Source: Ceramic Information Hub

No industrial product has been as influenced by origin as ceramic Tiles: "Buy Tiles from Guangdong". Attacks and Disparagement of "Non-Guangdong Tiles" Fill the Internet. The Marketing Concept of "Guangdong Tile" Has Also Created a Predicament for Many Non-Guangdong Ceramic Companies that Uphold High-Quality Production.

In recent years, whenever a large enterprise or brand invests in production bases outside Guangdong province, it attracts a barrage of attacks from competitors: "It's no longer genuine 'Guangdong Tiles'..."

The image shows a production base of a well-known ceramic company in Guangxi.

Ceramic tiles, as low-frequency consumer goods, are not well understood by the majority of consumers, and the irrational marketing of "Guangdong Tiles" versus "Non-Guangdong Tiles" on the internet has greatly misleading effects on consumers. Some consumers who have purchased non-Guangdong tiles demand refunds when they discover the origin, and such disputes are not uncommon in recent years.

There is also a post on the internet where a consumer purchased tiles from a well-known brand, only to discover that they were not produced in Guangdong, leading them to believe they had bought "fake products" or "fake Guangdong tiles". What is surprising is that this well-known brand is Nobel. As we all know, Nobel has never claimed to be a "Guangdong brand" or "Guangdong tile," but its high-end positioning, image, and quality have been universally recognized in the industry.

Why Are "Guangdong Tiles" Good? The Real Reason behind it...

Why is there a dispute about the origin of ceramic tiles, which are highly standardized industrial products?

Objectively speaking, the product quality of "Guangdong Tiles" does indeed lead the nation and firmly holds the high-end ceramic market in China. For example, looking at the water absorption rate of floor tiles, "Guangdong Tiles" are mostly porcelain tiles with a water absorption rate close to zero, while other production areas have very few manufacturers producing tiles with a zero water absorption rate. Therefore, 3C certification is often used as an important criterion to distinguish the quality of tiles and whether they are "Guangdong Tiles."

The superior quality of "Guangdong Tiles" is not because of Guangdong's soil, climate, or geographical resources, but rather its strong industrial foundation, robust industrial chain support and manufacturing research and development capabilities, leading management and brand operation concepts, and the gathering of top talents in the ceramic industry chain throughout the country.

Specifically, the dominant influence of "Guangdong Tiles" in the Chinese ceramic tile market can be attributed to the advantage of Foshan ceramics in the development of China's modern architectural ceramics industry.

In 1986, Foshan introduced the first automated wall and floor tile production line, which opened a glorious chapter in the rapid development of China's architectural ceramics industry. In the 1990s, with the booming real estate industry, a large number of tile factories sprang up in Foshan.

Although the ceramic industry in other regions such as Shandong, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Fujian, and the Yangtze River Delta also developed simultaneously, Foshan ceramics had an overwhelming advantage in terms of industrial clusters. "Foshan Tiles" thus gained its reputation.

What is worth noting is that at that time, the product structure of the ceramic industry was very single. Wear-resistant tiles and polished tiles were the mainstream products for a long time, and before 2014, polished tiles were the "king of floor tiles."

These products, which dominated the market, lacked the support of glazes, inks, and colorants, and their surface effects largely depended on the tile body. Guangdong's rich resources of black clay were more conducive to producing high-quality tiles, which further contributed to the good reputation of "Guangdong Tiles" today.

Moreover, thanks to the industrial cluster advantage of Foshan, ceramic enterprises in Foshan were the first to embark on brand-building, accumulating a good reputation in the market and having brand premiums, which formed the excellent reputation of "Guangdong Tiles."

It can be said that the outstanding quality of "Guangdong Tiles" is the result of nearly 40 years of development in the Guangdong ceramic industry, taking advantage of the favorable conditions in terms of timing, location, favorable factors, and other superior conditions, which have been accumulated as excellent genes. It is not merely about being produced in Guangdong.

How is the Quality of a Ceramic Company?

Decided by Enterprise Positioning and Market Positioning

Ceramics prosper with strong supporting industries. As an industrial product, the core determinant of its quality lies in the level of development of the upstream and downstream industrial chains.

Italian and Spanish ceramics are at the forefront globally because Italy and Spain have the world's top ceramic machine equipment, glazes, auxiliary materials, and innovative perspectives, as well as advanced international thinking and brand operation systems. The same goes for Guangdong ceramics.

In the past, Guangdong was far ahead of other production areas in terms of product innovation and process upgrades, becoming the object of imitation by other production areas. However, it should not be ignored that with the development of transportation and information communication industries in recent years, there has been more frequent communication between peripheral production areas and Guangdong. The overall gap in product quality, design updates, and product iteration has gradually narrowed.

On the other hand, since the widespread application of inkjet printers in tile production in 2009, the ceramic industry has sparked a wave of innovation. Equipment, processes, techniques, and materials such as glazes and inks in tile production have continuously improved and standardized, making it no longer difficult to produce good tiles. Even more newly built production lines in non-Guangdong production areas have more advanced equipment, ensuring the production of high-quality tiles.

From "Foshan Ceramics" to "Guangdong Ceramics," from "Guangdong Ceramics" to "Chinese Ceramics." It is worth noting that in recent years, the ceramic production capacity and output in Guangdong have been declining year by year. Along with the rapid development of local economies and the increasing maturity of tile production processes, the shackles of production are being broken. In different production areas, as long as enterprises adhere to high-quality, there can be no difference in products. Just like the "Foshan Tiles" of the past, which extended to "Guangdong Tiles," the excellent reputation did not change.

Ultimately, the quality of a company's products is determined by their positioning and market positioning, not the origin. Even in Guangdong, two adjacent ceramic factories in the same production area may have vastly different product qualities.

In fact, based on the current level of equipment technology and process, other production areas are not unable to produce high-quality tiles, but rather the positioning of enterprises, brand positioning, the vision of the boss, and sales channels determine that most enterprises can only be limited to wholesale models or produce medium-to-low-end tiles.

Without the support of brand and channels, the majority of ceramic companies in peripheral production areas, even if they produce high-quality tiles, may face the embarrassment of "unsalable" or "unable to sell at a higher price."

In contrast, within the Guangdong production area, over 90% of the first, second, and third-line brands in the market are from Guangdong, and over 90% of the products in high-end sales channels in China are also from Guangdong. The high-end brand positioning and advanced brand operation concepts require most ceramic manufacturers in Guangdong to provide products and services that match their brand positioning.

It is worth noting that since the "Eastward Expansion and Northward Expansion" of domestic ceramics in 2007, most peripheral production areas have developed and accumulated for about 15 years. They have gradually accumulated rich experience in production, marketing, brand operation, and have the foundation to build brands and produce high-quality tiles.

In recent years, excellent ceramic companies that have upgraded their brands and improved their quality have also emerged in various ceramic production areas. Their current brand strength is not weaker than that of second and third-line brands in Guangdong. Their product quality, design, and techniques also match those of Guangdong. They have gradually gained extensive recognition in the industry.

It can be predicted that with more frequent exchanges between major ceramic production areas, the accelerated localization production layout of leading ceramic companies and large-scale ceramic companies in Guangdong (the top ten brands in the ceramic industry have already expanded their production bases outside Guangdong), as well as the awakening of brand awareness and quality consciousness in local ceramic companies in peripheral production areas, the upgrading of process technology and the increasing standardization of tile production, the quality gap among the major production areas will further narrow down.