China Glass 2013  is taking place at the China International Exhibition Centre in Beijing from May 24th to 27th, and for local operators in the sector will provide a special opportunity to examine Italian-made machinery and technology, generally acknowledged as highly advanced. The event is now in its twenty-first year and is regarded as the most important of its kind in the Asian region. For the occasion, ICE (the Italian Trade Promotion Agency), in collaboration with Gimav, the industry’s trade association, has organised a collective of about thirty companies representing the best the sector has to offer. They will occupy a floor space of 1100 m² in Hall E1 of the exhibition centre. The Italian display will cover the entire range of products involved in glass processing: from furnaces to paints, from cutting machines to storage equipment, and from decoration systems to accessories. About two thirds of these products will relate to technical advances in the field of flat glass, while the remainder will represent the latest solutions in the area of manufacturing hollow glass.

China is the world’s largest producer and consumer of glass, and clearly the Italian companies want to make an impact by presenting the very best of their production. In fact, China accounts for about 40% of entire global production of both flat and hollow glass, and the latest figures indicate the importance of the Chinese market for Italian exports. Indeed, in 2011, China was the top export market for Italian companies, accounting for 11.3% of their total production of glass processing machines ( 34.4% on 2010), to an approximate value of 92 million Euros. However, the most important point is that there are still many opportunities here for developing new business: partly due to the renovation of architectural assets and industrial sites, producing a demand for flat glass, and also to the development of solar energy, on which the Chinese government is focusing increasing attention.

Therefore, at Glass China 2013, every effort will be made to create new commercial ties between Italian and Chinese businesses operating in the sector. Italian companies are at the forefront in terms of expertise, and are aware that it will be the products and services they present at this event that will make a real difference and attract the visitors. Last year’s edition of the fair was held in Shanghai and involved an exhibition space of 80,000 m² and a total of 853 exhibitors, 249 of whom represented 23 different foreign countries. About 45,000 visitors attended the event, including producers, distributors and end users, and clearly the aim is to attract even more this year.