Ceramics and Globalization

Neil Ewins'' study of the Staffordshire potteries in a period of great global change traces how ceramics production has been affected by globalisation in both familiar and unexpected ways. Although many manufacturers such as Wedgwood initially moved production to cheaper labour markets in East Asia, others remained in or returned to England once it became clear that outsourcing manufacturing was affecting the brand value and customer perception of their products. Neil Ewins explores the complex behaviour of the UK ceramics industry, using a combination of evidence from the press, trade journals, ceramic objects, and primary interview evidence of manufacturers, retailers and a ceramic designer. Ewins suggests that, although the surface designs of UK ceramics invariably reflect diverse cultural and stylistic influences, a notion of authenticity often still resides in the place and context in which the ceramic product was originally made. Overall, the book argues that UK ceramics remain culturally complex because of issues of supply and demand, and ties to heritage, imagined or otherwise. Within a context of globalization, the book highlights compelling issues which have huge ramifications on UK manufacturing futures.>

Préface
A study of the impact of globalisation on the UK ceramics industry in the 20th and 21st centuries, focusing on a case study of the Staffordshire potteries.

Auteur
Neil Ewins is Senior Lecturer in Design History and Theory at the University of Sunderland, UK. He has contributed articles to a number of edited volumes.

Contenu

Introduction

Chapter 1: Globalization, the on-going debate
Organization
Marketing, consumption and meaning
Authenticity and craft
Localism, regional competitiveness and resilience
Summary

Chapter 2: The traditions East Asian and Staffordshire Ceramics
Far Eastern ceramics and their influence
The Potteries, Staffordshire
UK ceramic bodies and styles
Artists, designers and marketing
Imports
The perception of Far Eastern ceramics
Deterritorialization and copying design
Changes in production
Repositioning of Staffordshire brands
Impact of the Far East on UK ceramic manufacturers
Changing lifestyles
Decline versus new businesses
Summary

Chapter 3: The Rise of Outsourcing UK ceramics
The outsourcing debate in the 20th and 21st century
Far Eastern outsourcing
Profits and outsourcing
Employment in the UK ceramic industry
Craft and quality issues
Design versus manufacture
Place of origin debate
Uncertainty of outsourcing
A political debate
Production back in Staffordshire
Summary

Chapter 4: The Impact of Far Eastern Outsourcing on the Marketing of UK Ceramics
An emphasis on the Staffordshire brand
Attachment to 'England' through branding
'Made in China', and celebrity endorsement
Impact of outsourcing on backstamps
Attachment to 'England' through design and decoration
Ceramic objects of deception
Denby and compartmentalization
Summary

Chapter 5: Outsourcing and its Impact on the Design Process
Hugh Saunders, tableware designer, Royal Doulton
Design development prior to Far Eastern outsourcing
Outsourcing by Royal Doulton
Quality issues
The centralization of design: theory and practice
Selective outsourcing
New technology
Summary

Chapter 6: Accentuating Place of Origin
Hand-made
Emma Bridgewater
Perception
Royal Stafford
Design and the marketing of 'difference'
Homogenization and ceramic design
Problems with outsourcing
Royal Stafford's backstamps and designs
Attitudes towards backstamping
Denby, 'Made in England'
Heron Cross Pottery
Repeat Repeat: perception and design agility
Big Tomato Company
Summary

Chapter 7: The Impact of Far Eastern Outsourcing on UK Ceramic Demand: the Retail Perspective
A retailers' perspective
A Wedgwood retailer in the North of England
Changing demand
Perception of Wedgwood
Status value
Wedgwood pricing
Supply problems
James Pirie of St Andrews, Scotland
Place of origin
Pricing
Thomas Goode, Mayfair, London
Summary

Chapter 8: UK Ceramic Manufacturing in Relation to Consumer Perception
Constructs
Commemoratives and collectables
Goviers of Sidmouth
Royal Crown Derby
Caverswall China
Moorcroft
Hybrid collectables
The New English
The Figurine Collective
Devaluation
Portmeirion and heritage
Exports and 'Made in England'
Summary

Conclusion

References