As reported in Ceramic Industry's August 2002 "Giants in Ceramics" issue' 2001 was a difficult year for many ceramic and glass manufacturers. The U.S. economic recession, coupled with the severe decline in demand for technology-related products, had a negative impact on many ceramic-related sectors-and on the industries supplying raw and manufactured materials to those sectors. Production and consumption of almost all materials were lower in 2001, and although 2002 figures were not yet available at the time this article was written, the economy continued to hover on the brink of a ~double-dip recession"-a fact that will likely be evident in the 2002 data. However, some suppliers surveyed by Ceramic Industry indicated increased production and sales in 2002, as well as optimism for additional growth in 2003 and 2004. Although high energy and labor costs (especially the rising costs of employee health care) are forcing many raw and manufactured materials suppliers to increase prices by 3-5 percent over the next several years, suppliers are also increasing their services ,and product offerings. Thanks to research and technology investments by many vendors, today's ceramic and glass manufacturers now have access to a wide range of customized body formulations and particle sizes, as well as increased customer service and technical support.
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机译：正如《陶瓷工业》（Ceramic Industry）在2002年8月出版的《陶瓷巨人》（'Giants in Ceramics'）一书中报道的那样，2001年对于许多陶瓷和玻璃制造商来说都是艰难的一年。美国经济衰退以及与技术相关产品的需求严重下降，对许多与陶瓷相关的行业以及为这些行业提供原材料的工业产生了负面影响。 2001年几乎所有原材料的生产和消费量都下降了，尽管在撰写本文时尚无2002年的数据，但经济继续徘徊在“双底衰退”的边缘。从2002年的数据中可以明显看出，但是，一些接受陶瓷工业调查的供应商表示，2002年的生产和销售有所增长，并且对2003年和2004年的进一步增长感到乐观。尽管能源和劳动力成本较高（尤其是员工医疗保健成本不断上升） ）迫使许多原材料和制造材料的供应商在未来几年内将价格提高3-5％，供应商也在增加其服务和产品的供应。由于许多供应商的研究和技术投资，如今的陶瓷和玻璃制造商现在可以使用各种定制的身体配方和粒径，以及增加的客户服务和技术支持。
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