事情變化得很快 THINGS ARE CHANGING FAST
過去的幾個星期，我在不同的城市和佛山看到了很多好東西。我看到了更好的展廳、更好的整體產品、漂亮的紋理、質感、大規格、非常好的設計，等等。
我還記得在過去2003-2005年的日子里，找到好的產品或可靠的品牌對我來說是多么困難。有時候，我要花好幾個月的時間才能找到一件像樣的釉面磚，購買并出口到北美。但是現在，事情發生了巨大的變化，因為你到處都能找到好的東西。
我想說，這個行業在過去24個月里發生的變化比過去24年都要多。令人難以置信的是，它正以如此快的速度和如此好地朝著正確的方向前進。不久前我預言中國最終會成為世界的一個參照，在過去看來這是不可能的：設計！
沒有什么比向我們北美的同事做出某些預測更讓我高興了，他們的第一反應是覺得難以置信，甚至笑了。但是多年以后，當他們用自己的眼睛看到我所預測的結果時，他們的反應就完全不同了。我喜歡證明他們是錯誤的，正如我之前做過很多次那樣。
如今，在中國的許多大型陶瓷購物中心，你能看到的已經不是2到3個，而是15或20個精心打造的世界級展廳，達到頂級水平的品牌數量在持續增加。競爭一如既往地激烈，但我覺得如今已經不再像過去那樣只在價格方面了?，F在還有設計、產品和展廳。
這種速度簡直令人難以置信，對于那些不住在這里的外國人來說依然難以理解，現在比以往更快，其中毫無疑問還有一個因素：執行事物的速度！
如果只有一件我可以提及的顯而易見的事情，那就是如果你留意所有的細節，你很快會發現，許多品牌之間并沒有太大的區別，似乎盡管東西在變得更好，但給我的印象是很多品牌都是以同樣的方式呈現事物，產品、展廳風格和裝飾都更好，但總體上似乎是相似的。走賣場的時候，我總是告訴我們的員工和同事一個簡單的測試。遮住你的眼睛，帶你去一個漂亮的展廳，到看不到品牌名稱的區域。如果你能告訴我這是哪個品牌，那么這家公司肯定做對了，但如果你說不出是哪個品牌，那么它就僅變成了又一個……大多數時候他們都說不出來。所以，在我看來，重要的是也要在那些讓你與眾不同的事情上下功夫。很多品牌做得對，但大多數其他品牌還沒有。
去年4月份，我們接待了一些來自北美的訪客，他們對我們在中國做的事情印象深刻：我們的產品、規格、展廳、活動等等。我告訴他們，我希望他們能在下一年再來，看看我們計劃做的所有改變和調整會讓一切變得好多少。遺憾的是由于新冠肺炎疫情，他們不能來這里，希望在接下來的幾個月有可能。我知道，如果他們來了，他們會對改變大為驚訝，因為一切難以置信。
這個行業的發展迅速，到明年年中或接近年底時，該行業將達到令大多數持懷疑態度的人印象深刻的水平。我知道它的發展速度正在縮小與意大利和西班牙在產品設計、展廳裝飾方面的差距，而且一去不返。
中國正在建設世界級的產品和展廳，以及世界上最好的陶瓷或建材購物中心，外國人將不再僅僅因為價格而來中國購物。隨著中國陶瓷工業的迅速發展，中國將成為世界的參考。我很高興能成為這種現象、這種變化的一部分，能夠在最高水平上進行競賽。它要求你做的事情要有精準的戰略方向、速度、團隊合作、努力工作、奉獻和激情，來跟上步伐。因為如果你眨了眨眼，你可能就會落后!
In the last few weeks I have seen so many good things on my trips to different cities and also here in Foshan. I have seen better showrooms, better overall products, nice textures, finishes, big sizes, great designs and so on.
I remember the old days back in 2003-2005 how difficult it was for me to find good products or reliable brands. Sometimes it would take me months to find a decent glazed porcelain product to purchase and export to North America. But now, things have change drastically as you find good things everywhere.
I would say that the industry has changed in the last 24 months more than in the previous 24 years. It is incredible how fast and how well it is moving in the right direction. I predicted not too long ago that China would eventually become a world reference in what back then seemed impossible: Design!
Nothing makes me happier than to make certain predictions to our people of North America and their first reaction is of incredulity or even they laugh but when years later they see with their own eyes what I predicted then their reaction is completely different. I love to prove them wrong as I have done it for so many times before.
Now days in many of the big ceramic malls of the country you could find not 2 or 3 but 15 or 20 incredibly well finished and decorated world class showrooms. And the number of brands getting to the top level just keeps increasing. Competition is fierce as always but now I feel that it is no longer only with pricing like it used to be. Now it is also with design, product and showroom.
The speed is simply incredible and still incomprehensible by the foreigners that do not live here and now more than ever is with no doubt also a factor: The speed of execution of things!
If there is only one thing that I could mention that is noticeable, is that if you pay attention to all the details you will find out quickly that there is not much of a difference between many of the brands as it seems that even though things are getting better with many it gives me the impression that many of them present things in the same way, as products, showroom styles and decoration are better but overall seem similar. I always tell our employees and co-workers about a simple exercise when you are at the malls. I cover your eyes and take you to a nice showroom to an area that you can’t see the brand name. If you are able to tell me which brand it is then that company is definitely doing things right but if you can’t tell which brand it is then it just becomes one more… Most of the time they can’t tell. So, in my opinion it is important to also work on those things that make you different. Many brands do it right but most others don’t.
Last year when in the month of April, we received some visitors from North America they were very impressed with what we were doing in China: Our products, sizes, showrooms, events, and so on. And I told them that I wish they could come the following year to see how much better everything would be with all the changes and adjustments we were planning to do. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 they were not able to come here, hopefully in the next few months. I know if they come they will be astonished by the change as it is hard to believe.
The industry is moving fast and by the middle or towards the end of next year will reach a level that will impress the most skeptical persons. I know that the speed that it is moving is making the gap with Italy and Spain in product design, showroom decoration so close that there is no coming back.
China is building world class products and showrooms and ceramic or building materials malls that are simply the best in the world and no longer will be a place where foreigners come to buy because of price only. China will become a world reference as it rapidly improves its ceramic industry. I am so happy to be part of this phenomenon, of this change and be able to compete at the highest level. It demands precise strategic direction, speed, teamwork, hard work, dedication and passion in what you do to keep up with the pace because if you blink you may stay behind!
Humberto Valles
ICC General Manager
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