Text/Zhuifeng
Ceramic people all know that the slate fire will be particularly popular in 2020, but how popular is it?
As of now, there are 88 slate production lines in operation across the country, and there are countless ceramic tile brands under the banner of slate. In the past, the first thing a ceramic person said when they met was, like most Chinese people, "Have you eaten?" But now, the first thing a ceramic person says when they meet is "Have you made slates yet?" . To exaggerate, if a ceramic tile brand has not yet entered the field of slate, its employees will be embarrassed to say hello to their peers.
Slate is so popular at the upstream manufacturer level, but what about the situation at the terminal level?
As a member of the survey team of the 2020 National Tile Bathroom Market Survey [Guiyang Station], the upgraded terminal market research of China Ceramics Network, the author is very concerned about this issue. Focusing on slate and its derived issues, after non-stop interviews and investigations in Guiyang from September 23 to 25, the author learned some things that are impossible to understand without going close to the market, and verified some things that are impossible to verify without going close to the market. point of view.
The slate fire has reached the end and also encountered problems
It is said that the popularity of slate has reached its end because among the more than a dozen ceramic people interviewed from September 23 to 25, almost everyone is optimistic about the development of slate, especially the prospects of cross-border applications. At the very least, they think it is A development trend worth trying.
Jianyi marble tile Guiyang dealer Lin Zhong
Interviewed by China Ceramics Network
Owen Lai solid color tile Guiyang dealer Li Ke
Interviewed by China Ceramics Network
No. 1 Marble PorcelainBrick dealer Wang Haibang in Guiyang and General Ceramics Guiyang dealer Su Zhonglin both expressed their intention to open new display areas or stores specifically to display rock slabs; the latter also told a real case of a consumer spending 2.3 million yuan to purchase a villa decorated with rock slabs. . Liu Fei, a distributor of ICC Ceramics in Guiyang and a distributor of Guiyang Guanshan Lake of Dongpeng Ceramics, revealed that not only ceramic tile consumers come to his store to buy slates for background walls, but also consumers buy slates for kitchen countertops, washbasin countertops and Countertop basin; Zeng Xin, a Guiyang dealer of Guanzhu Ceramics, said the situation is similar to what Liu Fei said. In addition to being sold as background walls in his store, slate is also sold as a material for kitchen island countertops. Quite a few. In addition, Summit Tile Guiyang & Zunyi dealer Xu Jiankang, Jianyi Marble Tile Guiyang dealer Lin Zhong, Owen Lai solid color Tile Guiyang dealer Li Ke, Italian Noba Tile Guiyang dealer Wang Yong, Nobel Tile Guizhou Branch General manager Chen Honggui, Bode Precision Tile Guiyang dealer Wang Youde and others also expressed their expectations for the development of slate.
Noba Ceramics Guiyang dealer Wang Yong
Interviewed by China Ceramics Network
Chen Honggui, General Manager of Nobel Ceramics Guizhou Branch
Interviewed by China Ceramics Network
It is said that rock slabs have also encountered problems at the terminal level because although almost all of these dozen ceramic people are optimistic about the development of rock slabs, especially the prospects for cross-border applications, most of them also believe that dealers must operate rock slabs well. It is very difficult and a series of problems need to be solved urgently.
Bode Seiko Tiles Guiyang dealer Wang Youde
Interviewed by China Ceramics Network
Not only consumers, but also the sales staff of some dealers themselves have not yet figured out what slate is, and the difference between slate, large slabs, and ordinary ceramic tiles. Considered as cross-border application materialsWhen selling, deep processing is a major problem encountered by rock slabs; when being sold as ceramic tiles, the difficulty and high cost of laying are major problems encountered by rock slabs; whether it is sold as a cross-border application material or is When selling as ceramic tiles, long-distance transportation and the difficulty and high cost of going upstairs and into homes are major problems encountered by slates... Many problems are inseparable from the lack of standards for slates. Only by promulgating rock slab standards as soon as possible can these problems be solved.
Guanyang Guiyang dealer Zeng Xin
Interviewed by China Ceramics Network
Although many problems have been encountered, the fact that the slate fire has reached its terminal has become a fact that no one can deny, at least in Guiyang. The author randomly met a person at the door of a ceramic tile brand store in the local Red Star Macalline No. 2 store. He was explaining loudly to others on his mobile phone what slate is. This is a vivid illustration of the popularity of slate.
Stone fire is a fire, but it is difficult to become a climate
Although most of the interviewees believed that the development prospects of rock slabs were promising, some people still expressed different opinions.
"Others are optimistic about the development of slate, but I don't see it that way." A dealer who did not want to be identified by reporters said, "I believe that slate has broad prospects for cross-border application as a new material. But the problem of deep processing must be solved first; using slate as ordinary ceramic tiles for walls and floors is unlikely to have much room for development. ”
“Let’s talk about paving walls and floors on slate slabs first. Slate slabs have very high requirements on the laying process. The cost of laying slate slabs is different in each place, but the same is that they are significantly higher than the cost of laying ordinary ceramic tiles. There is a lot of expense; it is troublesome to transport and move the slate slabs. Whether it is done manually or with the help of a crane, the cost will not be low. I know of a case where an owner bought four slate slabs and it was just a matter of moving them upstairs. The cost alone cost 4,000 yuan; in another case, a family just used rock slabs to pave a 40-step staircase, which cost a total of 250,000 yuan. After excluding the cost of purchasing the rock slabs themselves, it cost about 100,000 yuan, and other costs. Accounting for 150,000 yuan. The cost of paving rock slabs is so high, how can it become a rigid demand and generate large sales?" He further explained, "Besides, the span of rock slabs is very high.world application. In fact, rock slab processing equipment is not very expensive, and many dealers do not necessarily have the ability to run their own processing lines, but why don't they dare to try? Let me tell you an "inside news": dealers are unwilling to invest in opening a slate processing plant, the main reason is that it is difficult to recruit people. First, it is because it is difficult to find people with more than 5 years of experience in stone processing; second, because people who work in stone processing factories are prone to pneumoconiosis, and the same applies to those who work in slate processing factories. ”
In fact, part of the dealer’s views coincide with the views expressed by the author in the article "Others say slate is good, but I laugh at others too early": With the increasing number of production lines and the improvement of production technology, Gradually improving, the production cost of rock slabs will continue to decrease, and its own price will inevitably continue to decrease; as the supply chain and industrial clusters of rock slabs become increasingly perfect, the prices of rock slab processing and finished products will also continue to decrease. However, no matter how the above prices are reduced, it will be difficult to reduce the price of rock slab transportation, handling and installation, and paving, because the labor costs of transportation, installation, or paving will only get higher and higher.
From this perspective, the view that "slate has once again brought the ceramic industry into the money printing press era" is really unconvincing.
For the ceramic industry and ceramic people, does rock slab hold too much hope? How many ceramic companies and brands regard it as a life-saving straw? How many dealers regard it as an "artifact" to attract consumers?
In fact, slate has not really crossed the border yet, and other materials have begun to compete with ceramic tiles - more and more new materials are seizing the ceramic tile market!
For more phenomena and more opinions, please pay attention to the follow-up report of China Ceramics Network's 2020 National Tile Bathroom Market Survey [Guiyang Station].
Author: Zhuifeng
