The sub-sector of the Utilitarian and Decorative Ceramics includes the manufactures of porcelain, faience, stoneware and terracotta chinaware.

This subsector of the ceramics industry has secular tradition and great exporting vocation, confirmed by the importance of the exportations in the volume business-oriented.

As for the external markets, the main exportation destinies are Germany, the United States of America, France and the United Kingdom.

The evolution of this sub-sector, which is extremely dependant on the external markets, will be determined by the ability of our companies to compete in the international markets with quality, design and brand names. That will provide them with prestige and differentiation so that they can impose to products from countries of the Far West and Eastern Europe, characterized by the lower prices which result from the incorporation of intensive manpower that receive wages greatly inferior to those in Europe.

Since this is a sub-sector that uses intensive manpower and presents a very high rate of energy consumption, the increase of its competitiveness will also involve an increase in qualified labour and a decrease of energy costs.

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