Container glass manufacturers, The Unknown China, glass enamel, laser glass engraving machine, exclusive glass containers – review of World of Glass 2025 exhibitors
We present to your attention another review of World of Glass 2025 exhibitors. The exhibition will begin in less than a month, which means that formation of the exposition is in full swing. Such companies and brands as Ritservis, Ritsteklo, Yuta, Stanki Mira, Stromizmeritel, PSI Glass, Intmarket, Rusceramica and many others have confirmed their participation in the exhibition. There is not such much time left to book a stand in the exhibition.
Follow our news and get electronic tickets in advance on the exhibition website!
The Association of Container Glass Manufacturers becomes official partner of the exhibition
Cooperation with the Association of Container Glass Manufacturers, to play the role of an official partner and co-organizer of the International Glass Congress, will be an important event of World of Glass 2025. There is no doubt, this will contribute to the growing importance of the event to this segment of the industry.
Photo: RBC press centerThe association includes major container glass manufacturers, including Rusjam Steklotara Holding, Steklotech, SVET, Krasnoye Ekho, Kavminsteklo, Kamyshin Container Glass Factory (Kamstek), Stellar Glass, Expo Glass, and others.
Elena Edzhe, Executive Director at the Association of Container Glass Manufacturers, told us about main challenges to container glass manufacturers and plans for cooperation with World of Glass.
The container glass industry is faced by a number of challenges that require an industry-wide approach.
There are three main challenges at the moment, namely, environmental issues, personnel and supply of equipment, spares, and component parts.
The Association of Container Glass Manufacturers was officially launched in 2018. A lot has been done since then. Our industry has entered into every government support program and has done much in terms of environmental laws. It is no secret that environmental laws were one of the most disputable. The Association helped start the Professionalitet project at the Gus Khrustalny Glass College. The industry commendably coped with difficulties of the pandemic and sanctions imposed by unfriendly states.
Elena, why did you choose to participate in World of Glass? What events are you planning within it?
World of Glass is the industry’s main trade show for the glass processing businesses. The association members said at the end-of-year meeting on November 5, 2024, that the container glass industry lacks a professional information and communication platform for constructive dialogue between industry actors, consumers, suppliers, and officials.
The association members decided to create such a platform, and we believe that World of Glass is the best place for holding the International Glass Congress.
The congress’ conference program will be full of important events, discussions of current industry issues, and a possibility of conducting direct dialogue between all sides and signing documents important to the industry.
Officials, representatives of state-run companies, equipment suppliers, consuming industries and, of course, our colleagues are among invited speakers.
New technologies and products, useful contacts in Unknown China tour of stands of Chinese manufacturers
An Unknown China tour of stands of Chinese manufacturers will be part of the conference programme of World of Glass. EXPOCENTRE and the first industry eco-system Windows School Plus are the tour organizers. We arranged such tours last year on a trial basis, industry actors appeared to be very interested, and we decided to make a global project involving equipment, a professional guide and strong support to provide tour participants with quality contacts with Chinese companies.
Windows School Plus founder Alexander Kitayev-Smyk told us more about topics and formats of the tour and main challenges and tasks of translucent structure market actors.
Photo: Windows School PlusWe have tried to organize the Unknown China tours in the most comfortable format for exhibitors: your humble servant and his assistants will give group tours for registered visitors of World of Glass twice a day (at 11 a.m. and 2 a.m.) for three days (11, 12 and 13 March). There will be no more than 10-12 members in a group. All Unknown China tours will have the same itinerary, mostly from one Chinese stand to another. The tour lasts for 1.5 hours. Registration for the tour is available at https://www.mirstekla-expo.ru/ru/visitors/excursion. It is also necessary to register for the exhibition.
We will tell about products and services displayed at stands on the Unknown China tour itinerary. Over 25 years of work in the translucent segment of the construction market, I have gained quite a solid experience in the glass industry. I will try to focus the attention of tour participants on the unique trade offers of Chinese partners, and we will be able to discuss other pressing issues. Group members will get contacts for subsequent cooperation with Chinese exhibitors that interest them.
Who will find it useful and interesting to take part in the Unknown China tour?
The tour will be primarily useful for window and glass unit manufacturers, glass processing companies and large facade manufacturers. We also recommend that market actors conducting foreign economic activity join in. At the exhibition, you will be able to directly meet representatives of large Chinese factories producing non-standard and oversized glass units, glass unit assembly and glass processing equipment, components, sealants, and more. This will save you time and money on a trip to China.
Please tell us what the purpose of your eco-system is and what topics you are focused on.
Windows School was established as an online training platform. Now this is Windows School Plus, the first industry eco-system facilitating growth of business profitability in the field of translucent structures.
Our ecosystem is focused on nine areas addressing effective sales, systematic analysis of performance indicators, lead generation throughout the year, website building and promotion among target audience. In addition, we help industry actors in building optimal production systems. Over five years, more than 300 companies have become our clients, and our turnover reached 27 million rubles in 2024.
Our mission is to make Russia’s translucent structure industry the world’s best through unification and development of its active members by studying innovative products, assisting in the implementation of best practices, and anticipating client expectations in a responsible and amicable manner.
Our clients are both system providers, such as Futuruss, Larta Glass, Exprof, Oras, Almo Melke, and Raluma, and window manufacturers, including Avansum, Amega, Schtandart, Plastika Okon, Okna ot Prirody, KPI, Dimetra, and Master Bill, in addition to other remarkable and successful window companies and component manufacturers.
Speaking of 2024 results, what main problems, in your opinion, did window manufacturers have?
The translucent structures market shrank by 9% in 2024, while it showed positive dynamics in 2022 and 2023. Therefore, I do not consider a slight cooling of the market to be critical. Another thing is that the decline will continue in 2025.
One of the problems was and remains the high average age of window makers, which affects the willingness to change, digitalize and regulate their activities, which leads to low financial efficiency, unstable quality and the lack of a culture of developing personnel in their team. Large manufacturers and progressive "young tigers", by the way, suffer from this disease to a lesser extent.
The second very serious challenge is the personnel shortage due to the reluctance of young people to take up blue-collar jobs, despite the fact that salaries have increased by 25-30% this year. Society lacks demand for the prestige of blue-collar jobs and working conditions that could interest the next generation. This problem has affected all window makers and its impact will increase.
It is important to say that the window sector is still noticeably inferior to the defense sector as an employer and will continue to lose potential personnel, especially in cities with defense plants.
What mood is the industry in at the beginning of 2025?
The 2024 market can be divided into two segments: residential buildings account for 50%, and the other 50% are individual housing (country real estate and balcony glazing, since 80-90% of Soviet housing in Russia has already been re-glazed).
We see that the growing cost of loans in 2025, on the one hand, greatly affects construction due to the unavailability of mortgages, on the other hand, it takes private money to deposits. Builders are starting to freeze projects, which we will see in the second half of the year. Thus, the year is going to be very competitive for all window companies. Especially for second-tier players who did not invest in their efficiency, living on word of mouth sales. It is obvious that the shrinkage of the window market will continue. It will be easier for top window manufacturers to maintain their positions in the market, squeezing out average window manufacturers with more effective lead generation, promoted websites and streamlined sales regulations based on modern CRM systems.
As soon as the cost of loans normalizes, the wave of demand will also rise sharply. Therefore, all major players are already updating and expanding their production parks, including those related to glass. This is evidenced by the unprecedented activity in 2024 at equipment stands at the Turkish and Chinese window exhibitions.
I have no doubt that World of Glass will set a record of glass unit manufacturing and glass processing equipment. After all, glass has become the most promising source of unique trade offer and successful competition.
In conclusion, I would like to say that glass confidently wins in the competition with brick and concrete. It is obvious that the size of openings is growing from year to year. Glass is becoming the most desired element of the building facade for all categories of real estate buyers. Therefore, knowledge about new products, new technologies and equipment, especially in the context of the termination of deliveries from traditional vendors, is extremely relevant for all window manufacturers, sales managers, surveyors, and installers.
Avrikom-NN palette offers thousands of shades for glass decoration
For over 20 years, the Nizhny Novgorod company Avrikom-NN has been mastering formulations of glass enamels, ceramic paints, and varnishes for various purposes. Each year the company presents shades of the RAL color standard at World of Glass.
Photo: Avrikom-NNOrganic paints are intended for decorating such products as tableware, souvenirs, perfume containers, etc. Paints supplied by Avrikom-NN guarantee high rates of water resistance, light sensitivity and mechanical strength, while they do not contain heavy metals, which is safe for work and use.
Luster paints are complex chemical compounds that include salts of various metals, including gold and silver, which, after firing, give the painted glass a metallic sheen in reflected light. They are used in decorating drinking glassware and making souvenirs.
Photo: Avrikom-NNIn 2025, Avrikom-NN plans to continue to expand its client base and enter new markets. Participation in World of Glass, which the company has started to prepare for, will definitely help fulfill the plans.
KDK ready to upgrade machine park to maximum benefit of clients
KDK, a supplier of high-tech glass and metal processing equipment, will present four high-tech machine tools at World of Glass 2025. The company has accomplished a number of large turnkey projects (engineering and technology) and renovation of existent production facilities. Commercial Director Nikolay Derbakov has told us more about equipment and company plans.
- We are preparing for the exhibition very seriously. Given market needs and demand for quality equipment, the company has decided to premiere some machine tools at the exhibition. This is the first time we will demonstrate four machine tools at a time.
Clients should know that our stand will house representatives of several leading enterprises, Enkong, Southtech, Folga, BAINENG, YINRUI, and BLM, and all technical issues can be discussed with them. Besides, top managers of enterprises, up to CEOs and owners, will be present at the booth. This is a perfect chance to receive first-hand information and to make useful contacts.”
Why did you choose to demonstrate these particular machine tools?
- Recently, we have seen demand for equipment that provides higher productivity and quality, alongside a higher degree of automation that minimizes the human factor.
We will present an Enkong machine for double-sided glass processing. There have been no such machines at the show for a long time. It will be demonstrated in a full configuration with maximum automation and operation convenience.
Photo: KDKAnother machine tool is an automatic cutting table from the leading manufacturer YINRUI, the foundation of any glass processing production.
Photo: KDKWe will show a BAINENG laser machine for engraving and processing glass and mirrors with a sandblasting effect at our stand for the first time. This is a new technology that is only gaining popularity in Russia. This machine is also capable of drilling and cutting glass.
Photo: KDKThe fourth machine is a BLM automated drilling center with CNC, on which you can create and record any programs, which also minimizes the human factor.
We are ready to make exclusive offers to visitors of our booth and will help upgrade the machine park with maximum benefit for clients. In addition, we plan to invite a representative of the leasing company to give advice.
Nikolay, what does your company plan for 2025?
- We have big plans. We are working on a number of large projects across the country from the south to the Urals. We are designing workshops and installing equipment.
It is a mistake to think that now we need to wait it out, not take any steps. We adhere to the proverb "No water flows under a lying stone." Or as our Chinese partners say "A crisis is also an opportunity."
We are waiting for everyone interested in high-tech quality equipment at our stand!
From glass production equipment to design of exclusive container glass
Smart Glass has been expanding its capacities year upon year. One of its core businesses is glass production equipment. Glass forming machines and spare parts, cold end and hot end equipment, refractory products, hot spraying and much more have been supplied lately and are being successfully operated at Russian glass factories.
Photo: Smart GlassThe company also specializes in the production of mold sets. Modern equipment, materials and technologies allow making quality products of any complexity in a short time.
“Creating a mold set is one of the most important and complex tasks in preparing for production,” say Smart Glass representatives. “The service life of the mold itself and the glass product depends on how accurately the mold set and all its parts are manufactured, how correctly the material is selected, how well thought out the design is for further use in production.
“In addition, the company supplies glass containers of any format: bottles, jars, medical containers, and perfume bottles. Another popular area is the production of exclusive containers, from making a product drawing, a 3D model and producing a mold set to serial production of bottles. A unique bottle will attract attention and make the brand more recognizable, allowing it to stand out among a wide variety of a particular product. Smart Glass specialists manage the project completely from the idea and drawing to serial production and shipment. Having extensive practical experience, company employees think through not only all the nuances of design, but also take into account the specifics of production.
“The company will present its container glass designs and equipment parts at World of Glass 2025. It will also provide full information about exclusive offers it is ready to make to stand visitors.”
Join us at World of Glass 2025!
Book a stand on the organiser’s website!