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[August 2002]
Tecnargilla 2002 to Welcome World's Ceramic Industry
Tecnargilla 2002 will open its doors on 1 October 2002 in Rimini, Italy and will run through to 5 October 2002. It is set to be a focal event where suppliers of machinery, raw materials, equipment and services can meet manufacturers of tiles, sanitaryware, tableware, ceramic collectables/giftware, bricks, roof tiles, refractory materials and advanced ceramics - a sector that in Italy alone generates a total turnover in excess of 10 billion euro and counts some 4,000 companies and a workforce of 64,000 people.There will be about 500 stands at the exhibition occupying a total gross area of 80,000 square metres, 14.2% more than when the event was last staged in 1999 in Verona.
Of the 12 exhibition halls - all of which have been fully booked for months - eight will be devoted to suppliers to the tile, sanitaryware, tableware and refractories sectors, two will be occupied by heavy clay machinery and two will be reserved for KROMATECH, the new section (12,000 square metres) devoted entirely to all aspects of colour, creativity in the ceramic sector and the aesthetic quality of ceramic products.
Although the number of foreign ceramic industry suppliers is smaller than that of Italian companies taking part in Tecnargilla and has fallen in recent years, more than 80 exhibition stands will be occupied by foreign companies from 15 countries, accounting for 16.6% of exhibitors. A further 125 foreign companies will be hosted within other exhibitors' stands.
The best represented foreign countries will be Spain, which has organised a joint pavilion in cooperation with the Spanish Foreign Trade Commission (ICEX), and Germany, both of which will have about 30 exhibitors.
The organisers say that Tecnargilla 2002 is expected to draw an attendance of visitors equal, if not higher than, the 27,000 professionals who registered at the last show in 1999. Some 40% of these were foreigners from 90 different countries. Official delegations are expected from Russia and other Eastern European countries, invited to take part in the customary 'Foreign Country Day', which this year will focus on Eastern Europe, a rapidly expanding market for ceramic technology suppliers.
The organisers have arranged for the provision of a free shuttle bus service to run between Tecnargilla and the Cersaie building ceramic and bathroom furnishings show in Bologna, which takes place at the same time.
A key event at Tecnargilla will be the 'Ceramic Workshop', a 2,500 square metre exhibit at the entrance to the exhibition centre. This initiative will comprise six theme shows covering ceramic process innovations and new product innovation proposals. Design, creativity, ceramic aesthetics and interior design trends will be the main aspects in the spotlight.
The technical conferences and seminars will include the 2nd Ceramic TTD/2nd Technology Transfer Day on Ceramic Materials, Processes and Plant, organised by ACIMAC and ISTEC-CNR, for which the introductory conference will be held on 2 October.
On 4 October there will be the Italian Ceramic Society Conference - on raw materials and clay preparation technologies - and 'Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control: a Challenge for the Industry', a conference organised by Andil-Assolaterizi.
For full details on visiting, e-mail: g.degirolamo@fierarimini.it
ENDS