Reasons for making it in Thailand:
ARABIA is a Finnish ceramics brand established in 1873, and its beautiful designs and high quality are highly acclaimed around the world. Since 2016, ARABIA products have been manufactured in contract factories in Thailand and Romania, while maintaining the Finnish design.
(Photo: Production scene at the Thai factory)
In 2014, ARABIA was acquired by the Iittala Group, which had a major impact on the Finnish tableware industry. The Iittala Group is one of Finland's leading tableware manufacturers, and by acquiring ARABIA, it further strengthened its share of the Nordic tableware market.
Since the late 2000s, competition from tableware manufacturers in emerging countries, including China, has intensified, and as a result, ARABIA has chosen to be acquired by the Iittala Group.
ARABIA's brand development, design and portfolio management remain in Helsinki, even though production has moved to Thailand and Romania. In 2016, the new Iittala and ARABIA Design Centre opened in the former Design Museum space, maintaining control over the brand's design and quality.
What's the difference between the two?:
The main difference between Finnish and Thai-made ARABIA tableware is the price. Tableware made in Finland is highly handmade, and is therefore priced higher due to its limited edition and collectible nature. In contrast, tableware made in Thailand is mass-produced, so its price is relatively low. The number of processes and the difference in wages between the two countries are directly reflected in the price, and to put it simply, Thai-made tableware is cheaper, while Finnish-made tableware is more expensive .
Differences in the appearance of the tableware:
There are differences in the quality of the products of the two countries, with Thai and Romanian products being superior to Finnish ones in terms of precision, accuracy, lack of crazing and distortion, and the presence or absence of black spots.
Just to be clear, the outsourced products from Thailand and Romania are better made.
The question is what does "well done" mean?
Comparison with vintage dishes:
Arabia products made in Finland in the mid-20th century had lax inspection systems, and some were shipped with distortions, crazing, or sizes that would be unthinkable by modern standards.
Pottery shrinks by about 10% when fired in a kiln, but at the time it was common for the same plate to have an error of several millimeters.
It is common for vintage tableware to not stack neatly when stacked. Because the pieces do not fit together properly when stacked, scratches caused by stacking are a common, distinctive flaw on vintage tableware.
Furthermore, the temperatures in the kilns at that time were not as high as they are today, so the clay was not as hard and was easily scratched.
As we enter the 21st century, quality control for Finnish-made ARABIA products has improved, and the quality of the workmanship is no longer a concern, but there are still some products with misaligned prints.
(Photo: At the time, plates with these cracks were shipped as a matter of course.)
What makes a vintage great:
On the other hand, while there are drawbacks to products from the Finnish era, one of their strengths is their color and luster. Vintage products in particular are characterized by deeper colors than modern products and a beautiful luster that remains unchanged over time.
This is where personal preference and understanding of tableware differs greatly.
The older ones are made 100% by hand.
(Painting scene at the ARABIA factory in the 1950s. sisällön kuvaus/ Keraamiset astiat valmistuvat Arabian tehtailla 2.4.1957)
The hand-colored works were made by painters with basic skills and an excellent sense of color.
Finnish products are different too:
(Photo: On the left is the earliest Paratiisi made in 1968 , and on the right is a reproduction Paratiisi made in 1988. Both are made in Finland, but the color and line thickness are different.)
Even if a piece is made in Finland, the quality of the workmanship varies depending on the time period. Looking at the Paratiisi series above, the one on the right, made in 1988, is hard, resistant to breakage, and highly durable as tableware, but in terms of color, luster, and artistic quality, the oval plate made in 1968 is superior.
Although pottery-making techniques were immature at the time, the exquisite blending of glazes and the high level of painting techniques more than made up for this, giving vintage tableware a unique charm.
The Arabia products we carry are basically vintage items made up until the 1970s. Even though Arabia products are made in Finland, there are big differences in terms of artistry and color.
Check out our Arabia collection here!
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