faucet

China's faucet-manufacturing industry continues to consolidate. The number of suppliers has gone down by about 13％ in the past two years, many driven to close by soaring raw material costs and more rigorous quality standards. Despite this shakeout, faucet export sales are still growing about 30％ annually. China exported $331 million worth of faucets in the first quarter of 2006. The dollar growth of exports occurred despite the fact that the number of faucet suppliers has gone down by 13％ in the past two years due to a growing consolidation in the Chinese faucet-manufacturing industry. Among surveyed manufacturers, 30％ are developing models with watersaving features, 29％ are creating more aesthetic designs, and 25％ are working on models with better corrosion or tarnish resistance, the report states.