20th China International Glass industrial Technical

Exhibition Held in Shanghai

Organized by the Chinese Ceramic Society, the 20th China International Glass industrial Technical Exhibition (China Glass 2009) was successfully held at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre on May 13-16, 2009. Although the exhibition was affected by the current global financial crisis and A(H1N1) influenza both in its preparatory work and during the exhibition period, this show has reached a new level compared with all previous events of “China Glass”in terms of exhibition scale, number of exhibitors, technical grade of exhibits, level of booth building and decoration, coverage of visitors, technical exchanges and business trade talks. “China Glass”has further expanded its influence and firmed its position in the global glass exhibition business. The following features can be summarized for this glass exhibition.

1. The scale and the number of exhibitors of China Glass 2009 both reached a new high in the history of “China Glass”

China Glass 2009 had an exhibition area of 55,000 sqm with an increase of 2000 sqm over the 2008 show and attracted 836 exhibitors, which is 100 more than the figure of China Glass 2008. The exhibitors came from 23 countries: China, Germany, Italy, the US, the UK, France, Belgium, Czech, Finland, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden, Austria, Australia, Jordan, Israel, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Turkey, Monaco, India and Indonesia. There were 230 foreign exhibitors, including the Italian, German, American and Belgian exhibitors groups. Both the number of exhibitors and the net exhibition area had a marked increase compared with the event in 2008.

2. With further expanded influence, “China Glass” became a significant trade platform for the international glass Industry

Owing to uninterrupted innovation and development in the past two decades, “China Glass” has increasingly raised its professionalization and internationalization and now has become one of the three largest international glass exhibitions in the world, as famous as glasstec held in Düsseldorf, Germany and VITRUM held in Milan, Italy. Serving as a platform for trade talks and technical exchanges of the Chinese glass industry, which has the largest scale and greatest commercial significance in Asia, this exhibition has been acknowledged and received wider and wider among global glass communities. Faced with the global financial crisis, most of the exhibitors still brim with confidence in the Chinese market and “China Glass”. The Italian Trade Commission organized its state group consisting of 26 excellent companies related to glass machinery and accessory suppliers, taking an exhibition area of 1000 sqm, a 60% increase compared with China glass 2008, which is the largest exhibition group at this show. In his truehearted talk, Mr. Quattroccchi, leader of the Commission, said “Even if the world is influenced by the financial crisis, we still organized a larger group to attend this event. This just manifests that we have eager expectation to the Chinese market.” Moreover, the Glasston Group expanded its booth to 775 sqm. Bottero ordered an exhibition area of 420 sqm. Leading international glass enterprises were enthusiastic in attending China Glass 2009 to display their up-to-date machines, technologies and products.

The steps of purchasing agents from the world over have not been slowed down despite the financial crisis and A(H1N1) influenza. According to statistics, altogether 24828 visitors including 2571 foreign ones came to the show from 92 countries and regions. The total flow of visitors during the exhibition period was up to 43277 person-time. All these figures have been greatly increased compared with the 2008 show. Among the visitors, middle- and high-rank personages such as CEOs and purchasing managers are more than 55%. China Glass 2009 had more visitors form Asia, Africa, South America and Middle East compared with the previous event. Some countries, such as Korea, Turkey, Indonesia, Nigeria, organized visiting-purchasing groups to the show, and one of the Korean groups had as many as 127 members. “China Glass” has now already become an important technical and trade platform for the global glass industry.

China Glass 2009 has drawn great attention form the Chinese and Foreign news media. Many of them contacted the organizer initiatively for cooperation with “China Glass”. Over 40 media agents, including leading international magazines and websites released extensive reports on this event.

3. The exhibition covers great varieties of exhibits with glass-processing technology as the mainstream and energy-saving and emission–reducing technologies as a new highlight

China Glass 2009 involves all fields of glass industry, including architectural and decoration glass, glass windows and doors, hardware fittings, industrial glass, glassware, glass containers, electronic glass, electric source glass, special glass, art glass products; glass-processing machinery, grinding tools and abrasives; instruments, equipment and automatic-control systems for glass production; glass raw material, refractory, auxiliary materials, etc.

In recent years, glass-processing industry has been developed swiftly in China. The glass-processing rate reached 30% and glass-processing systems have been formed with diversified technologies and complete specifications of glass-processed products. This is evidently displayed at this exhibition. Over 70% of the exhibition area was arranged for glass-processing equipment and products. Various cutting, grinding, drilling, engraving and washing machinery; reinforcing, heat-bending, laminating, coating, insulating, decorating machines and auto-control systems can be seen everywhere in the exhibition. Many companies of glass machinery and installation took this opportunity to ship their high-end products and equipment to the show at a cost of high freight and made on-spot demonstration through careful design. They regarded this as an important approach for attracting visitors and purchasers.

With greater attention of all countries to formulation of laws and regulations related to energy-saving, emission-reducing and new energy technologies, these technologies have become the brightest point of this show, including solar ultra-clear glass, solar conductive film glass and film solar cells, which are related to photoelectric transformation; sunlight-control glass and low-E glass, nitrogen-insulating glass, which are related to energy-saving architectural glass; oxy-fuel combustion and waste-heat power generation, which are related to glass production. One can see at this exhibition that China has made great breakthroughs in oxy-fuel firing technology and has applied this technology to some special glass furnaces of glass fibers and TV glass, installed in Tai’an and Jushi, and developed AZS electofused-casting refractory. In China, there technology of equipment for magnetron-sputtering coated glass. This is significant for notable decrease of glass-coating costs, raise of possibility for applying coated glass to general residential buildings and promotion of energy saving in architecture.

During China Glass 2009, International Symposium on Advanced Glass Melting Technology and GPD China 2009, as well as 15 technical seminars, were held and these activities were all closely related to energy-saving and emission-reducing technology in glass production, energy-saving technology in architecture and renewable energy technology.

4. Exhibitors and visitors were satisfied with the value-added services provided by the organizer

In order to provide better services for exhibitors and visitors, the organizer set up a VIP room in particular for the guests of leading companies, where they could have trade talks or take a rest, and besides the organizer supplied drinking water to visitors free of charge. The exhibitors and visitors were pleased with these services.

China Glass 2009 has been fully accepted by all sectors of the glass community. According to questionnaires form the exhibitors and visitors, most of them have positive comments. Statistics show that 95% of the exhibitors of this event are returned companies of China Glass 2008. The satisfaction degree is as high as 93% and up to 98% of the exhibitors expressed their desires to attend China Glass 2010 to be held in Beijing next year.

China Glass 2010 will be staged at the China International Exhibition Center (new venue) on June 4-7, 2010. All friends from the global glass circles are sincerely welcome to Beijing next year.