The Italian industry that produces machinery for making glass will soon debut in grand style in India by participating in the collective organized by the Italian Institute for Foreign Trade on the occasion of the Zak Glass Technology International Trade Fair in Mumbai. From 3 to 6 December 2009, thanks also to the collaboration of the reference association GIMAV (the Italian Manufacturers’ Association of machinery, accessories and special products for glass processing), Italian companies involved in producing glass will be presenting the traditions of the Italian glassmaking industry to the enormous and continuously growing Indian domestic market. India is driven by increasing internal demand, which in the glazing sector is also supported by the recent construction boom and the technological uses of this product.

The glass and glazing division is one sector that has not suffered from the crisis in Italy and it even continued to increase its turnover in 2008, despite the collapse of certain important export markets such as China and the United States. The entire segment of machines, accessories and special products for glass has actually grown by 2.5% with respect to 2007, adding up to nearly 1.4 billion euro of turnover in 2008 (source: GIMAV). A thriving industry, hence, and keenly export-oriented: exports made up 73% of the total turnover in 2008, increasing at a rate of 3%. In periods of recession, this can be compared to a double-digit leap forwards. Also because Italian glass has not only maintained its share of consolidated markets used to acquiring Italian products, but has opened an important trade channel with Russia, which is rapidly becoming a leading importer of Italian machinery.

The European Union continues to be the principal destination for Italian exports, absorbing 65% of the total, while in the wake of the excellent results obtained in Russia, non-EU member state countries of Europe come second place in receiving our exports. In recent years, the enormous Chinese market has drastically reduced its purchases, leading to negative repercussions being felt in the Italy-Asia interchange balance of trade. It is for this reason that the participation of Italian companies in the Mumbai trade fair has become strategically important: so that they may recover market shares in one of the continents that will experience the greatest growth over the next few years. Italian industry, which reduced glass production slightly in 2008, has kept its quota of 45,000 employees unchanged. This is a highly specialized workforce long used to exportation and success in distant and difficult markets.

These, then, are the qualities that Italian industry is bringing to Zak Glass Tech, the exhibition that is becoming increasingly important for the leading players in glass manufacturing and glazing. This year there will be 300 exhibitors from 20 different countries, a remarkable increase compared to the previous edition, where there were 170 exhibitors and more than 10,000 specialist visitors.