Recently, the author learned from the organizing committee of the 7th China (Beiliu) International Ceramics Expo that in recent years, Beiliu City has made significant achievements in promoting the transformation and upgrading of its ceramics industry, taking advantage of opportunities such as successfully holding the Ceramics Expo and establishing the "China Daily-use Ceramics Export Base" and the "National Daily-use Ceramics Industry Famous Brand Demonstration Zone".

Aiming for "high, precise, and specialized" development of new ceramic types and products

Guangxi Sanhuan Group, a regional leading ceramics enterprise, boldly adjusted its product positioning, implemented a "high, precise, and specialized" development strategy, increased efforts in developing new ceramic types and products, and researched and produced high value-added, high-end daily-use ceramic products, leading the transformation and upgrading of Beiliu's daily-use ceramics industry. In 2013, the company developed high-end daily-use ceramic products, "New Bone China," which were well-received in the market; in 2015, the company developed high-temperature white porcelain and white stoneware porcelain, with the high-temperature white porcelain achieving success and fully meeting the conditions for mass production; in early 2016, the company successfully developed "healthy ceramics" and launched them at the 6th China (Beiliu) International Ceramics Expo, receiving full recognition from domestic peers, experts, and customers. At the same time, Sanhuan Group is constructing the Sanhuan Ceramics Cultural and Creative Industry Park, also known as "Sanhuan Ceramics Town," covering approximately 100 mu (approximately 6.7 hectares), with a planned total investment of 2 billion yuan. It plans to build 10 high-end specialized production lines and aims to complete construction during the 13th Five-Year Plan period. "Sanhuan Ceramics Town" will change the previous single production-type industrial park construction model, integrating production, R&D, testing, training, energy supply, product display, ceramic cultural education, and industrial tourism into a comprehensive creative industrial park, accelerating the transformation of innovative scientific and technological achievements in daily-use ceramics, creating an investment platform and a new incubation and entrepreneurial platform for the ceramics industry, and leading the development trend of the daily-use ceramics industry. Currently, the first phase of the town is basically completed and will be completed during the 7th Ceramics Expo, while the second phase will commence construction.

Sanhuan Group is a microcosm of the transformation and upgrading of Beiliu's ceramics industry.

65 ceramic enterprises have formed a complete industrial chain, and product sales are "blooming in three directions"

After nearly a few years of efforts, the industrial structure and product structure of Beiliu's ceramics industry have been significantly optimized. The city has 65 ceramic production enterprises, including 61 daily-use ceramic enterprises and 4 building ceramic enterprises, forming a complete industrial chain including daily-use ceramics, building ceramics, and craft ceramics production and mutual supporting from raw material processing, colored glaze processing, mechanical design and manufacturing, refractory materials, flower paper, packaging and printing to R&D institutions, display trade, and logistics transportation. Product sales have changed from the past "mainly export" to "three thirds": one-third is domestic sales, one-third is sales of white porcelain supporting products purchased by other domestic producing areas (mainly Chaozhou), and one-third is self-operated exports by enterprises.

In the face of a very severe development situation, in 2016, Beiliu City produced nearly 3.6 billion pieces of daily-use ceramics and nearly 50 million square meters of building ceramics, achieving an output value of 12.3 billion yuan, accounting for 33.36% of the city's total output value of large-scale industrial enterprises. The city has 41 self-operated export ceramic enterprises, with self-operated exports of 430 million yuan, accounting for 32% of the city's total foreign trade export value.