Tilecast News w/e 20 September 2024

[00:00:01] Speaker A: Tilecast news, features and analysis brought to. [00:00:04] Speaker B: You by diary vitaladict hello Tile addicts, and welcome to Tilecast, your weekly news update from the global ceramic tile sector. Hopefully you are subscribing and listening to this week by week. There will be odd weeks when we can't do it because we're at shows or whatever, but there will always be a catch up after. So just keep on listening and you'll know what's going on in the tile world. So, as usual, I have diarrhea. Tile addicts Joe Simpson across from me. What stories have you got for us today? [00:00:43] Speaker C: Okay, well, I think I'll kick off with a sustainability story. Everyone in the ceramic tile sector knows that energy is the Achilles heel for ceramic tiles. In terms of plentiful raw materials, technical performance, surface sophistication and aesthetics, tiles are pretty much unmatched. So energy used in manufacturing transport of tiles is really the only negative. [00:01:05] Speaker B: I thought hydrogen kilns and electric vehicles were going to change all that. [00:01:09] Speaker C: They've certainly been the horses many have been backing for the past decade or so, but frankly, we've still got a long way to go. Hydrogen may be a fantastic kiln fuel, but currently producing it in quantity is just not very sustainable. And while transporting tiles by rail or electric vehicles should cut the impact of tile miles, cargo ships and lorries remain the go to solution because of speed and cost to convenience. And that is a huge thunderstorm you can hear in the background. Sorry about that. [00:01:40] Speaker B: Okay, so what's new? [00:01:41] Speaker C: Well, it's also the fast growing italian ceramic group has installed a 100% electric kiln at the equipe ceramicus plant in Onda, Spain. This is part of a research project in collaboration with the university in Castileon and system Fox. This kiln is projected to save 1500 tonnes of CO2 per year, which is pretty significant. But what makes this really exciting is that the aim is to completely eliminate CO2 emissions during the firing phase. If you think that this process using natural gas represents more than 60% of the energy in the entire tile production process, this really could be a massive step forward towards reducing emissions in the ceramic tile sector. The general manager of Equipe said an electric kiln offers many advantages over combustion kilns using a mixture of green hydrogen and natural gas. [00:02:31] Speaker B: So do you think this marks the end of the hydrogen kiln experiment? [00:02:34] Speaker C: No. No, I don't think so. All electric and green hydrogen are not mutually incompatible and I expect that the sustainable production of hydrogen will become possible at some point in the future. But all electric solutions will appeal to the big tile entrepreneurs because they allow far greater autonomy with photovoltaics, wind turbines and other electricity generation options, you can simply take your factory off grid with hydrogen and natural gas. Firms are still at the mercy of global pricing structures, government interference, anti competitive subsidies, et cetera, et cetera. And as we've seen, wars. [00:03:09] Speaker B: So this is going to be an ongoing subject for Tarl carts then, isn't it? [00:03:13] Speaker C: Absolutely. Indeed. It's going to be very interesting to see next week if the exhibitors at Tecna in Rimini have anything new to say on the subject. I think they probably will, yeah. [00:03:23] Speaker B: And I think that you're going to have quite a lot to say about what's at Techno later, aren't you? So, staying in Italy on the subject of sustainability, I believe you want to flag up a big italian prize that's just been announced. [00:03:34] Speaker C: Yeah, that's right. This is the international Aldovilla Award, which is probably the italian ceramic tile sector's premier honour. And this year it's been awarded to Giovanni Savarani, chairman and founder of Gigaceur and a former chairman of the Confid Industria Ceramica. He was nominated for his work in promoting technological innovation and environmental sustainability. And this during a particularly challenging period marked by the COVID pandemic, the russian invasion of Ukraine, the energy crisis, soaring natural gas prices, and all on the back of what's been pretty much a general economic slowdown since the award was set up in 1988, it has singled out the great and good in the ceramic tile world. It was named after SaCMI's founding chairman and past recipients include the former Iris group president, Romano Minozzi, Johannes Bednoz and Alex Miller, who won the Nobel Prize for physics for discovery of high temperature superconductivity in ceramics. Filippo Marazzi, the man behind the eponymous tile brand and the tile centric american architect, Michael P. Johnson, who is a big Chesai fan, and the map eyes founder, Giorgio Squincy. And as the chairwoman of the italian ceramic cerati, Professor Christina Silgardi said of Savaroni, his extraordinary dedication and outstanding achievements are an inspiration to us all. So, you know, a good gong for a guy who really has moved the, the bar. Yeah. [00:05:07] Speaker B: Nice, nice. People get noticed for what they do. So, anything else that's caught your eye this week? [00:05:11] Speaker C: Okay. Well, I do keep a keen eye on the american market because the ceramic tile and flooring market in the States is very dynamic right now and I'm seeing significant investment in what I will call multi sector distribution companies. Typical is AAA distributor, one of the USA's largest players in flooring, kitchens and bathroom products. It's been spending a lot of money recently on a radical new website and brand imagery which it is claiming will elevate the home improvement experience. The key features are a more comprehensive product, catalog, free online design service and access to expert advice, how to guides and inspirational ideas. None of which you say might be very radical. But AAA also combines branded goods with its own proprietary product line, less care, which includes cabinets, vanities, bath furnishing, plumbing supplies, flooring and fixtures. [00:06:07] Speaker B: Okay, so I'm not sure about the brand name Lescar personally, but you know. And is this a sector wide trend? [00:06:12] Speaker C: Well, that's what interests me because I think we are seeing the emergence of more and more distribution players across Europe, Asia and the USA that are offering a broader spectrum of products and I think this might carry on. I'm sure there's still room for specialist tile distributors, but they're going to find growing competition from what I can only describe as more generalist operators. [00:06:33] Speaker B: Okay, so I gather there's also some news that might affect. I'll give you some indication of what's happening in this market and how less specialized things are becoming. [00:06:42] Speaker C: Yeah, well, that's right, next January's domatex flooring trade exhibition. And for those of you who don't know it, this was a massive european flooring show at Hanover, really one of the biggest features in the interior design diary, and it's been postponed as the show looks for a new direction incorporating a wider product mix, including decoration. The events portfolio will be expanded to include six new product groups, and these are paints, wallpapers, acoustic elements, tiles and outdoor floor coverings. The idea is that Domitex will evolve from a trade fair for carpets and floor coverings into one for interior finishes generally, and it's going to have the tagline, creating rooms, transforming spaces. As I say, Domitex was a massive show, but it was badly hit by the coronavirus pandemic. With many of the belgian flooring companies who are very strong in the sort of textile and the laminate sector, choosing to go to Heimdextel or create local events in favour of the massive Hanover exhibition. It's going to be really interesting to see on what the revised show is like when it comes back on the market. [00:07:51] Speaker B: Yeah, or whether it's just yet another big interior design show just for Germany, which might be the way it goes. Who knows? Okay, well, that's something to keep an eye on. So what's the market like right now? Any fresh stats for the tarcast business? [00:08:05] Speaker C: Yeah, I do have a couple of recent reports on the UK market. These are very uk centric, but that's largely what I've been seeing late. Firstly, the Construction Products association says that the health of the construction industry improved somewhat in the second quarter of 2024, following a stable quarter, one with some modest growth between April and June. The increased sales marked the first rise in two years for heaviside producers. And by Heaviside, I'm talking about the big construction products that normally go into developments at the early stages. So during the structural phase and SME contractors workloads were also reported to increase after two quarters of decline. So, you know, it's not let's hang out the bunting, but it's better news than might have been having and let's not get carried away. Workloads were reported to have contracted in the new build housing and commercial industrial sectors. And one long term theme for the construction supply chain was pervasive in all the quarter. Two surveys. The labour force. Whether it's cost pressure from wages and salaries, or difficulties in recruiting or employing cuts, it's an issue. It's an issue across the market. But overall, the government's Office for National Statistics estimate the construction output grew in the three months of July by 1.2%. And this came from increases in both new work and repair and maintenance. So, you know, good news, but not great news. [00:09:30] Speaker B: Yeah, kind of fairly small increases, frankly, but welcome. But not really time to roll out the red cardinal just yet. [00:09:38] Speaker C: No, that's true. And what's all this about a red carpet? What you really need is a true joy carpet. [00:09:45] Speaker B: True joy. [00:09:46] Speaker C: Yeah, sorry about that, that's a terrible segue. But it's my slick introduction to announcing that the Dulux colour of the year for 2025 is true joy. And true joy is a bright and positive yellow that Dulux says reflects people's desire to break free, reset and create something new and exciting. I'm not quite sure what that means, but I think we get the picture. It's an upbeat thing, and what the UK's well known paint brand is asking architects and designers to embrace yellow is to infuse the sense of optimism, pride and imagination into their products. It doesn't surprise me because I've been seeing yellow tiles cropping up on more and more tile ranges that I gather are going to be launched at Cher Sci. So I've been kind of expecting this, but, yeah, it's interesting what the Dulux are saying is that while yellow is one of the bolder colours in the spectrum, that the yellow they have chosen, dewdry is complementary to a vast range of different palettes, that it brings out the positivity even in the most neutral shades, and is the figurative glue that binds more daring colour stories together. So I think it'll be very interesting to see if this is carried through in Bologna next week. [00:11:03] Speaker B: Okay. So you're expecting not to see a lot of yellow tiles in Chesai? [00:11:06] Speaker C: Well, I don't know. That's going to be the interesting thing. There's been a lot of deep blues and greens, which were particularly dominant at coverings, and we've seen a slight move from blue towards green over the last couple of years. But I am expecting a palette refresh, and I do expect to see more strong colours, not just yellows, but I think some bolder sort of pillar box style reds and maybe some fresh takes on the blue greens. The sort of teal area, which is still pretty strong. But I think we have, you know, my guess is we've moved away from the sort of purple and lilac kind of palette that was more prevalent, say, five years ago. [00:11:47] Speaker B: Okay. It'd be interesting to do a sort of color cycle and see whether they literally just come round again, in which. Which case we can predict them for years to come. [00:11:57] Speaker C: Yeah, well, I mean, that sort of bread and butter for tile addict. We do a lot of color research and monitoring of different color trends, but, you know, like, in all of these things, you can always find the outliers. [00:12:07] Speaker B: Yeah. So you've got another color story this week. [00:12:10] Speaker C: Yeah, I have. I've long held the view that the application of the final silicon seal can make or mar most kitchen and bathroom tiling schemes. And I've long championed silicon application tools to get the perfect silicon bead. But in a market where satin and mat tiles are largely setting the design agenda, have these sealants really kept pace? So, hats off to Bal for its new Bal Micromax grout effect sealant. Now, I have to say at this point, I've not seen this product in action yet, but I'm sure I will soon. But I love the concept, as it's been explained to me in the PR material that's come out about it. The idea is that bal micromax grout effect sealant is color matched to bal Micromax's grouts with a similar fine matte texture. So it's claimed that it'll provide a uniform finish across all joints, whether they are grouted tile joints. Sealed perimeter joints, soft movement joints or internal corners. The idea is that the sealant looks just like the grout, rather than as a shiny afterthought. And that sounds like a very good idea to me. [00:13:13] Speaker B: I frankly don't know what's taking them so long, but it does sound like, you know, it's about time that happened. Really good. The simple ideas are the best. Sounds like a winner. [00:13:22] Speaker C: Yeah. I think it's a very promising development and I'm sure it won't be the first. It may not be the first, but it's the first one. I've really come into my intro. [00:13:31] Speaker B: Yeah. So you were in Harrogate this week, weren't you? [00:13:35] Speaker C: That's right, yep. Frankly, there were not a lot to report. Having basically evolved from a carpet and rug event, the flooring show is still not the natural home for ceramic tiles. So you see, the adhesive brands at the show tend to major on flooring adhesives rather than tiling adhesives. The underlays on show are designed for carpet and laminate or lvt, rather than porcelain. And the tool selection is more about wood flooring and carpet installation and tiling. But for all that, the show was busy, had a great atmosphere, and Harrock remains a really good place to meet up with your industry colleagues. Tile cast, for instance. You know, we caught up with the tile association, the contract flooring association, the flooring industry Training association, to name but three of the bodies we saw there. And while there was little hot news, the thing that really struck me was how many people expressed joy and relief that so many of the staff affected by the CTD administration had been handed a new career lifeline by Topps tiles, styled and Kajaria. At this time, you do realize that tiling is quite a family and people like to hear a bit of good news. But on the negative side, there was a clear sense that the Tyler shortage really needs some radical thinking, not to mention insignificant investments, if the industry is going to be everything it can going forward. [00:14:54] Speaker B: And so was there any more news from Harrogate, which is Yorkshire, which is well known in the UK, at least, for being, you know, a fantastically beautiful county. We both have family collections there, so we love Yorkshire. But tell us a little story, what else was going on up there? [00:15:08] Speaker C: Yeah, this is true. As Janet was saying, my dad hails from Ripon and it is a beautiful county. And as I drove past Knaresborough on my way to Harrogate to the show, I couldn't help but remember a story told to me by Paul, a Kent based Tarl agent and an old friend of mine. He'd been up in Leeds to visit the many Tarling distributors based there, and rather than lay his hat in a characterless Travelodge or Premier Inn, he decided to treat himself to a room in a well known inn on the North York Moors. He drove to the pub, had a shower, changed the evening, and then went down to the bar for a drink and a bite to eat. He soon found that although the pub may be well known, that night there was only one other customer. Undaunted, Paul greeted the flat capped man nursing a pint at the corner of the bar with a cheery good evening. Where you're from, lad? [00:15:58] Speaker B: Was that an attempt at New Yorkshire? Actually terrible at where you're from. [00:16:01] Speaker C: What? Where you from, lad? Anyway, Kent, said Paul proudly. There was a short pause and then a gruff fucking Kent. And that was the last word the regular uttered all evening. And when I think about this, it still makes me chuckle. It says a lot about the direct nature of Yorkshire folk and I'm sure you could find them in various different parts of the world. But it was the one. You could just also imagine effect on Paul, who was going to have his lovely time in the pub and that was it. The one other character who was clearly not going to be a great conversationalist. [00:16:37] Speaker B: Yeah. And for those of you who don't know Yorkshire, they do have a reputation for being quite bluff. They call a spade a spade. And lovely people. Actually. Four counties, actually. Yorkshire, it's a north, south, east and a west. Yorkshire Curry is a big, big area in the north of the country. And if you come to the UK, you really need to go to Yorkshire, then you'll know what we're talking about. [00:16:59] Speaker C: God's own country. [00:17:00] Speaker B: God's own country. But there are plenty of places call themselves God's own country too, actually. But anyway, so talking about travelling and going places, I gather you on your bike next week. [00:17:09] Speaker C: Yep. Part bike, part easyJet. Yep. On Saturday, tarkast. Heading to Italy for Cerci in Bologna. And then we're taking a trip to Tecna in Rimini to see all the latest in tile manufacturing. As ever, there's going to be a feast of new tile designs on show and I hope lots of tall news and gossip. But as a result, tel cast will be taking next week off and we will return after Chesai with a catch up on and around the 4 October. [00:17:36] Speaker B: Okay? And that will include a Tecna, which is the technical side of all the equipment for tile manufacturer. And jo, you've got another site, haven't you, that you don't talk about very much, but it's actually gathering quite a lot of traffic. [00:17:50] Speaker C: Yeah, we have something. Transformational tile technology is the way to look it up, but maybe I'll put a link to it on diary of a tile addict. So I haven't been doing a lot of work on it, but I'm increasingly interested in what's happening in tile production technology because, as I say, the whole green thing, the new fuels for kilns, and there's a lot of work gone into body prep post the war in Ukraine and people having to look at their clays and that sort of thing. It's a really interesting area, quite apart from reactive glazes, sinking inks, all this kind of stuff. So. And I'm a tile geek, so, yeah, I'm going to be putting more and more stuff up there for those who are interested. [00:18:34] Speaker B: Brilliant. Okay, well, we'll look forward to seeing you when you get back to doing a full report then, which will obviously be on tile cast, on diary retirement, and on the. The long name I can never remember of your technical site, transformational tile technology. Transformational tile technology. So, yeah, that's three places now you can start getting information about tiles on all aspects. So we look forward to getting back to you then. And in the meantime, have a good week. [00:19:02] Speaker C: Okay, adios. [00:19:04] Speaker A: You've been listening to tilecast, produced by Diary of a tile addict. To ensure you don't miss any future episodes, don't forget to follow us. You can also find show notes and receive updates on newsfeeds, articles, podcasts and videos direct to your inbox by subscribing to the diary of a tileaddict.com website. Get the Inside track, a diary of a tile addict.