European engineered quartz manufacturers are shouting 'foul' over competition from China.
The European Agglomerated Stone Association (AStA), which represents Europe's leading quartz manufacturers (including Silestone, Caesarstone, Stone Italiana, Cimstone, Diresco, etc) says the Chinese are dumping their engineered quartz in Europe in order to wipe out the European industry. AStA says Europe's production level has already been cut to half its capacity.
If the Chinese succeed in wiping out the European industry, says AStA, it will be at the cost of thousands of European jobs. And it will be clients and consumers who end up paying for the collapse of the industry in Europe because, without its competition, the Chinese product will become a lot more expensive.
An anti-dumping procedure has been initiated by the European Commission to investigate the allegations of dumping.
Previous investigations instigated by the stone industry in Europe against Far Eastern imports, notably regarding granite memorials, have petered out through lack of evidence from the European industry. When it came to it, too many companies were enjoying the low prices of products from the Far East.
Engineered quartz from China was not a problem for many years because Breton, the Italian company that makes the production lines for quartz, would not supply China. The response from Chinese companies has been to develop their own lines and the volume of quartz imported from China has increased considerably. AStA says China is persuing aggressive commercial dumping that is having a highly negative economic impact on European producers.
AStA considers most exporters of quartz from China are aiming to take over the European market by selling their products at prices that do not reflect production costs. It says this clearly indicates the objective is not to obtain benefits but to take over the European market completely by destroying the indigenous competition.
AStA, based in Brussels, says: "The European industry of agglomerated stone has always been characterized by the quality of its product and the continued investment in its fabrication processes, looking for the best and most modern machines and installations, constantly looking for innovative solutions for its products with the goal of giving the best quality and the best service to its clients."All the qualitative investments of the European industry are being unfairly neutralized by the dumping practices of Chinese importers who, in addition, are provoking European industry to drastically reduce or even end investment in innovation.
"The main European producers are currently using only about 50% of their production capacity. The industry is not only suffering in production levels, sales and economic margin but also in the financial costs derived from the non-exploitation of industrial investments.
"For these reasons, AStA shows satisfaction with the initiation of the anti-dumping procedure by the European Commission and, above all, for the implied recognition of Chinese producers' dumping practices.
"AStA and its members respect entirely the EU procedures and will comply with future EU resolutions adopted. AStA will collaborate as requested with the European Commission’s ongoing investigation until it is completed."