As a new cross-border material with super performance and wide range of applications, slate has been a high-profile presence and phenomenon in the past two years not only in the ceramic industry, but also in the entire field of home building materials. Responsible for traffic. Therefore, some people believe that slate will gradually replace materials such as stone, glass, wood and even ceramic tiles, becoming a life-saving straw for ceramic companies to break out of difficulties. Can the rock slab take on this important task?
On December 24, 2020, at the first Golden Rock Award Ceremony of "One Rock Nine Tripods, National Brand Glory" and the 2021 "Top Ten Brands of Building and Sanitary Ceramics", the organizer China Ceramics Network specially set up "China Rock "Slab Development Trend" roundtable forum, inviting Song Rongshe, chairman and general manager of Honghu Meimei Ultra-thin Slate New Material Technology Co., Ltd., Li Xiaogang, deputy general manager of Emeishan Jintao Group Company, Liu Xingzhong, general manager of Xinju Home Brand Marketing Center, Hebei Lingbiao Chen Zhuo, general manager of the Rock Slab Division of Science and Technology Development Co., Ltd., and four big names from the rock slab field conducted an in-depth discussion and invited Zheng Zhe, editor-in-chief of NetEase Home News Center, to serve as the moderator.
Statement: The following content is compiled based on the forum conversation records and has not been reviewed by the guests themselves.
Moderator: In 2020, rock slabs have entered a blowout year. Some people in the industry call 2020 the first year of rock slabs. . There is no big name without rock slabs, and there is no future without rock slabs. The new trend of rock slabs has become a trend. I am very happy and honored to be able to discuss some development trends in rock slabs with the four guests on the stage. The four guests present here are very representative in terms of industry attributes and geographical scope. There are people who started from the ceramic tile industry and entered the field of slates, there are also people who crossed over from the real estate industry to make slates, and there are also people who crossed over from the artificial stone industry to produce slates. of. From a geographical point of view, there are local enterprises in Foshan, enterprises from the southwest, enterprises from the Central Plains, and enterprises from the north. It can be said that all parts of the country are gathered together. So, without further ado, let’s get into today’s dialogue and discussion.
Host Zheng Zhe
There is no future without rock slabs, and there is no big brand without rock slabs. Rock slabs have become the standard in this industry, then——
“If you don’t make rock slabs, there will be no future?
Is there no future if we only make ceramic tiles?
Will slate replace ceramic tiles in the future?
Song Rongshe:In fact, the industry has been debating this topic for a long time. At present, many well-known brands in the ceramic industry have begun to enter the field of slate, and many brands have not. I don’t think this issue is relatively valid. There will still be brands that should exist (in the market).
Li Xiaogang: In the past year, more than 100 new slate production lines have been built, which is enough to show that the equipment and technology requirements for the production of slate are different from those of ceramic tiles, and it also proves the performance of slate. is better than ceramic tiles. Ceramic tiles have the advantages and characteristics that slate has, but slate has the characteristics that ceramic tiles do not necessarily possess. Coupled with the market positioning of slate and its special application scenarios, I think it is a trend for slate to replace ceramic tiles. However, due to the uneven consumption power of the market, ceramic tiles also have their own market. It is a trend for rock slabs to replace ceramic tiles, but it may not be completely replaced in a short time. As rock slabs continue to develop, many brands will emerge, targeting several fields such as countertops, home furnishings, and decoration. There is no absolute, and rock slab brands are diversified.
Emeishan Golden Pottery Li Xiaogang
Liu Xingzhong: Regarding this issue, I think this is a false proposition, because so far, we have not seen any signs of rock slabs replacing ceramic tiles. All companies do not make slate to replace ceramic tiles. Our sales channels are mainly in the home furnishing, customization, and bathroom fields. At present, slate companies have not really developed a series of products for floor and above ground. Some people say that 2.6-meter rock slabs can be used on walls or on the ground, but let’s think about it, is there much space where 2.6-meter rock slabs can be used? Not much. It can only be used in villas and commercial spaces. It cannot be used in small apartments. So so far, it is impossible to replace ceramic tiles with slate. It is not possible yet. Moreover, ceramic tiles are very cost-effective. Although the price of rock slabs has dropped, they are still far behind ceramic tiles. I think that replacing ceramic tiles with slate will not happen within three to five years. Maybe we can see hope in three to five years, but it can only replace part of it, not completely.
Chen Zhuo:Our company is engaged in artificial stone and quartz stone, and we are not very familiar with the field of ceramic tiles. I personally believe that the birth of every new material is forProviding customers with more choices and meeting their needs is not about substitution. Don't think about replacing any category, we just try to give full play to our own advantages and provide customers with more choices.
Moderator:Thank you for sharing! In 2020, rock slabs are very popular. Mr. Pang from Baidu just mentioned that the search volume of rock slabs on the Internet has doubled. However, rock slabs are not so popular at the terminal. There are many problems in processing, and the price has even dropped.
“Production is booming and terminals are difficult to promote
Processing is difficult and prices fall
Will slate have overcapacity or become mediocre?
Chen Zhuo:I think that our current development and application of rock slabs is only a small part, and the application space and scope of rock slabs can be wider. In fact, in the rock slab track, We are just getting started. Will slate have overcapacity or become mediocre? In my opinion there is no such problem.
Liu Xingzhong:One very pessimistic news is that the market for small-sized slate slabs is now in surplus. Due to overcapacity and no profit from price competition, many small-size slate manufacturers in Foshan have ceased production. Now the price of large-sized rock slabs is also plummeting, so I can say with certainty that there will be overcapacity in large-sized rock slabs in 2021. In 2021, there will be a surplus of rock slabs of all sizes. How to solve the overcapacity? To be digested through the terminal, only after the slate actually enters the terminal will the excess capacity cease. A common problem in the ceramic industry is that companies do not follow the path of branding. Currently, the channels for slate companies are still wholesale, stone, and furniture. Now there is overcapacity in slate. If companies still use the previous sales channels, the overcapacity will intensify next year. This is a dilemma that all businesses will face.
Xinju Home Liu Xingzhong
Li Xiaogang: I am in charge of sales, and I may be a little optimistic about the market. Currently, the most popular applications of slate are countertops and home boards, but I think this is only a small part of the application field of slate. The application of slate is diversified. It can be used to decorate the whole house. The largest amount is on the wall and on the floor. Countertops and home boards are just the tip of the iceberg. The slate must be implemented at the terminal and cannot be obtained from only one application.To start with the domain, we should focus on decorating the whole house. Of course, this segment of the market is the most difficult to implement and the slowest to achieve results. At present, manufacturers in the entire slate industry are focusing all their attention and energy on the fields of countertops and home boards, and few people are paying attention to the field of decoration. In fact, we are quite optimistic about this field, so we have already started to lay out mid-range board stores at the beginning of 2020. I think the market in this area has not been fully developed, and we should spend time and experience to pay attention to and develop it.
Moderator: Mr. Song, we can see from the speeches of the previous guests that Mr. Liu is relatively pessimistic about the market. , and Mr. Li is more optimistic. Which group do you belong to?
Song Rongshe: Let me talk about it from three aspects. At present, rock slabs are divided into large-size slabs and small-size slabs, and their production technology thresholds are different. Small-sized rock slabs can be produced by simply transforming old lines and adjusting equipment, so there is a high possibility that small-sized rock slabs will cause a price war. The possibility of a price war for large-size slate is very small, because high-quality large-size slate has high requirements for production, technology, and management, and the production investment cost is a threshold. Our company currently only produces rock slabs of one specification: 1600×3600×3mm. Our purpose is to concentrate on making products of this specification to the extreme and gain market recognition, not to compete with other rock slab companies.
Moderator: Chairman Song also mentioned just now that there are actually different types of slate companies. Some companies are Mainly providing materials, existing as a supplier of rock slabs; some companies position themselves as home furnishing brands and are involved in overall home furnishings and rock slab customization. Which of these two forms has more room for development?
“Material dealer and slate home brand
What kind of identity should a rock slab enterprise have to have more development prospects?
Song Rongshe:Currently, our company faces the market as a material supplier. In the past two years, many rock slab companies have been transforming, from rock slab production to rock slab customization and processing. I don’t think anyone is better or worse, because each company has a different positioning. If someone is doing it, it is right.
Beautiful ultra-thin slate Songrongshe
Moderator: Existence is reasonable. So what does Mr. Li think?
Li Xiaogang:I believe that professional things should be left to professional people and professional teams. Regardless of the fields in which rock slabs can be used, for a rock slab manufacturing company, it only produces a kind of material, and its positioning is to produce good rock slab products. At present, we only want to make good products and provide materials for home furnishing customers. We have not thought about transforming into home furnishing because we are not professional.
Moderator:What does Mr. Liu think? Is our brand a professional material supplier or a home furnishing brand?
Liu Xingzhong: Regarding this topic, our company has been studying internally. Should we be a material supplier or transform into home customization? There are mainly two types of companies that make slates. One is ceramic companies, and the other is stone companies. Their own DNA is to sell materials; there are also some companies that make slates that are customization or home furnishing companies. My personal view is to integrate resources. There is a huge market for customized home furnishings. Ceramic companies can definitely enter this industry. They don’t have to know it themselves. They can integrate resources to enter. For example, Oppein and Sophia, the two giants of pan-home furnishings, have very few industries of their own, and 80% of them rely on external resource integration. Therefore, I hope that our ceramic companies can also muster the courage to boldly cross industries and integrate resources. Both materials and home furnishing can be pursued, and I think we can integrate the two paths into one.
Moderator: Mr. Chen, which view do you agree with?
Hebei Lingbiao Chen Zhuo
Chen Zhuo:In my opinion, rock slab is not a finished product, but a semi-finished product. We have to give it a definition, and what product we make should be what it should be. So I think slate companies should build "material brands". We must first improve the brand. Only with a brand can we have good materials.
“Why choose to make rock slabs?
What is the company's future development plan?
What are your expectations for the future of rock slabs?
Moderator: I would like to ask Mr. Song, as a real estate company, we have crossed the border into slate. What do you think of us? Where are the advantages reflected? What kind of strategic plan do we have?
Song Rongshe:Our Meifa Group is involved in all walks of life, and its subsidiary Mei Mei Real Estate is a listed (real estate) company. Our group has a strategic plan to build 35 prefabricated production lines in China. Rock slabs are the material for our prefabricated buildings. At the beginning, we used imported 3 mm large-sized slate slabs, which are relatively expensive. After that, our chairman wondered if we could make the slates the cheapest, produce the slates for our own use, and bring the remaining parts to the market so that all Chinese people can use such good materials. This is what we do across industries. Purpose of rock slabs.
Congratulations
I hope that the rock slab industry will usher in a good situation in 2021.
Moderator: Mr. Li, as a company that sells ceramic tiles to slate, slate production may not be the most difficult. Processing, paving and subsequent application and technology implementation are the most difficult. What kind of measures can we share with you in this area?
Li Xiaogang:At present, Emeishan Jintao Research has pioneered slate home boards for different home applications, that is, specification boards, which have been very complete in the industry. The whole-house decoration of slate slabs needs to rely on our nationwide terminal store landing team for services. Therefore, Jintao continues to develop local high-quality slate slab agents and establishes a sales network system and service team nationwide. In addition, we have specially set up a business school to educate and train slate dealers to familiarize themselves with slate product applications and decoration and paving knowledge. Thanks to the complete slate agent service system, Jintao will have close to 100 specialty stores in 2020. Our goal in 2021 is to expand to 200 more stores, especially in the East and South China markets.
Congratulations
rock slab as aA new species is a good product that meets consumer needs. But it is still in its infancy. I hope that the media will be lenient and colleagues will be merciful. The slate needs all of us to care and protect it. Yanban is in adolescence. I hope we can give Yanban a healthy environment for youthful growth and look forward to a bright future for Yanban together.
Moderator: Next, I would like to ask Mr. Liu about this question. We name our brand after "home". What kind of mystery is there? What are our development strategies in 2021?
Liu Xingzhong: Our brand name is based on brand positioning. In the future, Xinju Home Furnishing will break out of the ceramic circle and not only make materials, but also become a pan-home furnishing industry brand. Regarding future development plans, first, we will go to the terminal and find brands to join; second, we will build strong back-end services and invest in building processing plants ourselves. We are currently following up on supporting services, including paving, installation, and processing. , connect the front end and terminal. We have made a three-year plan, and we are very confident about the decisive battle in the slate industry in 2021.
Congratulations
The beginning of 2020 and the final battle of 2021 are both red ocean and blue ocean.
Moderator: Next, I would like to ask Mr. Chen, the bidder in Hebei Province. We are originally a very strong company in the field of artificial stone. Why cross the border to make slate? In what aspects are our core competencies reflected?
Chen Zhuo:In 2016, our chairman went to an exhibition in Italy to learn about rock slabs, discovered more possibilities of rock slabs, and saw business opportunities. He speculated about the future of rock slabs. It will have an impact on the artificial stone industry, and we found that customers also have demand, so we put into production a slate production line and became the largest slate manufacturer in the north. At present, we have 4 slate lines, equipped with imported high-end equipment. Due to many years of experience in the production and sales of artificial stone, we can directly implement the deep processing of slate and can also give good deep processing suggestions to dealers.
Congratulations
I wish everyone can run further on the new track of Yanban in 2021 and have prosperous business.
