Ceramics
The ceramics sector covers a broad range of products, from bricks and
tiles to fine bone china and ceramic cutting tools.
In some sub-sectors such as heavy clay, the commodity nature of the products
mean that material costs represents a large proportion of the selling
price.
In other sub-sectors such as white-wares, the high value added as products
move through the process means that rejects, especially at later stages,
can impose major financial penalties.
As global competition intensifies it is therefore becoming especially
important for ceramic companies to manage their materials use and improve
their piece yields.