Glaston puts stronger focus on Asian markets

At China Glass, June 4-7, in Beijing, Glaston, Finland, showed its latest generation of products, technology and services, according to a June 9 release. At Glaston’s extensive stand, the leading brands Tamglass, Bavelloni, Uniglass and Albat+Wirsam exhibited together. The latest trends for cutting and tempering processes, especially in relation to current energy-efficient issues, were highlighted. The new cutting line Dragon, launched to meet Asian customer needs, was on display.

Also this year, Glaston had an extensive presence at China Glass, because Asia, and
particularly China, has a strong priority in Glaston’s strategy.

“At Glaston, we expect a limited and modest recovery for our markets this year," said Arto Metsänen, president and CEO, in the release. "However, the global financial crisis speeded up the shift from the mature markets in Europe and North America towards Asia, with China leading the growth, and towards South America. A market recovery was seen at the end of last year in Asia, and particularly in China, and this positive development has continued in early 2010. During the first quarter of the year, Glaston’s sales in China almost doubled compared to the same period last year.”

During the past years, Glaston has made strategic investments in China. “We are ready to continue strengthening our position in China and elsewhere in Asia," Metsänen said in the release. "Our factory in Tianjin, the extension of our sourcing team in China, the localized product portfolio and the opening of the delivery center in connection to the factory in Tianjin are resolute steps in this direction."

In conjunction with the Glass Performance Days China, Glaston launched its new Bavelloni ProCut and Bavelloni Dragon cutting lines technology at the China Glass exhibition. “The lines, specifically built to meet the Chinese market needs, excel at quality and improved factory efficiency, both key themes of the special regional trade fair and GPD event of which Glaston is a main sponsor,” said Frank Zhang, general manager, Glaston Asia.

At China Glass, the Bavelloni Dragon automatic cutting line was on display: the new
product combines the Italian Syncro technologies with the Chinese market requirements and
represents a localized version of the very well known Bavelloni cutting technology, according to the release.

Additionally, during the show days, Glaston China opened its doors for factory tours for visitors to see the modern manufacturing facilities with the latest technology on display. The locally made Tamglass ProE CCS Dual Convection furnace represents the most versatile
high-end tempering furnace on the market, according to the release.The ProE CCS is also an excellent furnace for all kinds of solar applications where there are high glass flatness requirements for PV and thermal panels. The ProE CCS provides up to 80 percent more capacity than a single chamber high-convection furnace.

Glaston also displayed at China Glass its wide range of Bavelloni tools, including metallic
and resin diamond wheels and polishing tools. Company representatives were at the stand to answer questions and make one-on-one presentations on all offerings.