Glasstec preview

� Overview of the 2018 show.

All set for glasstec

Preparations are well under way for the glasstec 2022 trade fair. The industry will celebrate the long-awaited reunion in Düsseldorf, Germany from 20 to 23 September 2022. Jess Mills provides an overview of what’s to come.

After being postponed twice due to the pandemic, the glasstec 2022 trade fair is anticipated to be this year’s biggest event in the glass industry. The sector has waited four years to experience the wide range of exhibits once again at the Convention Centre in Düsseldorf (CCD). Solutions from all areas of the value chain will be presented, from the production, processing and fi nishing of glass to the fi nal application.

These areas will also be refl ected in the extensive supporting programme from the industry and scientifi c organisations. The Glass Technology Live (GLT) show will present current developments and research work (Fig. 1), while the glasstec conference will invite experts from all over the world to discuss key topics from within the industry. Specialist areas such as the crafts centre, architecture congress and start-up zone will also be available.

Exhibitors

After the 2020 event was postponed due to rising Covid cases, the rescheduled June 2021 event also had to be cancelled due to the pandemic. This meant the glasstec team had to start from scratch, fi nding new applicants to take on exhibitor stands for the 2022 event.

However, Anke Seltmann, Senior Project Manager of glasstec, reported that there were no issues gaining new exhibitors. At the time of publication, the number of exhibitors stands at 810. In fact, Ms Seltmann said the number of UK exhibitors increased from 51 in 2018 to 61 this year. The full exhibitor list is available via the glasstec website (see below).

Although these fi gures may not match the 1,280 exhibitors from glasstec 2018, Ms Seltmann anticipated that this year’s glasstec will still be the “biggest event in the glass industry”. She said that glasstec had received excellent feedback from 2022 exhibitors as well as the industry, with overall feeling being that everyone was eager to meet in-person again. Hence beginning of year registration fi gures being comparable with 2018 levels.

Trends

The overall focus of the event will be the following fi ve ‘mega-trends’: climate, urbanisation, value, resources and wellbeing. The trends will be the focus of the conference rooms, at the special show areas and the exhibitors’ stands.

The global trends were chosen from indepth conversations with experts from all stages of the value chain. Teams from universities in Darmstadt, Dortmund, Delft and Dresden decided upon the trends with Professor Ulrich Knaack from TU Darmstadt, chair of the university network organising the GTL show. The themes were considered essential for the future development of the glass industry as well as society.

The trends will focus on the following: � Climate - emission reduction and renewable energies, in view of current energy price development and impending supply shortages.

� Fig 1. Glass Technology Live [Hall 11]: for years, the show has been a magnet for visitors when it comes to future-oriented technologies and innovative exhibits. � Fig 2. Additional exhibits from glass technology live 2018. � Fig 3. glasstec conference [Hall 11]: the conference will bring together theory and practice with top-class presentations by leading experts. This image features Rob Nijsse, a Professor of Building Technology at TU Delft, from the 2018 conference.

� Urbanisation - future-proof architecture with glass. � Value - sustainable value chain. � Resources - efficient and sustainable use of resources. � Wellbeing - improved quality of life through glass.

The Architecture Congress will also focus on what contribution glass can make to urbanisation. For example, how glass can make city centres more attractive and adapt cities to balance work and home life. Professor Knaack said: “We’re talking about an issue with incredible dimensions, when you consider that in 2050, half of all people will live in cities. That means that we would need a huge infrastructure. An enormous number of buildings and facades and therefore also an enormous potential for the use of glass.”

Programme

The supporting programme to the trade show can be split into high interest and special interest events. In the former, the GTL show acts as the central hub of the show, while the glass conference ‘think tank’ is a new concept for 2022.

The focus of the glasstec conference will be on decarbonisation, as it influences all five megatrends (Fig. 2). Industry knowhow will be put in context of the five trends. Day one (Tuesday 20th) will focus on glass processing and finishing, day two glass production, day three and four glass products and applications.

Also new this year is VDMA’s From Production to Application: #P2X Conference, which will take place before the show on September 19 and 20, 2022 in Düsseldorf at the CCD. Central topics of the conference are electrolysis and other production processes for hydrogen, among other fuel types and transport logistics. Professor Michael Sterner, Scientific Director of #P2X, said: “The focus will remain on industry, because only with Power-to-X and hydrogen we will achieve climate neutrality, which is why these topics are of elementary importance for our future.”

GTL will be organised by the university network of the four technical universities mentioned previously and held in Hall 11 alongside the glasstec conference (Fig. 3). Students from a wide range of disciplines and the industry will showcase their mock-ups and innovative glass structures. An interview with the creators of GTL detailing plans for the show can be found via the glasstec website (see below).

Meanwhile, special interest events include the crafts centre, expert know-how, start-up zone and glassart exhibition. The start-up zone in Hall 10 provides innovative, young companies with a platform for making new contacts and networking. The opportunity targets companies that have been on the market for less than 5 years, have less than €10 million in annual sales or total assets and have fewer than 20 employees. More information can be found via the glasstec website (see below).

For the third consecutive time, the special Crafts Live show will present the top innovations for the glass processing trade in practical application. This year, the theme is the World Cup of Trades. At the ‘WorldSkills Germany @ glasstec’ in Hall 10, young glaziers from all over Germany will compete in this qualifying competition to secure their starting place for EuroSkills 2023.

Held every two years, EuroSkills brings together hundreds of young people from 30 countries across Europe to compete for the chance to become the Best in Europe in their chosen skill or profession.

There are also several events scheduled for the International Year of Glass, such as the Awards Ceremony on day three (Thursday 22nd). See the conference programme for more information. �

All images copyright ©Messe Düsseldorf/ ctillmann

LINKS

Full exhibitor list:

https://www.glasstec-online.com/vis/v1/en/ search?oid=18262&lang=2&_query=

Interactive map:

https://www.glasstec-online.com/en/ Interactive_hall_plan

glasstec conference programme:

https://www.glasstec-online.com/en/ Program/glasstec_conference/Conference_ programme

GTL interview:

https://www.glasstec-online.com/ en/Program/glass_technology_live/ Preview_2022

Start-up zone:

https://www.glasstec.de/de/Aussteller/ Aussteller_werden/Start-Up-Zone

Main website:

https://www.glasstec-online.com/