Vitrum wraps up

Vitrum, the international trade fair for machinery, equipment and systems for flat and hollow glass; glass; and finished products, wrapped up Oct. 31. The third day of the show saw 6,256 visitors, 2,967 foreigners and 3,289 Italians, according to an Oct. 30 release.

Although machinery and special products for glass processing are a niche sector, this industry has always been a factor of excellence for Italy. In both the industrial and artistic fields, Italy has earned a leadership position on the international marketplace with its high-tech products, innovative companies, the expertise acquired over centuries of tradition and its main characteristic: the ability to adapt its production to the specific needs of its customers. Steadily rising export figures by Italian companies in this industry are further proof that, increasing by an average 6.5 percentover the pastfive years (2004-08), the glass industry has emerged unscathed from the serious economic crisis despite the ups and downs of markets around the world, according to the release.

This year’s Vitrum, despite the ups and downs of the market over the past year, ranks as one of the leading international glass exhibitions. The show is a success among companies around the world: the ideal venue for companies to present their new offerings. The exhibition was an opportunity to have a complete overview of the new offerings in the sector and be prepared for the market recovery that is expected in 2010.

Flourishing activity in this industry can also been seen in the growing numbers of visitors and exhibitors at Vitrum. Every two years, the Milan-based exhibition attracts trade people from all over the world and is the must-attend event where Italian glass making tradition is accompanied by the presentation of cutting-edge methods and technologies.

Like all machine tools sectors, exhibitions are viewed as being a strategic promotional tool by the glass processing sector as well. This is especially true for small and medium-sized companies that account for more than 75 percentof the companies at international events. As a result of this industry’s distinguishing feature--the fact that it is mainly composed of small and medium-sized companies--it has driven the growth of Vitrum over the years, in terms of both visitor and exhibitor attendance figures.

The figures are a testament to this escalation.Vitrum started out in 1979 on a net 5,000square meterspace, which became 31,000square meterin 2007, an increase that parallels the significant rise in exhibitors and visitors.Statistics show that in 1979, 118 exhibitors and 5,012 visitors attended the show. In 2007, 581 exhibitors attended the show, a 32.65percent increasefrom 2005, and17,097 visitors came to theshow, a6.74 percent increase since 2005, according to the release.