Recently, many ceramic companies in Guangdong told "Ceramic Information" that after entering August, it is obvious that the sales situation of ceramic tiles has improved.
When business is bad, you are worried; when business is good, you are still worried! "Who knows, is this a good thing or a bad thing?" said a person in charge of a Foshan ceramics enterprise who did not want to be named. He is worried that production costs have skyrocketed, and some products with low added value have already "sold one piece and lost one piece."
Recently, the price of natural gas in the multi-producing areas of Guangdong has exceeded 4.3 yuan/m³, and the price of coal has also exceeded 1,300 yuan/ton. The prices of the two main fuels used in ceramic tile production have reached the highest level in the same period in history; while zirconium silicate, zirconium oxychloride, The upward trend of raw materials such as zinc oxide, praseodymium oxide, boric acid, and caustic soda has not yet come down. Under multiple attacks, the profit margins of ceramic tiles have been further compressed.
“The price of raw materials has increased to a point of numbness”
Since the beginning of this year, raw materials such as zirconium silicate, zirconium oxychloride, strontium carbonate, zinc oxide, and caustic soda have been "rising". "There is a new price every two days, and the price has gone up to numb levels." One person said unwillingly The person in charge of the named ceramic company told "Ceramic Information".
Among them, zirconium silicate, which is widely used in the ceramic industry, 64.5 zirconium silicate was only about 12,000 yuan/ton at the beginning of the year, but by the beginning of July, according to statistics from authoritative organizations, it had continued to rise to 15,500 to 16,500 yuan/ton, entering 7 In the middle of the month, the price was raised by about 1,000 yuan/ton.
"The current tax-included price of zirconium silicate has reached more than 19,000 yuan/ton, which has already surpassed zinc oxide. And now that zirconium silicate is needed, don't ask about the price first, but first ask whether it is available." It is reported that the current supply is affected by the supply of zirconium silicate. Affected by the shortage, the rising market of zirconium silicate is not over yet.
Some analysts pointed out that the current large increase in domestic zirconium silicate and tight supply are mainly affected by the "inability to import zirconium sand".
According to people familiar with the matter, the world's three largest zircon sand suppliers - ILUKA, Richards Bay Minerals (RBM) and TRONOX (Tylenol), have significantly reduced their zircon sand production this year.
Take ILUKA as an example. Its peak annual output was about 620,000 tons, but this year it seems to have dropped to 280,000 tons. In addition, due to rising demand in Europe, the overall supply to customers in the Chinese market has decreased by nearly 30% this year.
The mine is located in RBM, South Africa, formerlyThe annual production capacity is about 210,000 tons, but this year it is in a semi-stop state due to the unrest, and there is almost no supply in the third quarter; Tylenol has one mine in Australia and one in South Africa. Due to various factors, its service to global customers has decreased by about 15% this year. supply.
In any case, it is an established fact that the price of zirconium silicate will skyrocket this year and supply will be tight. Many people in the industry estimate that the price of zirconium silicate including tax is very likely to exceed 20,000 yuan.
Some people in the industry have previously admitted that the tight supply of zirconium silicate may be relieved in September, but judging from the current situation, the time may be delayed.
In addition to zirconium silicate, raw materials such as strontium carbonate, zinc oxide, and caustic soda have also increased to varying degrees.
Relatively speaking, strontium carbonate has fallen slightly recently, from the peak of 20,000 yuan/ton or even higher to the current 12,000~13,000 yuan/ton. However, compared with the 5,000 yuan/ton at the end of last year, The increase is still over 140%.
At the beginning of this year, zinc oxide was priced at 14,000~15,000 yuan/ton excluding tax. Now the price per ton has been raised to 17,000~18,000 yuan; zirconium oxychloride has also increased from the original 11,000~12,000 yuan/ton to 18,000 yuan/ton. .
……
The cost of raw materials has increased too much
Affect product quality?
"It's scary. The current price of zirconium oxychloride has increased by 6,000 yuan/ton, which means that the cost of each kilogram of wrapped color produced has to increase by more than 10 yuan." A color material supplier told "Ceramic Information" that zirconium oxychloride Not only are there no "substitutes", but if you buy something of lower quality, the hair color will be dull.
It is reported that the situation with strontium carbonate is similar. Strontium carbonate is mainly used in the production of high-end ceramic tiles. It can effectively reduce glaze bubbles, improve the gloss of the tile surface, and improve the brightness of the tile surface. At the same time, its color development is better than other products. Therefore, it is the first choice to ensure the quality of high-end ceramic tiles.
If strontium carbonate is not in place for a long time, it will have a considerable impact on the production of related products of various glaze companies, and will inevitably affect the production of high-end ceramic tiles.
It is also worth mentioning that the situation of zirconium silicate, which is currently experiencing the strongest growth and the tightest supply, seems to be a little different. The formula can be adjusted to reduce dependence on it. According to relevant sources, in the production formula, zirconium silicate mainly plays a whitening role.
Currently, some glaze companies or ceramic factories that prepare their own glazes haveReplacing ordinary aluminum with high-white aluminum to reduce the amount of zirconium silicate "can probably reduce the amount of zirconium silicate by 4 to 6 points." Or, purchase some other raw materials such as higher quality, higher whiteness, sand and gravel. To a certain extent, the reliance on zirconium silicate has been slightly eased.
However, according to relevant sources, the quality of zirconium silicate produced from domestic zirconium sand is not ideal. Currently, a small number of zirconium silicate suppliers mix domestic zirconium silicate with imported zirconium silicate, resulting in overall poor quality of zirconium silicate. decline, thus affecting the production of ceramic tiles.
In any case, many of them are conventional and standardized raw materials, with few major innovations and breakthroughs. What upstream companies and ceramic companies can do now is to continuously optimize and adjust on the original basis.
"Sell one, lose one"
I want to stop the kiln, but I don’t dare to stop
"In August, it is obvious that the sales situation has improved, but the operating pressure is even greater." A person in charge of a Foshan ceramics enterprise said helplessly that the pressure comes from another surge in costs. Let’s not talk about the rising costs caused by the rising prices of raw materials such as zirconium silicate, strontium carbonate, zinc oxide, and caustic soda. The price of natural gas alone is enough to give ceramic companies a headache.
According to usual practice, gas prices are usually lower in summer, but this year's gas prices are much higher than the same period in previous years. It is undoubtedly the "most expensive summer gas price in history" since the large-scale "coal-to-gas" nationwide.
On August 2, the gas supply unit of Shahu Ceramics Industrial Park in Enping, Guangdong issued a price adjustment notice. Due to the LNG market listing prices at major terminals in South China on August 1, the delivery price at upstream terminals has been raised four times, with an increase of 1,400 yuan. Yuan/ton. Due to the impact of rising gas costs, tight supply, and the epidemic, the unit price of natural gas was adjusted to 4.3 Yuan/m³.
It is reported that the gas price of Enping Shahu Ceramics Industrial Park fell back to 2.45 yuan/m³ at the beginning of the year. "After the beginning of the new year, the price of 2.45 yuan lasted for less than a month, and then it kept rising." Now it has risen to 4.3 yuan/m³, an increase of 1.85 yuan/m³, an increase of more than 70%.
Based on the calculation standard that the natural gas energy consumption of an 800x800mm glazed brick kiln is between 1.6~1.8m³/square meter, if the daily output of a single line is 20,000 square meterssquare meters, then the production line will have to increase the fuel cost by about 60,000 to 70,000 yuan a day, which is equivalent to the production of ceramic tiles per square meter. The increased fuel cost of the kiln is as high as 3 to 3.5 yuan.
Currently, all kinds of production raw materials and fuels are rising, and the increase is not small. The unit sales price of ceramic tiles should be adjusted upward. In fact, ceramic companies do not dare to raise prices rashly. "As soon as they shout about price increases, dealers turn around and leave."
The prices of many ceramic tile products cannot be raised. At a time when various costs remain high, conventional 800x800mm glazed tiles are already losing money when produced!
"If it were December now, we would definitely stop the kiln without hesitation. Even if it was mid-November, we would consider it." A person in charge of a ceramics company in Guangdong shook his head helplessly, but it has just entered August. I don’t even dare to stop even if I want to! Once the kiln is shut down, workers will need to be maintained and the kiln will need to be maintained. What’s even more frightening is that customers will be lost and the company will be in a more difficult situation next year.
"Sell one piece and lose one piece. What's the use of a good business!" said the person in charge of the above-mentioned Foshan ceramics enterprise.
(Article reproduced from Ceramic Information)
