   |
 
|
|
|
 
|
|
NewsVITRUM 2011 SHOWCASING INNOVATION AND GREEN ECONOMY19.05.2010 
The organization of Vitrum 2011, slated for October 26 - 29, has already begun. The basic formula which met with tremendous approval during the last difficult show has been confirmed. The attention will be focused particularly on innovation and the Green Economy, a sector with a huge potential for the glass industry.
As originally scheduled when the last show was drawing to a close, Vitrum 2011 is actively in the process of coming together. As usual, it will be held at the Milan-Rho Fair. The dates of the event have finally been set for October 26 to 29, 2011. Those are the official dates. The other information is forthcoming and will solidify ... in a few months, when the entire project will begin to take shape, as it approaches its completion stage.
The past economic events and recent openings on the new global markets have undoubtedly changed the national and international scenario: companies’ budgets reflect the economic crisis, as if three years of positive results had been wiped away. Yet, Vitrum 2009 left us with the feeling the worst was over, and final numbers confirmed it.
The most interesting figure was possibly the increase of foreign attendance, which grew by a remarkable 3.68% from the previous show, in clear contrast to the trend reported by similar events. But what was even more significant was the lively and involved atmosphere. The careful search for new products and new technology solutions is always characteristic of a sector geared towards new areas of growth.
 The so-called Green Economy, in which glass is undoubtedly one of the most important materials, has proven to be the way to finally overcome by leaps and bounds the recent economic crisis: many companies already have ample evidence of this, including some Italian businesses which were able to benefit from the event by building their expertise in an area where there is plenty to learn. Green machines and energy-saving technologies for exploiting renewable energy sources will be increasingly critical to the success of companies involved in "warm edge", photovoltaic panels and solar thermal production.All this will permeate Vitrum 2011: together with the now traditional areas, Vitrum Hollow Glass and Vitrum Energy, the best market offers will be highlighted, based on a double scenario of technological innovation and sustainable development.
THE BRICs DRIVE THE GLASS RECOVERY AS WELL
The pharmaceutical glass sector is booming at the moment, fueled further by the public health policies promoted by the governments of importing countries. In this sector, the machines manufactured by Italian companies enjoy a strong competitive advantage.
The great quest for data which can give the most objective indication possible on the condition of the global and national economy often focuses on the data related to industrial production and exports, since these are considered by both the economists as well as our own trade people to be the leading indicators of our enterprise system’s well-being and its capacity to penetrate the international markets.
At the end of February 2010 the Ice-Prometeia Report gave a growth outlook for Italian exports over the two-year period 2010/2011 of 3% per year, precisely half the global trade growth during the same period, expected to be at a rate of 6% per year.
To give the Italian firms additional opportunities, according to the same source, greater stimulus would once again have to be given to the pursuit of quality and innovation in our products, especially if we want to increase our still limited presence in the fastest growing markets, i.e., the Bric countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China).
A partial confirmation of the forecasts seems to have been given by Istat (the National Statistics Institute), with January trend data indicating an increase of 1.6% in domestic sales and 2.2% in export sales, while the orders show an increase of 7.7% for the foreign market and 2.5% for the domestic market. This is a clear demonstration of the business recovery which, even though its real magnitude is yet to be fully understood, is invaluable in creating new stimuli and openness. But we mustn’t create false hopes, however, since it’s quite clear that end-of-year 2008 values won’t even be recovered by the end of 2011.
This is precisely the line of thinking of Michele Gusti, President of the Gimav Hollow Glass Group and Managing Director of OCMI-OTG Italia: “As regards pharmaceutical glass, today we’re registering an industrial recovery in the Bric countries and others, since we should also consider Pakistan, Iran and most of South America. The recovery was probably stimulated by the new cash flows which often imply political motivations as well: health remains one of the leading promises for building consensus, and demand for hygiene and healthcare is constantly increasing. The true problem remains financial by nature: credit access is too difficult and the banks continue to offer little collaboration.”
And concerning domestic glass, which seems to be having the most difficulties: “Western Europe is still at a standstill – continues Michele Gusti – while things are picking up in Russia, China and Southeast Asia. But it’s still very little with respect to the outstanding results of the golden times". Will those times ever return? And above all, when? In a few months the 2010 first-semester data will reveal a new reality, but it probably won’t depict a linear, progressive growth. A W-shaped recovery seems increasingly likely.
|
|
| Negus Expo is a member of several organizations and associations: | |||||||||
|
|||||||||
|
|||||||||
