XXXIX MEETING OF HISPALYT AND THE RECOVERY OF THE SPANISH CERAMIC SECTOR

The Spanish Association of Manufacturers of Bricks and Clay Tiles, HISPALYT, celebrated its XXXIX Meeting in La Rioja from 20 to 22 April.

The main event of the meeting was the General Assembly of the Association that took place on April 21, in which Mr. Francisco José Morant was appointed President, replacing Mr. José Malpesa after five years in office.

From MORTE we want to thank the outgoing president for his dedication during this time and to congratulate the incoming on his appointment.

In that event, the new President of HISPALYT expressed the need to “put red ceramics back where it was and raise it up again.”

Taking advantage of the celebration of this meeting in La Rioja, MORTE held an Open Doors Day on April 20, in which a group of Spanish ceramists had the opportunity of visiting our facilities to know in depth how we work, as well as the package of Services available for the development of new products.

In the context of this meeting, the symptoms of recovery of the Spanish ceramic sector were discussed. A recovery that, from our point of view, is already a fact for several reasons:

Firstly, 2015 is the first year in which an increase in production and billing compared to previous years has been appreciated since the crisis in the ceramic sector began (2016 data has not been published yet).

Secondly, after construction reached historic lows in 2014, a significant change of trend was observed in 2015, as well as an increase in the activity of the sector, a consequence of the R&D investments that Spanish ceramists have been carrying out for years in order to improve the performance of its products.

Investments that, in view of statistical data, are starting to pay off.

In addition, at MORTE, we have seen an ostensible improvement in extrusion Dies demand in the Spanish market during the year 2016 and the first quarter of 2017.

Finally, the recovery is reinforced by the evolution of the Census of Approvals, which includes new building, as well as expansion and building renovation.

The data provided by the Ministry of Public Works Statistical Yearbook show that the number of approvals in 2016 has significantly grown (20%) compared to 2015, and there is a spectacular increase of about 57% in comparison with 2013 and 2014, which is certainly a reason for great optimism for the sector.