Ceramic World Review updates the rankings of the world's top 25 ceramic tile groups

Mohawk Industries, SCG and Lamosa lead once again the rankings. Victoria PLC is the new entry among the big names. For most of the big groups the outlook for 2020 is not overly pessimistic, with declines below -10% and even some players anticipating growth.

Ceramic World Review has updated the figures for the world’s top 25 ceramic tile groups (as for production volumes) in 2019. Respect to the previous year, the positions of the three largest tile producers remain unchanged.

Mohawk Industries, Inc. remains firmly at the top of the rankings of the largest 25 world groups with a capacity and output to 31/12/2019 of around 250 million sqm (up from 2018 due to the expansion of production in Russia and the acquisition of Eliane) and tile segment revenues of $3.631 billion, up 2.2% on 2018 (36% of the group’s consolidated revenues). With the greatest impact of the health emergency occurring in the second quarter of 2020 (sales dropped by 21% on Q2 2019), the Global Ceramics division closed the first half of 2020 with revenues of $1,602 million (-13.7% on 2019), a contraction that is consistent with the 14% decline in the group’s consolidated revenue ($4.3 billion).

In second place is the Thai group SCG Ceramics with a 2019 production of 166 million sqm and tile sales of 669 million euros, slightly down on the previous year. In the first half of 2020, the effects of the lockdown and lower demand for tiles resulted in an 18% decline in sales volumes, from 92 million sqm in 2019 to 75 million sqm.

Next comes the Mexican group Lamosa, also with a 2019 production of 166 million sqm and tile revenues of 647 million euros. Lamosa’s tile division also reported a 22% fall in the second quarter of 2020 compared with 2019, resulting in a first half decline in revenues of 13% year on year to about 224 million euros (5,810 million pesos).

The world’ s fourth largest tile producer is RAK Ceramics, which has increased its production capacity to 138 million sqm and production to more than 101 million sqm, partly due to the start-up of the large slab factory in Morbi (India). Despite the fall in revenues in the first half of the year, the UAE-based group expects to close 2020 at the same levels as 2019.

The remaining groups in the rankings reveal substantial stability in terms of their production volumes, with the exception of Kajaria Ceramics (which increased its output from 66 to 78 million sqm) and the Spanish group STN (up from 65 to 73 million sqm). STN also posted the largest increase in turnover, up 19% on 2019 to 325 million euros.

The new ranking also sees a new entry among the big names in the tile industry, namely the UK-based flooring group Victoria PLC. Between November 2017 and March 2020, Victoria acquired the Spanish firms Keraben, Saloni and Ibero and the Italian companies Ceramiche Serra and Ceramiche Ascot (the latter as of 1 March 2020). Overall, the group has a production capacity of 44.5 million sqm, a 2019 production of 40 million sqm and a turnover of 350 million euros.

Based on the forecasts provided by the groups themselves, the outlook for 2020 as a whole does not appear to be overly pessimistic. In almost all the negative forecasts the potential decline in production and sales is limited to between -1% and -10%, while several players are even anticipating growth (Pamesa, STN, Cersanit and Arwana).