From the 8^th to the 10^th of May Italian producers will attend Glass South America , an international fair that will take place in Sao Paulo. It’s a well established event dedicated to flat and curved glass technology, to be used in the automotive, construction, architecture and furniture sectors. The steady growth of the interest of this business niche is confirmed by the fact that 95% of exhibition space available has already been booked. In its last edition, Glass South America has attracted over 12,600 visitors, an overwhelming majority (91%) coming from Brazil.

These figures suggest that the fair is very much oriented towards the local market. It is not surprising, given the boom period that producers of glass processing machines are experiencing in Brazil: in 2007 the three leading players in the sector that supplies the construction industry - Cebrace, Guardian e Ubv – closed their annual balance sheet with an increase in earnings of over 10%. And estimates indicate that demand will keep on growing steadily in the next years. In 2006 (the latest year for which sectorial statistics were available) there was a 6% increase in production capacity, that reached 1.240 thousand tonnes.

Italy has a lot to offer to a country that is hungry for glass processing technology. The 75 firms affiliated to Gimav, the Italian glass processing machinery and accessories association are one of the leading sectors of Italian exports and even in this first glimpse of 2008 are enjoying a positive trend.

Gimav’s statistics, which represent around 90% of the industry’s total turnover, indicated that in earnings increased by around 10% to almost 1.4 billion euros in 2007, with an export quota of 75%. The growth figures, albeit on a smaller scale, should be replicated in 2008: signals coming from international markets in the first three months of the year indicate that there has been progress in Easter Europe and Asia. In Western Europe the outlook is stable, while the US market is in decline. The main export destination for Gimav affiliated companies should be Russia, China and France, as it was in 2007.

Given that – as in all markets – the construction industry tends to be a bellwether for future trends, Gimav is focusing particularly on China, Brazil, Russia, India and South Africa, markets which showing tangible and significant growth potentials. Bearing in mind the objective to support the Italian glass processing industry all over the world, the trade association has decided to organise official delegations in these five countries, where the main international trade fairs take place.

Thanks therefore to the support of Gimav and ICE, the Italian Trade Commission, Italian firms will have a busy international schedule in 2008, starting from

China Glass in Beijing (10^th-13^th April) and of course Glass South America, to be followed by Mir Stekla in Moscow (9^th-12^th June) and Glass Expo Africa in Johannesburg (23^rd-26^th July).