ANFFECC was founded on 15 November 1977, under the then recently enacted Associations Act. A group of 19 businesspeople engaged in the manufacture of frits, glazes, and ceramic pigments decided to come together and found an organisation to defend their collective needs and interests.

A total of 19 companies made up ANFFECC at that time. Some of these —such as Spinelcolor and Silika— have since disappeared, while others —such as Zircolor, GyA Figueroa, and Fanciallucci Ibérica— merged into a single company (Endeka). Subsequently, some of them have become part of various business groups that have brought together several pre-existing companies, such as the Altadia Group and the Torrecid Group, for instance. Despite these changes, which are logical in the course of business life in any sector, many of the founding firms still exist today.

The Association's initial objectives were to negotiate collective agreements (ANFFECC is currently affiliated with the Collective Agreement for the Chemical Industry), to mark its products to avoid confusion regarding their handling, and to collaborate with other related associations.

ANFFECC goes public.

In the 1980s, ANFFECC joined the Federation of the Spanish Chemical Industry, (FEIQUE), the Businness Confederation of Castellón (CEC), and the Association for Ceramic Industry Research (AICE), and came into contact with the Spanish Ceramic and Glass Society (SECV). During these years, the first corporate brochure for ANFFECC was also created as a way of raising awareness of the organisation and showing who was part of the Association.

A significant event at that time was the agreement signed between ANFFECC and Enagás for the supply of natural gas. This meant they could stop using fuel oil for firing the ceramic kilns, which was a game changer.

At the beginning of this decade, as a result of research and hard work, the manufacture of porous single‑fired wall tiles was introduced in Spain, unveiling a new way of producing tiles worldwide.

In addition, ANFFECC also strongly supported the implementation of higher education programmes tailored to the needs of the frits industry, such as the second cycle of Chemistry, and the creation and development of the Jaime I University of Castellón (UJI), engineering studies, etc.

Technical proficiency and the emergence of environmental issues. The implementation of porous single-firing.

In the 1990s, interest in environmental issues of international importance increased. To this end, a Technical Commission made up of experts from different companies was set up within the association in order to study these issues in greater detail.

ANFFECC begins relations with other associations in the European industry, such as Ceramicolor (Italy), VdMI (Germany), and Epsom (France), among others. At these meetings, joint decisions were made to look after the interests of the industry in the EU environment. In 1998, the book SHOCS, a guide to the correct use and handling of the most common raw materials and substances, was published in several languages.

ANFFECC was also directly involved in the development of the IPPC (Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control) directive. Its work in determining emission limits and best available techniques in the glass sector (in the part relating to ceramic frits) was of vital importance, representing Spain before the European Commission in defence of the interests of the industry. Our association has always worked extensively to defend the specific characteristics of this industry and establish emission limits that are in line with the reality of factories, and we continue to do so today.

During those years, communication and the use of new technologies also increased. The old postal circulars were replaced by much more fluid and flexible correspondence thanks to the Internet. The agreements with the supply companies, together with Ascer and Asebec, managed to reduce costs in areas such as natural gas, fixed and mobile telephony, electricity, etc

International expansion, crisis, and the digital ink revolution

The new century brought a period of significant growth for many of the companies associated with ANFFECC. Their commitment to internationalisation helped them open up borders and begin installing operations in other countries, not only in terms of sales structures, but also production plants. In addition, increased investment in R&D&I led to a boom in innovation in the sector. Tile companies around the world recognised the Spanish glaze industry as the best in terms of quality, design, innovation, expansion, and customer service. Furthermore, the construction boom in Spain sparked a significant growth in sales and production. However, margins on some products began to fall due to significant increases in raw material prices (which account for a high percentage of the product cost). Environmental costs were also on the rise. Baghouse filters were installed in all factories following a specific pollution prevention plan, so protection and respect for the environment increased.

At the same time, there were lines of work and research within the association to define, among other things, the Best Available Techniques (BATs) for the Glass BREF, as well as the ambitious Study on the Classification of Ceramic Frits, presented to the European Union in view of the European regulation on the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH). This study stated that frit is a substance in itself and that a high percentage of frits produced are not hazardous to human health or the environment, as they go through a vitrifying process and, therefore, they are inert. The association also participated in other important environmental issues such as emissions trading, classification and labelling of substances, European Pollutant Emission Register (EPER), emissions studies, reviews of the Glass BREF and the Inorganic Chemical Specialities BREF, etc.

In those years, institutional relations were strengthened. ANFFECC actively participated in meetings with the Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Industry, as well as with other Ministries at the regional level, to resolve issues of key importance for the industry. In fact, it is one of the first industries to sign a Voluntary Agreement with the Regional Ministry of the Environment, with the aim of standardising criteria in the sector regarding the Integrated Environmental Authorisations, which every company must have before they can produce. Likewise, this industry is cited as a pioneer in energy efficiency by both the Ministry of Industry and the Regional Ministry of the Environment in their studies on air quality. It also participated in the Impiva Competitiveness Plans with various projects, and greatly increased its international activity thanks to the creation of the Ceramic Pigments Consortium in 2008, which was later followed by the Frits Consortium the following year. These entities, created to facilitate and enable the analysis and registration of substances on the REACH regulation (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals), were trailblazers at a national level, being the first consortium of these characteristics created in Spain. In the years following their foundation, they kept developing and growing, extending their objectives to the study of other like regulations beyond the European Union.

Crisis, opportunity, and new inkjet technology.

At the end of this first decade, the national and international economic crisis hit the Spanish ceramics sector really hard, and with it the frits sector, which only resisted thanks to exports. Some member companies had to close down, but most of them overcame the downturn and continue to focus on innovation. And so, in the midst of a crisis, a new product was born, ushering in a new global revolution: ceramic inks for digital inkjet printing. The synergy between the Spanish machinery companies and the pigment producers provided a new way of "glazing" that not only saved time and costs, but also allows for decorative possibilities never seen before. The rapid expansion of this product allowed the industry to bounce back despite the crisis, and maintain growth in the sector, once again surpassing sales records thanks to exports and sales to countries such as China, Italy, Egypt, Russia, northern Africa, etc.

The turn of the second decade also saw the first movements of foreign capital entering the industry, showing the interest of investors in the sector due to its high level of specialisation and innovation. Thus, foreign funds entered the share capital of some of the hitherto family companies, giving them the possibility to grow further and consolidate more powerful groups on an international level.

Coincidentally, mergers also took place among Spanish companies, leading to larger companies with greater capillarity, as each company contributes a type of specialisation in terms of products and markets. This trend has been growing, giving rise to two main types of companies: large multinational groups, which are highly internationalised, and small and medium-sized companies, which generally focus on much more specific products.

The Covid-19 pandemic and energy crisis.

The second decade of this century has not been without its challenges and difficulties. The pandemic caused by COVID-19 had the world and the industry on edge, keeping the population in confinement for several months. Our industry was able to remain active during a good part of the lockdown, although the authorities obliged us to stop all production for some weeks. However, thanks to the efforts made by the ceramics cluster, commercial activity could be maintained, allowing companies to continue exporting to destinations where the tile industry was still producing.

After this crisis, just as things were starting to improve, another serious problem arose: the energy crisis caused by the war in Ukraine, which began in early 2022. Gas prices rose to unaffordable levels for the industry and ANFFECC, together with the ceramics cluster, carried out all kinds of institutional actions to claim institutional aid to help absorb the extra costs. At the same time, the Spanish government entered into a diplomatic crisis with Algeria, which, in June 2022 closed the country to all trade with Spain. This was a significant blow to frit and glaze companies, as it was their second largest market. Despite the difficulties, our industry managed to survive without any closures, and with a reduced percentage of temporary layoffs, thanks to the resilience of companies and their strategies, as well as their enduring commitment to quality, innovation, and exports.

Currently, despite the ongoing difficulties in terms of falling production and profitability as a result of the energy crisis, Spanish frit, glaze, and ceramic pigment companies continue to invest in research, development, and innovation and to increase their production and commercial activity both nationally and internationally. Furthermore, although they have production plants in other countries, they are committed to maintaining their production and research bases in Spain, despite rising production costs and energy prices.