Barometer of the industry

This year is a milestone anniversary for the China International Hardware Show (CIHS). Established in 2000, the trade fair is celebrating 20 years in existence. It also reflects two decades in which China's hardware industry has achieved huge growth. In this sense the organisers regard their fair, which is deemed the biggest hardware fair in Asia und the second largest in the world, as the industry's bellwether, barometer and booster.
When the show first began, the export value of China's hardware industry was about USD 3.8 bn; currently, the industry's export value stands at about USD 100 bn, which equates to a 34-fold increase over 20 years. This achievement is not only attributable to the international development of hardware enterprises after China entered the WTO, but also thanks to the positive contribution of the CIHS, the organisers believe.
Complying with the needs of the industry and market, the CIHS has grown rapidly, with an annual increase of nearly 10 000 square metres since its establishment. In 2019, the CIHS had an overall area of 120 000 m², numbered almost 3 000 exhibitors and attracted over 40 000 visitors.
For the 2020 show, the organisers announced in January that the date would be brought forward and it would return to the trade fair centre in Shanghai-Pudong. The 20th China International Hardware Show will take place in August or Sep­tember 2020 in the Shanghai Pudong New International Expo Centre (SNIEC).

With the Covid-19 epidemic currently under control in China, as the organisers emphasise, enterprises are gradually resuming work and production. The development trend of the hardware industry, especially the export situation this year, has recently become the industry's main focus. Regular production is starting up again, but the organisers of the CIHS report that orders and sales, especially exports, have been partly affected by the epidemic.
Organised by the China National Hardware Association and Koelnmesse, the 20th CIHS has embarked on domestic and international exhibition recruitment and promotion. With an all-new image, the organisers want to create a more solid platform for export enterprises in its 20th year. Their aim is that the CIHS should maintain its market-oriented and…