroad. Its innovation capabilities are among the best in the country, and some of its technologies are unique in the world.

From the perspective of R&D centers, the Ceramics Research Institute of Guangdong Fotao Group is a national-level technology center. The China Architectural Ceramics R&D Center jointly established by Nanzhuang Town, Chancheng District, Foshan City and Jingdezhen Ceramics Institute is a national-level ceramics research institute, and some companies have Provincial and municipal technical centers. From the perspective of product testing institutions, the Ceramics Laboratory of Foshan Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau is a national building sanitary ceramics testing laboratory, and the Ceramics Laboratory of Foshan Quality Inspection, Supervision and Inspection Institute is the Guangdong Province Ceramics Technical Supervision and Inspection Station. Numerous national, provincial and municipal technical centers, R&D centers and testing centers provide strong technical support for Foshan's ceramic industry.

5. A number of leading enterprises and famous brands have been formed, creating regional brands

Fotao, Eagle Pai, Dongpeng, Xinzhongyuan, Xinmingzhu, and Jiajun have emerged. , Mona Lisa, Bode Seiko, Oceano and Nengqiang and a large number of leading companies. At the same time, a large number of famous corporate brands have been cultivated. At present, Foshan Ceramics has 5 "China Famous Trademarks" (Dongpeng, Xinzhongyuan, Xinmingzhu, Mona Lisa, ARROW), 7 "China Famous Brand Products", 28 "China Ceramic Industry Famous Brand Products", and " There are 34 “Guangdong Province Famous Trademarks” and 28 “Guangdong Province Famous Brand Products”. In addition, in order to better protect and develop the regional brand of Foshan Ceramics, the Foshan Ceramics Industry Association has registered the general trademark "Foshan Ceramics" with the State Administration for Industry and Commerce. "Foshan Ceramics" has become a lacquered gold business card that allows the world to know Foshan and Foshan to the world. It has become an important medium to carry forward Foshan's history and culture and promote the city's image.

6. A large number of professionals related to the ceramic industry have been created

Due to the agglomeration effect of the industry, various types of ceramic management talents, R&D talents, marketing talents, planning talents, technical workers and skilled workers Gathering in Foshan has made great contributions to the development of Foshan's ceramic industry and laid a solid foundation for the future development of Foshan's ceramic industry.

(2) Bottlenecks in the development of Foshan's ceramic industry

1. Resource bottlenecks

On the one hand, there is a shortage of energy. The ceramic industry is a typical industry with high energy consumption, high water consumption, high pollution and low added value. In the production of ceramics, fuel costs account for about 30%. The surge in oil prices in the past two years has increased fuel costs to about 40%, which has had a particularly big impact on ceramic companies that use fuel as the main raw material. As oil prices rise, chemical raw materials, colored glazes, packaging materials, etc. also rise. Coupled with the shortage of skilled workers and increased labor costs, the production costs of Foshan's ceramic industry have risen sharply, but the prices of ceramic products have not seen a corresponding rise. The rise has forced companies into a difficult situation. On the other hand, China clay resources are in short supply. Market demand is rising year by year, and the threat of "cutting out of production" for ceramic enterprises will be a serious pain for the ceramic industry.

2. Environmental protection thresholds are constantly increasing

The ceramic industry’s emissions of waste gas, sulfur dioxide and industrial dust rank among the highest among all industries. Most ceramic enterprises in Foshan are private enterprises, and most entrepreneurs do not have a strong concept of environmental protection, do not pay attention to environmental protection, and do not invest enough in technological transformation in environmental protection. At present, the Foshan Municipal Government has realized that the ceramic industry is incompatible with urban development and is vigorously carrying out industrial optimization and upgrading of Foshan's ceramic industry, ordering enterprises that do not meet standards to rectify or close down. However, this process It still takes a long time.

3. The ability of independent innovation is not strong

Foshan Ceramics' technical equipment is leading in the country, but there is still a big gap compared with the ceramic powerhouses Italy and Spain. In terms of technological innovation and transformation, most companies have insufficient investment and lack of R&D capabilities. They have suffered from theft of technology, product homogeneity, and many technical disputes. Their core competitiveness is not strong. In terms of product design, the number of new products is small and large. Some companies lack independent development capabilities and are prone to imitation; in terms of product development, they have not followed the path of experience, introduction, imitation and practicality. In addition, Foshan also lacks internationally renowned brands and enterprises, and there is a large gap between the brand strategy and brand management level compared with the domestic Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions. As a result, Foshan ceramics has not established its due brand and value in the market.

4. Export resistance is growing

In recent years, the export of Foshan ceramics has increased significantly, and Foshan has become my country's largest export base of construction and sanitary ceramics. However, this has had a greater impact on similar foreign industries. These countries and regions have set up technical barriers, anti-dumping, tariffs and other trade barriers to prevent my country's ceramic exports. Foshan's ceramic exports have encountered increasing resistance. On the other hand, Foshan Ceramics also has some problems of its own, such as the lack of independent brands, too low export unit prices, and low product quality and grade.

3. Prospects for Foshan Ceramics Industry

With the rapid development of Foshan’s ceramics industry in the past thirty years after reform and opening up, the abundance of its production factors has undergone relative changes, including raw materials, land, and labor. The comparative advantages of other production factors have weakened, while capital, technology, production management level, etc. constitute Foshan's advantageous factors. For Foshan's ceramic industry to develop forward, it must have a new level of goal positioning. It is not just to develop the manufacturing industry, but to develop the entire industrial chain, including technology, culture, and brand. In order to give full play to the comparative advantages of Foshan's ceramic industry and promote the development of Foshan's ceramic industry and the city, the adjustment of Foshan's ceramic industry is imperative.

(1) Follow the path of sustainable development

Pay close attention to environmental protection, develop a circular economy, and achieve sustainable development of the ceramic industry. Although the ceramic industry is one of the four traditional pillar industries in Foshan City, it has made a great contribution to the local economy. However, with the construction of Foshan as a modern metropolis, the ceramic industry is extremely incompatible with urban construction due to problems such as resources, energy, and pollution. Therefore, it is necessary to emphasize resource conservation and clean production. The ceramic industry is a typical resource-consuming and environmentally polluting industry. The development of circular economy is an effective way and inevitable way to break the constraints of resources and environment. It is also an inherent requirement for taking a new industrialization path.

(2) Strengthen regional brands and produce cultural ceramics

Foshan ceramics has a long cultural history and represents a model of Guangdong’s industrial development and innovation since the reform and opening up. It is not easy to build such a brand, it requires cultural and market prosperity. The ceramic industry in Foshan is not just as simple as making bricks and making sanitary ware. It has a very profound and broad meaning and has broad cultural connotations. At present, Foshan Ceramics has become a strong regional brand in Foshan. The biggest advantage of Foshan Ceramics is its high market awareness - the costs of raw materials, energy, transportation, manpower, etc. are higher than those in other regions. Therefore, Foshan Ceramics can only stand firm in future market competition by taking the road of high-end brands. The place of defeat.

(3) Improve independent innovation capabilities

Currently, international industrial competition has shifted from the production stage of processing and manufacturing to the independent innovation stage including research and development, marketing, and branding. At present, Foshan's ceramic production has reached a certain scale and level. It should be promoted to evolve from the tracking and imitation stage to the independent innovation stage focusing on technology, brand and standards, and implement a differentiation strategy. The first is to apply modern scientific and technological means to upgrade and develop existing ceramic production equipment; the second is to apply high and new technologies to develop new ceramic products with intellectual property rights.

(4) Simultaneous industrial upgrading and industrial transfer

The extensive growth model of the ceramic industry is not suitable for the current economic development situation in Foshan, and it must be upgraded from the low-end value chain of production and processing Only by reaching the high-end link of the value chain can we meet the needs of industrial development and the development of Foshan. The upgrading of the ceramic industry is to transform from the previous "waist drum type" with large production and small marketing and scientific research to a "dumbbell type" industrial structure with small production and large marketing and scientific research, so that the product value chain should be as close as possible to both ends of the "smile curve" extend. The ceramic industry is an industry with strong professional production. It is not easy to completely withdraw from the industry. Many companies choose to transfer the low-end production links in the value chain and retain their corporate headquarters and product research and development in Foshan. department, thereby promoting the upgrading of Foshan's ceramic industry. In addition, regional differences in production costs and environmental pollution will also prompt the relocation of Foshan's ceramic industry.

PS: Ceramics is a big industry with a lot of materials for creation. If you have any other questions, please HI me and I will try my best to provide you with materials