Italian, International Presence Subdued at GlassBuild

With Vitrum on the schedule for the end of next month, October 28-31, the Italian presence at GlassBuild was smaller than it has been in the past. Cinzia Schiatti, who handles foreign sales for Schiatti Angelo, the Italian machinery and accessories manufacturer, explained that some companies decided not to exhibit at the Atlanta show because it was so close to the one in Milan.

"But the companies which have been successful in the past are in the same situation we are," she explained, "and they are here. The U.S. has always been a good market for us and regardless of the recession we still have to see our customers and maybe meet new ones."

Asked if the market in the United States is good, she replied, "At the moment, there is no good market. We still sell some machines in the U.S., not as much as in the past, but we are still selling."

She said that Vitrum, which will be held at the Fieramilano in Milan, will be about the same size as in previous years at 23,000 square meters. She also made the point that the show will feature a special solar segment.

One point which a number of the Italian exhibitors at GlassBuild made is that they will be introducing new machinery and equipment at Vitrum; therefore they were not showing anything new in Atlanta.

The Italian exhibitors also scaled back the sizes of their booths and the amount of machinery which they actually had on the show floor.

All the companies that Besana-Lovati represents were sharing a booth space, which had tables and literature about the offerings from the various companies. In the space were Besana and Lovati as well as Macotec.

"We have the showroom with machinery in Winston-Salem, and it's not so far that interested people can visit," explained Nadia Cassini, who heads up the export department for Besana. "We will be showing new offerings at Vitrum."

Asked for her opinion of the U.S. market, she said that that was a difficult question. "The market is very slow. We have few requests from potential clients. We hope 2010 will see a lift in the market."

"Luckily," she said, "Europe is in better shape so we can turn to them. But 30 percent of our business is in the U.S. and that is an important segment."

Sergio Cosano, sales manager for insulating glass machinery manufacturer for Forel, also reported a decline in business in the United States.

"Before, there was too much business-speculation and overextended credit. The market had been artificial for the past few years and now it is taking a more responsible position," he said. "When the market gets better, it will be better for us. There is not a need now for so many energy-efficient windows in the U.S."

Approximately an hour into the show, Cosano said the big question was how the show was going to be.

"Companies that want to stay in the market have to make investments," he said about the insulating glass suppliers, "and I've seen some new faces as well here. Companies have to invest in technology."

One new exhibitor from Italy at GlassBuild was Marker Italia, which makes sand-jet marking machine systems for glass. "We want to get more into the U.S. market," explained Maike Bergal, who handles communications services for the company. "We want to meet Americans here, not just at the European shows," she said in explaining why the company had decided to exhibit at the show for the first time.