Recent technological innovations in the Spanish ceramic tile cluster

Abstract

Currently, the competitive environment that surrounds companies is in continuous change, which means that many of them try to manage these changes through innovation and new technologies, these two aspects being key for the present, but above all for the future of many sectors, among them is the Spanish ceramic sector. Given its importance worldwide, the industry tries to reinvent itself and continue to grow day after day to develop better products and services and be more competitive, complying with environmental standards. One of the subjects that has contributed the most to expanding students' knowledge about concepts that had not been studied in the Degree in Business Administration has been Análisis Industrial y Redes de Empresas (AE1043) at university. This subject focuses on the analysis of the different industries and the planning and competitive strategies of companies, especially SMEs. It also deals with economic models that we had not known in depth before. Related to these analyses, among other topics, the ceramic cluster was introduced and now carrying out this work on these points serves to finish understanding these aspects and expand them. One of the objectives of this report is to present the current situation of the ceramic industry, which we will use as support to explain the current and future challenges of the companies that are part of this sector. Another objective lies in the need to learn about technological innovation so that organisations can contribute to the environment, which is already a concern, although for the coming years it is also an opportunity. It is motivating to analyse all this, obviously introducing appropriate definitions to better understand what we are talking about, because the ceramic cluster is an attractive industry for the beginning of professional life. One reason that has prompted the completion of the final degree project on present and future challenges of Spanish ceramic companies is that the sector predominates in the province of Castellón de la Plana, where it is the most important ceramic cluster in Spain, of which we are to speak in this report. In addition, it is the most competitive cluster and one of the best in innovation in Europe. Therefore, it creates jobs for thousands of people, such as family and friends around us. On the other hand, specifying more the investigation, we will analyse the technological innovations of the Spanish ceramic cluster, because it is essential for the present and for the coming years the capacity of change and adaptation of the companies through innovations, thanks to these, the companies will be able to position themselves better in the market in the coming years. It is curious the way in which the members of the cluster fully exploit the available resources and their capacity for growth, thus avoiding being stagnant with respect to the competition and in terms of technological advances. The Report on Tiles in Spain (Alimarket, 2021) is relevant, where it is indicated that the eight main groups of the ceramic cluster collect close to 60% of the total tile sales in our country, which denotes that it is the most important at the national and one of the most outstanding in the world. This study analyses, as we have pointed out in previous paragraphs, the Spanish ceramic industry and, to a greater extent, the ceramic cluster located in the province of Castellón, providing objective data and verified information that allows us to know, from its theoretical and historical context, the current situation of the cluster, allowing us to highlight the present and future needs in terms of technological innovation. We will give importance to employees of the ceramic sector who know first-hand the current situation and the challenges of this industry. It is an ambitious challenge, among others, the arrival in the ceramic industry of concern for innovations in the environment, which we will deal with in depth, this being one of the fundamental axes of the report. The structure of the work consists of three parts. The first chapter will focus on explaining theoretical concepts, using the concepts of cluster and innovation as theoretical bases, from there information will be provided that allows us to understand the particularities of these concepts that will be fundamental throughout the report. The second chapter will deal with the ceramic cluster of the province of Castellón, we will approach from its beginnings, going through its products and services, elements, characteristics, up to the present. In the third chapter, we will present innovative challenges facing the cluster and the ceramic industry, focusing their development on environmental challenges. Finally, we will make the final conclusions and references.