Brick and tile industry faces new challenges

Solid growth rates were recorded in the clay blocks and facing brick segments as well as for clay pavers. The problem child remains clay roofing tiles, which, after a good start, are again showing slightly declining figures. The reasons for this are the still too low renovation rate and the increasing preference for flat and pitched roofs in the new construction segment.

Even if some indicators suggest that the economy in Germany could weaken, we are looking ahead to this year with a positive outlook across all brick segments. Our order books for 2020 are mostly well filled.

However, there is no reason for us to sit back and relax – quite the contrary. In the coming years, Germany will have to find answers to important questions of the future, such as progressive urbanization and climate change. Here, politics, business and society are equally challenged to set the right course.

We as the German brick and tile industry want to make an active contribution to mastering the challenges that lie ahead of us all in the best possible way.

This year, we welcome our European colleagues to the Association Meeting in Berlin. Parallel to our activities, the congress of the European association Tiles and Bricks Europe TBE will take place on 18 and 19 June 2020. I am looking forward to welcoming as many of you as possible in Berlin. We shall use this opportunity to take a close look at the political concepts of climate neutrality in Europe by 2050. It is important to keep sectors such as the brick and tile industry involved and not to lose sight of the feasibility of industrial transformation processes. This is what we are working for every day!

Yours
Stefan Jungk
President of the Federal German Association of the Brick and Tile Industry, Berlin