Australia Ceramic Industry News: Scholarship from AGPM

Daniel Vuono, a senior majoring in materials science and engineering in the Kazuo Inamori School of Engineering at Alfred University, Australia is this year’s recipient of a scholarship from the Association of Glass and Pottery Manufacturers (AGPM).

The AGPM is an association, founded in 1923, to promote the glass and pottery industries in the United States through public exhibitions and education.

“Our Association has worked with Alfred University for at least five years, beginning with our internship project,” which paired an art student with an engineering student each year for an internship at one of the member companies, explained Robert Gonze, who chairs an association committee working to enhance recognition of the glass and pottery manufacturing segment and encourage recruitment at the collegiate level.

“In addition, our industry and several members of our Association have a long history with the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University and appreciate the fine industry/academia relationship that exists,” said Gonze.

The materials-based engineering programs at Alfred – biomedical materials science engineering, ceramic engineering, glass science and materials science – are part of the state-supported College of Ceramics at AU and are included, along with electrical and mechanical engineering, in the Inamori School of Engineering. The College of Ceramics also includes the School of Art & Design, with its top-rated programs in ceramic art and glass art.

“Our project committee decided last year to move from internships to scholarships in an effort to find a meaningful way to help the industry, and to encourage students to think about our industry,” said Gonze. He believes the association’s three-year commitment to fund the scholarships could be a “win-win-win situation for the students, the school and our industry.”

Vuono, a graduate of Dallastown (PA) Area High School, is a son of Charles and Jan Vuono of Dallastown. Current members of the AGPM include: Blenko Glass Company, Inc., Burley Clay Products, Inc., CMS USA, Inc., Custom Deco, Inc., Fenton Glass Art Co., Glassautomatic, The Hall China Co., The Homer Laughlin China Co., Inc., Lenox, Inc., McCoy Limited, Saint-Gobain Container Co., Simon Pearce Glass Co., Steuben Glass, and Treasured Editions Co.

AU Press Releases: Association of Glass and Pottery Manufacturers create scholarship for Alfred University students, Australia.

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Ceramic Society of Japan

Journal of the Ceramic Society of Japan
Content available at:
http://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/browse/jcersj2

Publisher: Ceramic Society of Japan

The Ceramic Society of Japan (CerSJ) was established in 1891 with an aim to promote the development of ceramic industry, science and technology. CerSJ is the only comprehensive organization on ceramics in Japan that unites academe and industry. Ceramics has become an important academic field in engineering due to the effort made by our members over the last 100 years.

Articles should be written either in Japanese or in English except for Express letters which should be written in English.

Journal of the Ceramic Society of Japan publishes papers related to the science and technology of ceramics.

Online ISSN 1348-6535
Print ISSN 1882-0743

Manuscript submission via online system.

Email: submit@cersj.org

Journal of the Ceramic Society of Japan is available free of charge as an Open Access journal on the Internet.

Source: Journal of the Ceramic Society of Japan

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Tile Industry: Ceramic Tile vital part of Tile Industry

Ceramic tiles have been introduced over the last five to six years and the tile industry is proud of the fact that the changes that keep occurring in the world and the industry is growing, and making strong progress over time.

All that is required is to make sure that the innovative ideas in the ceramic tiles and tile work are all positively welcomed. This trend keeps the industry growing and developing at a fast pace with the flexibility to accept the challenges and requirements in order to make sure that things happen in the right direction.

The Ceramic Tile industry is one of the growing industries and all it depends on is things moving in the right direction. They require the hard work and effort that is used in order to make sure that the tile industry is moving with the right spirit to make sure that the development is good.

The tile industry and related Natural Stone Flooring businesses are making good money. The Green Floor options are of many different vibrant styles that need to be followed. One should be bold enough to take the challenges in the right direction.

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Malaysia Ceramic Technologies Will Boost Ceramic Industry

KUCHING (The capital of the East Malaysian state of Sarawak): Sirim Bhd Sarawak, the local research and technology organisation will be setting up a ceramic technology excellence centre worth RM4 million to promote and boost the ceramic industry here.

Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation (Mosti) Datuk Dr Maximus Johnity Ongkili said the centre will be equipped with the latest ceramic technologies and applications to produce high quality ceramic products like ceramic tiles, sanitary wares and more...

It would also have product testing facilities and space for the display of ceramic products such as traditional and modern vases as well as accessories like beads.

The centre would be a research and development avenue to raise the quality of Sarawak’s ceramic products so that they enjoy good response from the global market, the minister told reporters following a briefing here today by the general manager of Sirim Sarawak, Mohd Abdul Kadir Johari.

He said the centre will be built at the Demak Laut Industrial Park here.

Work on the centre is expected to take off in May and its completion is due 18 months later.

Ongkili also urged ceramic producers in the state to pay attention to R&D, including the usage of modern technologies and the upgrading of their skills to raise the quality of Sarawak ceramics.

“Ceramic entrepreneurs must also expand their business network and not stay in one area or district alone. They should also pay importance to marketing and the packaging of products in order to enter the international market,” he said.

Source: Sirim’s technology centre to boost ceramic industry

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THE JAPANESE HAVE BEEN making things out of clay for 12,000 years, so the use of ceramics for use in daily life and as art objects is an inseparable part of the national culture. Indeed, their ceramic tableware is an inspired example of how utility and esthetics can be combined.

One aspect of their approach toward ceramics is that while enthusiastically adopting the latest innovations and technology over the millenia, usually from China, the Japanese still produced earthenware with characteristics that can be traced directly back to antecedents from the Neolithic era.

A major ceramics production region is Arita in Saga, where the Korean ceramist Li Sam-pyung discovered in Izumiyama large deposits of the kaolin required to make porcelain of the highest quality. Enormous volumes of Arita ware have been shipped throughout the world, and the customer base has included the royal households of Europe and the Ottoman Empire.

How big is the industry in Arita? The combined sales of the two largest companies and three cooperatives with a sales system shared by 370 other companies amounted to 7.2 billion yen in 2007, or almost US$70 million.

And that’s what has them worried. Those are the lowest aggregate annual sales since the local industry began keeping official records in 1985. Not only was this a 6.2% drop from the previous year, it was the 11th straight downturn in sales and 30% off the record high set in 1991.

According to the local officials who conducted the survey, orders from the commercial sector keep falling as more ryokan (Japanese inns) and hotels switch to inexpensive imported ceramics. Sales also have been poor to individual consumers, for whom changing lifestyles means fewer traditional Japanese meals. That’s a problem because in the traditional style of dining, individual foods are served on separate plates or dishes, each with a distinctive shape, rather than on a single plate on which everything other than the salad has been dumped, as in the West. For example, the simple lunch my wife and I had in a Japanese restaurant yesterday required four different plates or bowls, not to mention the teapot, tea cups, and ceramic chopstick rests.

In contrast, the survey found that demand continues to grow from Japanese power companies for ceramic insulators and other devices used in the power industry for high voltage power lines. Exports to African nations of parts and products used in power facilities also continue to be brisk, buoyed by Japanese government ODA.

Left unmentioned, but sitting in the middle of the room like the proverbial 800-pound elephant, are other social changes. More women work, which means they have less time or inclination to do all the dishwashing that Japanese cuisine requires. And because people marry later or not at all–and have fewer children when they do marry–the purchase of a full set of ceramic tableware is no longer the priority it once was.

The officials suggest the industry has been slow to respond to these changes. In its report on the story, the Nishinippon Shimbun cited one example as a successful response to consumer preferences: the “supreme shochu glass” for individual consumers.

The glass (actually a ceramic cup) was developed by local kilns and put on the market in November 2005. The two photographs accompanying this post show examples of the supreme shochu glass—the first incorporating different patterns, and the second sporting the logo of the Kansai area-based Hanshin Tigers baseball team, which has one of the most rabid fan bases of any sports franchise in the world.

Before the supreme glass was created to add elegance to their drinking experience, most shochu drinkers used glassware for the beverage, served either warm or cold. But the designers at Arita came up with a new product that makes everybody happy—the kilns sell more merchandise, the drinkers can savor the taste and bouquet better than before, and the members of the prototype testing team enjoyed the heck out of themselves putting the product through trials.

A single supremo sells for about 2,300 yen (US$ 22.25), is 97 millimeters in diameter at the rim (about 3.8 inches), and 95 millimeters high.

Here are the improvements that the manufacturers tout for the product:

• The glass mouth has been widened to improve both the bite of the shochu as well as its taste.
• The sides slope upward at a 75º angle. Making the glass progressively wider allows the shochu to evaporate faster, creating a more full-bodied flavor.
• There’s a small protuberance at the bottom of the glass to improve the internal crosscurrents. The manufacturers say this leads to a more balanced flavor, and I see no reason to doubt their word.
• A knurl has been added outside the glass near the base to make it easier to grip, which I’m sure becomes more important as the night wears on.
• Finally, the base of the glass under the knurl is hollowed out underneath, creating a platform effect. This helps the beverage remain hot or cold regardless of the air temperature.
  

What conclusion can we draw? Between the insulators for power lines and the supreme glasses for shochu drinkers, the Japanese ceramics industry may yet find a way to overcome demographic trends and the disappearance of trade barriers and traditional dietary habits.

N.B.: Those who still think the Japanese have a bad attitude about their neighbors on the other side of the Sea of Japan might be surprised to know that the Korean Li Sam-pyung is the tutelary deity at a Shinto shrine in Arita, and a festival is held in his honor there every May.

Source

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POTTERY Industry News: POTTERY Manufacturers & Suppliers

POTTERY manufacturers and suppliers have joined forces to revitalise the sector and help the ceramics industry survive the recession.

In the wake of famous names such as Wedgwood and Spode falling into administration, the Made in Staffordshire event aimed to help shore up the industry's supply chain.

Representatives from around 100 firms gathered at the King's Hall in Stoke yesterday for the event, co-ordinated by the British Ceramic Confederation, North Staffordshire Regeneration Partnership and North Staffordshire Chamber of Commerce.

BCC president Ian Dudson, chief executive of Tunstall tableware manufacturer Dudson, said: "There are still more than 200 ceramic companies in Staffordshire and dozens, if not hundreds of firms supplying them.

"On the back of some high-profile administrations it was clear to a number of us that we're not just a collection of manufacturers – we're a collective that depends absolutely on the supply chain.

"The life-blood of our sector comes through partnerships, working with suppliers who are experts in their particular area.

"North Staffordshire is still leading the world in ceramic technology. We've lived through a period where we lost a lot of manufacturing jobs, but that doesn't mean we've lost the ceramic industry.

"We thought it was a good time to hold an event like this – as part of the regeneration efforts we should be focusing on trying to help businesses locally."

Industry experts have warned of a vicious circle where North Staffordshire output drops as companies close or move production overseas, forcing raw materials and specialised services suppliers out of business.

This in turn, they believe, could lead to more pottery manufacturers shutting or moving as the supplies they need locally become more and more scarce.

John Whitehurst is technical sales director at Etruria-based bone ash supplier Jesse Shirley & Son, which was bought out of administration earlier this year after being hit by the collapse of Wedgwood.

He said: "It's not really about raising our profile because most people around here know what we do, but we want to support the local industry, get it moving and get it making money.

"It would be great if someone came over and said they were interested in working with us, but it's good just to talk to people."

Managing director Mike Shirley added: "For the industry in general it's got to be beneficial getting people talking.

"There used to be the Interceramex event in Stoke, which was moved to Trentham, then Telford then the NEC in Birmingham.

"It was a great shame when that stopped because it was an opportunity for the potters to meet suppliers. The last one must have been about eight years ago."

Kevin Oakes, chief executive of Middleport tableware manufacturer Steelite International, said: "As manufacturers we want to ensure we have a strong, reliable supply base. We wanted to hold this event so manufacturers could come together, engage with suppliers and hopefully meet new people and share ideas about how to best develop the industry.

"We've got quite a large contingent of people here, not just from the manufacturing side but from finance, HR and engineering who want to meet with their counterparts to share ideas."

Pottery designer Alex Shimwell, who runs Alex Shimwell Ceramics out of the Potclays factory in Etruria, was at the event with his potter's wheel.

He said: "I've spoken to quite a few people who are interested in the ideas I'm trying to get off the ground.

I think it's important especially with the recession that people start getting together to help each other rather than being so competitive.

"We're competing with the mass production in places like China and India an some of the major factories have closed down, but we've still got the skills in the city.

We need to find a way of bringing it all together and reinvigorating the city."

Resouce: Pottery industry shows its collective strength

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Morbi Ceramic Industry Showing Signs of Recovery

A few months back, the industry found it difficult to cope with dwindling orders and lower margins.

Several small and mid-sized units in the ceramic sector were struggling to stay afloat. However, growing demand for ceramic products in the Tier II and Tier III cities as well as rural areas have provided a glimmer of hope to small units in the sector.

Last year’s scenario

During the last financial year, SMEs in the Morbi ceramic industry witnessed lower sales growth due to declining demand in both domestic and international markets. The growth rate of the industry had gone down from 30%-40% to 10%.

Added to the falling orders, the unorganised ceramic and tiles sector had to grapple with rising costs and stiff competition from the cheaper Chinese products, which were flooding the domestic market.

“Last year, while several small tiles manufacturing units had to cut down production from four lines to two, many units in Morbi had to shut shop due to increasing production costs and falling revenues,” reveals D Patel, Spokesperson, Laxmi Tiles, a small-sized tile manufacturing company in Gujarat.

Moreover, small players in the Morbi ceramic industry were severely affected by higher taxes, rising costs of fuel and transportation, lack of raw materials and a slowdown in demand from the construction sector. Due to such problems, tile manufacturing units were compelled to operate at less than half the capacity.

Signs of recovery

However, things have started improving in this financial year. “The ceramic sector is now on its way to recovery, as we can see orders flowing in. Though the ceramic industry is yet to see complete recovery, we are witnessing signs of revival. The ceramic industry is getting back to normalcy after facing the adverse effect of the slowdown,” feels M Parekh, Spokesperson, Opera Ceramics in Morbi.

The Morbi ceramic industry has also pinned its hopes on the government for helping the sector revive completely. It has requested the Gujarat government to put a stop to the dumping of cheaper Chinese goods on Indian shores. In addition, the industry is demanding a reduction in prices of gas and fuel to survive the challenging times.

For more information visit: http://industryevent.bizxchange.in

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2009 Canton Ceramics Exhibition, China

2008 Canton ceramics exhibition in the origin and the Government's active support of the 182 exhibitors to take part in the smooth pull down the curtain! This session to 20.000 square meters exhibition area. 25.489 people to be spectators. These data fully explained. Only two years to develop. Canton Fair has an accurate grasp of ceramic pottery industry characteristics. Successful integration of market resources.

For the further implementation of the"differences" of development. especially with the same type show the difference between positioning .2009 Canton ceramics show will introduce new initiatives. to fully integrate into the world-renowned"Canton Furniture." make it a"great home" part of the industrial chain. In particular, the"home accessories / supplies Exhibition" complement each other. For domestic and foreign buyers to provide more rich home accessories and supplies.

Canton ceramics exhibition through the development of the two. The third will usher in a brand new look. this Canton Fair will be ceramic Furniture and Canton. Canton home jewelry exhibition.

Canton Fair and other outdoor exhibition themes seven brothers joint display. to"home accessories / supplies Exhibition" an important area and shown the image of the industry. in order to highlight the Canton Fair is different from other ceramic the same type of characteristics show the difference. This means that the ceramic products and the industry chain will close correlation home accessories / supplies with the museum exhibit. sharing resources-rich buyers. Efforts to fight Canton ceramics exhibition of"Asia Ceramics Trading Center".

2009 Canton Fair will combine daily ceramic / ceramic production process characteristics and regional distribution. with the co-organized by close cooperation. Organization with the geographical representation and influence of the brand industry enterprises to exhibitors .

2009 Canton porcelain and ceramics origin outreach programs government agencies. spate of City People's Government. Hunan bureau. Guangxi Business Office. Dehua County People's Government.

Tangshan Business Bureau . Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce, such as ceramics continue to deepen cooperation group exhibition. in attracting the original brands such as the Great Wall. Sanhuan.

Youngpoong sources, such as participation. will focus on the invitation of a number of regional representation and industry leader of a well-known enterprises will be participating. At the same time, ceramic. 2009 Canton Fair will intensify the invitation of overseas exhibitors efforts.

Inviting overseas ceramics enterprises and Chinese enterprises to display the same table. enhance international cultural exchange ceramics. This will further promote the Canton Fair Ceramic international development process.

Publicity complementary linkage invited overseas buyers regard. 2009 Canton porcelain Canton Furniture Exhibition will be more depth linkage publicity. through the ads. Mail invitations and other forms. fully under way, the United States, Britain, Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and other major overseas promotion of the consumer market channels. Canton Ceramics Exhibition will focus on the hotel. Large supermarket.

Department store buyers and other fields. Dealer's invitation. 15 respectively in the domestic professional journal of the most well-known real-time reports ceramic exhibition the latest information. as well as 27 national Pageviews highest hotel procurement category and ceramic type web link Web site and advertising exchange. At the same time.

The use of China's foreign Trade Center (Group) large trade and data resources. contractors units accumulated over the years a rich database of buyers. as well as procurement network around the world. Actively expand foreign professional channels. to professional buyers at home and abroad. ceramic dealers.

Large supermarket. department stores. hotel. collectors such an invitation. extensive invite domestic and overseas buyers attending the meeting. Pavilion arrangements. 2009 Canton Fair will be ceramic jewelry and household / supplies exhibition with the museum exhibit. with a view to more closely between the use of both industrial chain correlation. buyers at home and abroad to share resources.

Domestic and foreign markets go hand in hand considering the European and American markets, as well as the domestic market gradually shrink the current status and prosperity. 2009 ceramic Canton Fair actively to expand overseas in the consumer market based on the . on the domestic market will also intensify promotion efforts.

Especially prominent in the restaurant industry. the hotel industry as well as the department store industry publicity. in order to meet some of ceramic enterprises to open up the domestic market demand.

"Exhibition""would" carry forward the advantages of combining ceramic Canton Fair organizers will work with both at home and abroad during the industry authority jointly sponsored a series of high-profile industry seminars. New conference. Industry Summit Forum. further enhance the Canton Fair ceramics industry influence and authority.

Go hand in hand to create new resplendence organizers of the meticulously planned and co-organized by the strong support and concerted efforts. Canton Ceramics Exhibition scheduled from quantity and quality constantly exceeded and advanced processing concepts a strong campaign against us. Multi-level commission on commerce and trade procurement. A full range of academic exchange for the industry to build more extensive trade and investment platform. to create a truly"Asian Ceramics Trading Center"!

Resource: 2009 Guangzhou, China International Ceramics Exhibition

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