ISH China 2013 - Day 1

Expanded footprint highlights ISH China-CIHE opening day

ISH China blog slide1 — A. O. Smith displayed one of its commercial condensing storage water heaters at the ISH-CIHE show in Beijing, China. Photo credit: Mike Miazga

ISH China blog slide2 — Fulton is one of many companies familiar to U.S. customers that are displaying new products and technologies. *Photo credit: Mike Miazga*

ISH China blog slide3 — Large exhibitor spaces, like Navien's, are common at the ISH-CIHE show in Beijing. Exhibitor space has increased by 13% over last year's show. *Photo credit: Mike Miazga*

Greetings from Beijing!

Today marks the first day of the annual ISH China & CIHE—China International Trade Fair for Sanitation, Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning. The sun is out, the temperature is in the 50s and it’s windy. In talking with some folks here, late spring seems to be a common theme this year, regardless if you live in the U.S., China or Germany. The late-spring snow that plagued ISH Frankfurt was a topic of discussion this morning.

This is my second ISH China show and first at its new location at the New China International Exhibition Centre near the Beijing International Airport. Expansion is the buzz word here on a number of fronts. The show covers six halls and occupies a record-breaking 80,000 square meters of exhibition space — a 13% increase from a year ago.

One thing I’ve noticed in comparing the 2011 show I attended and this one is the exhibitor booths are larger and filled with more products and information. One local exhibitor tripled its booth size from a previous fair. Show organizers report 77% of exhibitors increased their booth size from the previous edition. These increases are very evident walking down the many aisles in the six halls.

The show is expected to draw 900 exhibitors and 38,000 visitors. Main product areas include boilers, wall-hung boilers, floor-heating systems, toilets, faucets, bathtubs and showers as well as heat meters, radiators and heat exchangers. Heat pumps and energy-saving HVAC products are new sections this year.

Once again, there is no shortage of manufacturers familiar to U.S. customers. That list includes the likes of A. O. Smith, Baxi, Danfoss, Ametek, Honeywell, Grundfos, Wilo, York, Watts, Oventrop, Caleffi, Aquatherm, NEOPERL and Kohler. A. O. Smith has a commercial unit that could be used in a hotel on display that drew plenty of attention.

In addition to the exhibitor booths, the fair once again is packed full of information sessions, many focusing on sustainability. Some of today’s sessions included the popular Sino European HVAC Congress-Central Heating Session and a session on China’s heat metering technologies, as well as award ceremonies for excellent Chinese sanitation distributors and China’s Top 2012 floor-heating and furniture companies. I also noticed an increased presence in floor-heating manufacturers here.

One of the highlights of tomorrow’s session is the debut of the SINO European Sanitation Congress. I’ll talk a little more about these sessions in my next update.

KEYWORDS: ISH China-CIHE

Mike Miazga (former group editorial director for BNP Media’s Plumbing Group) is now the vice president of sales/membership at the American Supply Association (ASA). Supply House Times is proud to be the official publication and brand of the ASA — a relationship that spans more than a decade.

Mike’s relationship with BNP Media and the Plumbing Group continues today. He now writes a monthly ASA-focused column for Supply House Times and acts as an editorial consultant to BNP Media’s Plumbing Group.

In his 10-plus years at BNP Media, Miazga was senior editor of Plumbing & Mechanical and PM Engineer before taking over chief editor duties at Supply House Times in 2011. In addition to his role as editorial director, Miazga continued as Supply House Times chief editor and the editor of the American Supply Association’s PVF Outlook eNewsletter. He also enjoyed three stints as PM Engineer’s chief editor, holding dual roles as Supply House Times and PM Engineer chief editor on two occasions.

Miazga started his career in newspapers at the age of 19 and has more than 25 years of newsroom, management, editorial and public/media relations experience, and is a former high-school baseball and golf head varsity coach. Mike and his family are still based out of the Chicago area (with ASA Headquarters in Itasca, Illinois). You can reach Mike at PlumbingGroup89@gmail.com.