European manufacturers satisfied with order intake in 2021

Almost all manufacturers of brick technology were able to put the pandemic situation behind them last year. Only the high prices for raw materials and delivery delays are a cause for concern, informs ECTS.

With regard to their incoming orders, most companies seemed to have reached pre-pandemic levels. Many ECTS members have been affected by the high and further increasing raw material prices as well as long delivery times. In some cases, prices have doubled and delivery times lengthened from four weeks to four months. Some suppliers of machine components have run out of stock and cannot say when they will be delivering again. Such a situation makes it difficult to compile any quotations since raw materials are bought after order intake. For this reason, some manufacturers include price indexes in quotations instead of monetary values.

In terms of order intake, especially spare parts and upgrading projects are generating business. Only few greenfield projects are planned for 2022. The strongest market for ceramic technology remains Central Europe, while the US market is still promising.

One lasting positive effect of the pandemic was, according to the unanimous opinion of the ECTS members, is that travel expenses shrank by approximately 40 percent during lockdown thanks to the new virtual communication experiences. Many companies are establishing more and more remote services. In this sense, the pandemic has been a driver of digitalization. Beyond remote services, the ECTS members have also shifted parts of their sales activities to the virtual world. For the heavy clay sector, the next big topic for the future will be decarbonization. This applies to all areas along the production chain.

ceramitec in Munich

The next place to be for the ceramic industry and to learn more about latest technology is ceramitec in Munich. From 21 – 24 June 2022, more than 600 exhibitors from all over the world are presenting their entire portfolio at the ceramics trade fair: machinery, equipment, systems, processes, and raw materials. Every branch of the industry is represented, from traditional ceramics through industrial ceramics, ceramic engineering to technical ceramics and powder metallurgy. At the ceramitec Forum, all trade fair guests can obtain information on product developments, trends and market analyses over all the days of the trade fair. ECTS is compiling the all-day programme in heavy clay ceramics with presentations, panel discussions and talks. More information is available at www.ceramitec.com.