Industrial News

While introducing the company’s existing clay tile line to roofers throughout the southeast the company received numerous requests for cement roof tiles. To address this demand China Direct Board member and Beijing office head Susan Xu has sourced a proven supplier of concrete tiles in China with the tile quality and production capacity required to address U.S. market demand. Like clay tiles, concrete tiles are in extremely short supply in the US and OBS plans to help fill this void in the Southeastern market. The first OBS concrete roof tiles arrived in the US last week and are being scheduled to begin the testing process for Dade County code approval in February, with the company anticipating hitting the market by June.

“The US housing boom and two years of numerous major hurricanes has caused roof tile prices to escalate while supply has dwindled. In South Florida homeowners are waiting up to a year for roof tile orders to be delivered,” stated China Direct Chairman and CEO Howard Ullman. “We began testing our clay roof tiles over four weeks ago and are two-thirds of the way through the process. Upon approval we will begin shipping 2,500,000 clay tiles at a value of $5,000,000 per month to South Florida. We anticipate a similar, if not greater, opportunity exists for our cement tiles.”

According to the Tile Roofing Institute (TRI), the domestic tile roofing manufacturing industry is experiencing extended lead times and cannot currently satisfy the concrete and tile roofing needs of Florida’s homeowners and contractors. The problem exists nationally, although Florida is one of the most highly affected states.

In addition to high demand, concrete roof tile supply is also affected by the shortages facing the cement industry. The Portland Cement Association has stated that cement is in short supply and that U.S. cement companies cannot meet the strong demand on their own.

China Direct Trading Corp. (www.chinadirecttradingco.com) is a holding company creating vertical subsidiaries that involve trade between the US and China. One subsidiary, Souvenir Direct Inc.(SDI), is engaged in product development, manufacturing, distribution, logistics, and product placement into mass retail of souvenir and gift items. The company sells products to importers in 29 countries, theme parks and direct to retailers worldwide. Overseas Building Supply (OBS) is engaged in manufacturing, distribution, and logistics of building materials including but not limited to generators, roof tiles, interior doors, and insulation materials.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Although the Company believes that the assumptions upon which its forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, it can give no assurance that these assumptions will prove to be correct. Many factors are beyond the company’s and its subsidiaries’ control. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's projections and expectations are disclosed in the Company's existing and future filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Contact:
Howard Ullman
954-252-3440