Approximate reading time: 5 minutes

Ramón Sarió, managing director of BERALMAR TECNOLOGIC, share his thoughts on the current climate in the world economy and in particular the construction industry in many countries.

BERALMAR NEWSLETTER: How has the global economic crisis affected demand for ceramics industry equipment?

RAMON SARIÓ: It has affected us directly. If national economies are in recession so too is the construction industry. In spite of globalisation, however, the world is still a big place and the current crisis should not affect all countries equally. There are even some countries that haven't been affected at all. In these countries the demand for equipment has remained steady, since there are many houses to be built around the world. One of Beralmar Tecnologic's strong points is that it is present in over 50 markets and as a result the risk is spread.

However the Spanish market has dropped significantly. It should be noted that until recently 30% of our manufacturing was targeted towards the Spanish market.

B.N.: What is your opinion regarding the situation of the Spanish ceramics market?

R.S.: There is minimal demand for ceramic material, and as a result an acute adjustment must be made in supply which will involve factory closings.

The future of this sector lies in the supply of new, higher-quality products with greater added value which aid the construction of homes and seek to substitute alternative products. This need will place demands on machine and equipment manufacturers and as result will present us with a challenge and an opportunity.

B.N.: What is BERALMAR TECNOLOGIC doing to address the current economic situation?

R.S.: In light of what I said before, we have to be ready to provide new solutions to new needs.

Since September last year we have incorporated new technical staff specialising in automation systems and also in industrial IT, which will allow us to offer technical solutions and manufacture machinery of any type required for the production process of all types of ceramic material. We think it is very important to have a comprehensive Technical Department with very experienced specialists in every technical area.

Many of our projects focus on significantly improving existing factories and that is more difficult than building a new factory. If we didn't have an experienced team we wouldn't be able to do those jobs. Moreover, many of our competitors don't do these jobs which gives us a certain advantage in this field.

B.N.: During these difficult times, don't you think recruiting more staff is a bit risky?

R.S.: It isn't if you have confidence in the future. The world must go on and it's clear that new homes are needed in almost every country. I'm also confident in the work that we have carried out for many years here at BERALMAR which has made us one of the most globally-renowned companies in the sector.

B.N.: What new products have you launched recently?

R.S.: BERALMAR TECNOLOGIC's products are developed by the company's R&D department. We are constantly improving our range of products but we are also designing new ones.

We are launching new solid fuel firing systems, both mineral and vegetable, and also for biogas. We have also added a new line of high-tech automation systems with the robotics applications.

BERALMAR will take part at the INDIAN CERAMICS 2010 fair, which will be held at the Karnavati Club in the city of Ahmedabad (Gujarat state, India) between March 2-4.

BERALMAR will have its own stand (Hall A, Stand 174) at the top fair of the Indian ceramics sector which this year celebrates its 5th edition.

The state of Gujarat, with 50 million inhabitants, is one of the country's most important economic and industrial hubs, accounting for 20% of India's exports and 39% of its industrial production, made up mostly of the production of hydrocarbons. Ahmedabad is the largest city with a population of 5 million.

As during the 2009 edition, BERALMAR will make a technical presentation during the fair as part of the symposium organised by the European Ceramic Technology Suppliers group (ECTS).

BERALMAR is developing two solid fuel firing facilities for the MAŠINAC-SVILAJNAC and MAŠINAC-STALAC ceramics plants, located in central Serbia.

They are PROMATIC systems in both case, for producing 550 and 400 t/day respectively.

Rising prices of standard firing fuels, natural gas and fuel-oil, are forcing the Serbian ceramics industry to find alternative energy sources. Their research concluded that BERALMAR systems provide a secure and reliable solution for the long term which will enable quality standards to remain high while reducing energy bills during the firing process by up to 40%.

With these facilities there will now be 7 kilns operating with BERALMAR solid fuel firing equipment in Serbia.