The tile company faces Cevisama with a “slight improvement” and the push for less bureaucracy

New appointment for the ceramic sector at Cevisama, after the ups and downs due to the increase in the price of gas and the consequent ERTE that swept the sector, and it seems that the patient is breathing better. The Spanish employers' association of ceramic tile and flooring manufacturers, Castellón-based Ascer, yesterday took stock of the last year at the fair and noted that the year has closed "with a slight improvement" in national sales and production, while total turnover and exports still reflect slight falls. According to the association, the estimated total turnover of the sector in 2024 reached 4,818 million euros, a fall of 0.9%.

Sales were mainly in the international market (72%), as Spanish ceramics are sold in 186 countries. In fact, they boasted that “the Spanish ceramic sector shows an export propensity five times higher than the Spanish average” and reiterated how they maintain their leadership in ceramic export volume in the entire European Union, a relevant fact taking into account that Italian competition has been the great concern of this Spanish industry during these years of energy crisis.

There are many unknowns at the moment, both in terms of trade policy and the geopolitical situation." Alberto Echavarría, Secretary General of Ascer

The biggest drop in turnover has been recorded in exports, since in 2024 they reached 3,479 million euros, a decrease of 2.4% compared to the previous year. They pointed out that foreign demand has been weighed down by the "cooling" of the construction market in the main clients, especially in Europe, which concentrates 51.1% of total exports.

European bet on a fair without Pamesa or Porcelanosa

The fair is making a strong commitment, in line with the sector, to European products and quality 'Made in Europe'. This is one of the flagships of this edition, which until next Friday brings together an offer of 403 firms and brands, 96% of which come from countries such as Spain, Italy and Portugal in particular, and which revolves around trends and the latest developments in ceramics, bathroom equipment, marble and natural stone, and technology and machinery for the ceramic industry. Meanwhile, the fair misses big brands, such as Porcelanosa or Pamesa Cerámica, which are holding their own events this week. The first, the XXXI edition of the Porcelanosa International Global Architecture and Interior Design Exhibition , which will run until March 7; the second, the fourth edition of its Cerámica Experience , another event in its facilities where it will present ceramic solutions and trends.

"We can't say that things are going well, but they are not going badly either," said the general secretary of the tile industry association Ascer, Alberto Echavarría, according to EFE, referring to the annual report. A diagnosis that is also pending on what happens in the United States, since 13.5% of the tile industry's exports, worth 470.2 million euros, are to this country. For this reason, the imposition of tariffs, both those imposed on Europe and on other competing countries, is of great concern.

"It is difficult to make predictions, there are many unknowns at the moment related to both trade policy, which is greatly influenced by the Trump administration's announcements about possible tariffs, and the geopolitical situation that affects factors such as the cost of energy," he said.

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As a sign of the slight recovery that the sector is talking about, employment is also improving with 15,790 direct jobs nationwide, which represents an increase of 5.7% compared to 2023. And the other positive figures in the annual analysis are those referring to production, which is growing slightly by 1.2%, reaching almost 400 million square meters.

The Council hopes that the optimisation of the processing of integrated environmental authorisations and their modifications, which are being prepared by the Ministry of the Environment, will contribute to its improvement. The Minister, Vicente Martínez Mus, said yesterday at Cevisama that “they will speed up the process, reduce the paperwork burden and facilitate collaboration between the different agents involved”. He also announced that, within the Simplifica Plan, “the first specific protocol for documentary certification will be established, which will further facilitate the procedures related to authorisations”.