While U.S. attendance at Fenestration China was almost non-existent, a last minute scheduling change no doubt had a lot to do with that low U.S. attendance. The event was first scheduled to take place November 8-10 but as a result of travel restrictions the Chinese government has placed for the 18th National Peoples Congress, the date was rescheduled to November 23-25 which fell during the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday.
When the event was rescheduled Mark Imbrock, vice president of EDTM Inc., told USGNN.com he was unsure of whether or not to attend. However, he did make the trip and noted that U.S. attendance was almost non-existent.
"Apart from the two of us from EDTM, I only saw two other Americans at the show all week," said Imbrock. "I assume the Thanksgiving holiday had some effect on this, but since it was my first time at the show, I cannot be sure."
But no matter who was in attendance, Imbrock said it was well worth the trip and one other companies may want to consider.
"One of the interesting things I noted from the glass manufacturers is that despite low-E coatings being a relatively newer concept in China, many of the glass suppliers were offering a full selection of low-E coatings," said Imbrock. "Many offered hard coat pyrolytic low-E coatings, along with single, double and triple silver soft-coat low-E options. So even though the percentage of windows with low-E coatings is still at a minority in China, a full selection of coatings are available to manufacturers."
He also noted that many of the window manufacturers were also offering low iron glass to provide maximum clarity in their windows, and there were also a fair number of window manufacturers offering triple pane windows. Imbrock further observed that a large number of German window manufacturers had a presence at the show.
"The German window manufacturers appear to be positioning themselves to secure as much of the Chinese market share as possible," he said.
Why should U.S. exhibitors consider events such as this in the future? Imbrock said it depends on product you offer.
"If you are a supplier to the window industry, I think it is extremely important to see what opportunities are available, especially in an emerging market like China," he said.
"International conferences provide a great opportunity to see what is being done in a given culture. Having numerous manufacturers and suppliers in a single venue, makes it much easier to see the trends and understand the needs of that country's window industry. With the U.S. economy being flat for several years, and likely staying that way for a few more, growth opportunities around the globe are a natural fit when trying to grow your business."
Show officials have not yet released any data regarding the number of visitors, etc. Stay tuned to USGNN.com for more information and updates as they become available.
