2018 Autumn 124th Canton Fair

2018 Autumn 124^th Canton Fair Phase 1 Building Materials

Canton Fair or China Import and Export Fair is the largest trade fair with the largest scale worldwide, the broadest distribution of overseas buyers and the greatest business turnover held in Guangzhou(Canton) China.

Canton Fair Phase 1, date: 15^th -19^th Oct, focuses on building materials, electronic products and industrial products. Most of China’s latest high-tech products are in the first phase of the Canton Fair. It has the largest number of deals and buyers of 3 phases.

There are also phase 2 (23^rd-27^th Oct) and phase 3 (31^st Oct – 4^th Nov). Sorry today we will only talk about our industry building materials, the first phase, which just ended today.

From the first day’s impression, both buyers and sellers complain it takes too much time (around 2 hours) for the badge and just enter in (it normally take more than 30mins-1 hour than usual to get in). I asked the guard: is there any terrorist threat? Why so strict security than any time that I experienced since 2016 April Fair? They answered no.

The first half two days, my colleague and I visited Area C Hall 14,15 and 16, hardware and tools. It seems nothing new in the sun, same company, same people…. We talked with some of our partners, exchanged ideas and talked where need to improve. Later we visited Area B Hall 9,10,11 and 12, sanitary ware. While it’s much more nothing new in the sun….. the difference is more and more shower enclosures booths gathering at hall 12.1, and more and more black shower doors on the show, if you look carefully and touch it by your hand, you can feel the difference, the black grid printing and aluminum profile matt black finish, you know who is better, who is terrible.

Another thing we notice is: the price difference become more obvious between good supplier and bad supplier. The cheap ones pursue even cheaper which you would doubt the manufacturer could survive or not next year with that price. The good supplier in our eyes is: they have suitable profit that making them survive, develop and lasting, but still with good price, responsible and guaranteed quality. How do you think?

Each time I visit Canton Fair, I would check CF design awards booth at second floor, for this 124^th CF awards which impress me most is a faucet, look the photo, matt black finish with gold color deco lines, both the body and handle very smart hollow design, making it unique, stylish and more importantly material-saving. The cold start technology can avoid waste of hot water, if you need hot water, you have to switch the handle left 45-90 degree to vertical, if you move the handle a little bit left, it still comes cold water, that will solve the problem happen at my home: what my mum always complain my dad to use hot water in hot summer by accident.  It’s double energy saving, that I think it should get the gold award, instead of only a bronze award.