Market Insights
Modern firing techniques require modern kiln furniture, and higher energy costs have driven the desire for energy-efficient products in recent years. Manufacturers of advanced ceramics have become aware of the important role that kiln furniture plays in the quality and economics of finished products. There are two fundamental requirements of kiln furniture: the arrangement should physically withstand the firing cycle, and after surviving the cycle, the furniture should not affect, damage, or ruin the finished product being fired.
Uses for kiln-made furniture have expanded in recent years. At present, kiln-made furniture can be found in various industrial and consumer goods manufacturing. The global ceramic industry is projected to witness growth at a rate of more than 11% over the next six years, boosting demand for kiln-made furniture. Furthermore, diverse industries such as automotive, electrical and electronic, and energy also use kilns for furniture in their manufacturing processes.
In recent years, the use of low-temperature firing kiln furniture has been increasing rapidly in the Asia Pacific region, such as in Taiwan, South Korea, the Philippines, China, and India, as more ceramic production is shifting to these lower-cost countries. Consumption of high-temperature alumina kiln furniture significantly increased in South Korea due to an increase in automobile exports. Global companies joining hands with local players to increase their footprints, such as Vitis Joint Stock Company, the official agent of Imerys Kiln Furniture for supplying IKF products in Vietnam,
Kiln furniture is widely used in the manufacturing of tiles, tableware, sanitary ware, semiconductor device components, inductors, etc., where it is used multiple times in the kiln for product firing purposes. Due to the relatively long lifetime of kiln furniture, the need for new kiln furniture is limited.
Generally, Kiln-fired furniture is damaged only after repetitive use in high temperatures due to thermal shock cracking and needs replacement. However, demand for lighter weight, lower energy costs, and faster firing cycles will continue to spur the growth of kiln-fired furniture in the upcoming years.
The continuous development of national economies, increasing spending habits, life quality, and infrastructural development are factors that contribute to the output and consumption volume of kiln-made furniture. The Kiln furniture industry in emerging economies of Asia Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa have entered a rapid development stage.
In the Asia Pacific market, China and India are the most attractive markets for kiln-made furniture, with high growth potential. Moreover, the use of low-temperature cordierite kiln furniture, which is basically used to fire products such as ceramic tableware, has been witnessing growth in South Korea, Taiwan, and India, as most of the ceramic production has shifted to these regions, which are low in cost. Furthermore, exports of automobiles from South Korea and other countries are also gaining momentum, which has resulted in increased consumption of high-temperature alumina kiln furniture.
The report titled “Global Kiln Furniture Market: Growth, Opportunities, Share, and Competitive Analysis, 2016–2023” offers strategic insights into the global kiln furniture market along with the market size and estimates for the duration of 2013–2023. The said research study covers an in-depth analysis of multiple market segments based on material type, end-use industries, and a cross-sectional study across different geographies.
The study covers the comparative analysis of different segments for the years 2015 and 2023. The report also provides a prolific view of market dynamics, such as market drivers, restraints, and opportunities.
In order to help the strategic decision-makers, the report also includes profiles of the leading kiln-fired furniture manufacturers, along with their product portfolios and key developments. The major players profiled in the report are Saint-Gobain S.A. (Saint-Gobain Ceramic Materials GmbH), IMERYS, a French limited liability company, IPS Ceramics Ltd., Sunrock Ceramics Co., Applied Ceramics, Inc., and Blasch Precision Ceramics, Inc., among others.
Other in-depth analysis provided in the report includes:
- Current and future market trends to justify the forthcoming attractive markets within the kiln furniture industry
- Market fuelers, market impediments, and their impact on market growth
- in-depth competitive environment analysis
- Trailing 2-year market size data (2013–2014)
- SRC (Segment, Region, Country) Analysis
The global kiln-fired furniture market can be categorized on the basis of end-use industries as follows:
- Ceramics
- Electronics/Electricals
- Energy
- Automotive
- Others
The kiln furniture market is segmented in terms of end-user industries into ceramics, electronics/electrical, energy, automotive, and others (glass lens annealing, cosmetic pigment, combustion furnace, and zirconia powder, among others).
In 2015, ceramics (sanitary ware, glass, tableware, tiles, etc.) was observed as the largest application segment of the kiln furniture market and was projected to maintain its dominance during the forecast period 2016–2023. Rising demand for sanitary ware and tableware from Asian countries such as India, China, and Japan due to increasing demographic development, urbanization, an improving standard of living, and an increase in people’s spending power is boosting demand for kiln-fired furniture from this region. In terms of value, the market stood at US$ 116.33 million with a 26.97% market share.
From 2016 to 2023, energy segment applications are likely to witness the highest growth of 4% CAGR due to increasing demand for thermal power generation components, battery anode materials, fuel cells, etc. In 2015, the electronics and electrical segment stood as the second-largest end-use industry with more than 20% market share. The key factor assisting the growth of the kiln furniture market for this segment is the rising demand for semiconductor components, heat sinks, inductors, ceramic components, etc., manufacturing.
Overall, the research study provides a holistic view of the global kiln-fired furniture market, offering market size and estimates for the period from 2016 to 2023, keeping in mind the above-mentioned factors.
On the basis of geography, the global kiln-fired furniture market is segmented as per the following regions and countries:
- North America
- Europe
- Germany
- France
- UK.
- Italy
- Spain
- Rest of Europe
- Asia Pacific
- China
- Japan
- India
- South Korea
- South-east Asia
- Rest of Asia Pacific
- Latin America
- Brazil
- Mexico
- Rest of Latin America
- Middle East & Africa
- GCC Countries
- South Africa
- Rest of the Middle East and Africa
In 2015, Europe was observed to be the largest market, with a 30.08% market share for kiln-fired furniture in terms of revenue, and it was projected to maintain its dominance during the forecast period. Asia Pacific and Europe are the fastest-growing markets, with 4.0% and 3.7% CAGR, respectively.
Most of the kiln furniture manufacturers in the Asian market are small or medium-scale manufacturers such as User Material Industrial Co., Ltd., Foshan Sunmore Refractory, Ltd., Tangshan Spry Refractory Co., Ltd., Almaty Crucibles, Ltd., Khyati Ceramics, Kundan Refractories, Anjani Ceramics, etc., serving the increasing domestic demand for kiln furniture. Medium-scale kiln furniture manufacturers from India and China, such as Abref Private Limited, Hitemp Ceramics Industries, Tangshan Futian-Sanjin Industry & Trade Co., Ltd., Beijing Trend Industrial Ceramics Co., Ltd., etc., have started exploring and developing international markets by exporting to various countries around the globe, such as Kenya, Nigeria, Turkey, South Africa, America, Japan, and several European countries. Latin America was the smallest market for kiln-fired furniture in 2015, with a 9.0% market share due to the unfavorable macroeconomic conditions of the region. During the forecast period of 2016–2023, Latin America is anticipated to record the slowest CAGR of 3.0%.
The global kiln-fired furniture market can be categorized on the basis of material type as follows:
- Silicon Carbide
- Cordierite
- Mullite
- Alumina
- Others (Zircon, porcelain, etc.)
In recent years, manufacturers have started designing advanced kiln furniture to maximize life, minimize energy usage, and lower operational costs, taking into consideration that more energy is used to heat the furniture than the product itself. Hence, the thermal conductivity (or “K factor”) of kiln-made furniture plays an important role in deciding the material.
Lower the K factor and the material is more insulating; thus, additional energy is required to heat the shelf to a given temperature. Silicon carbide has a factor of 100, alumina has a factor of around 20, and cordierite has a K factor of 7–10. Cordierite is widely used below 1300 C applications such as electronics heat sink and semiconductor component manufacturing, energy application component manufacturing, plasma display, automotive brake pad manufacturing, etc. Silicon carbide is used for applications that require firing temperatures around 1500 C, such as sanitary ware, tableware, tiles, glass, ceramic capacitors used in electronics, etc. In 2015, silicon carbide and cordierite together contributed to US$ 267.66 million of total market revenue, with 32.38% and 29.66% market share, respectively.