Pilkington: Bus route to China

Busworld in Shanghai provided a useful opportunity to study the market and renew contacts with global manufacturers based in China.


This is only the second time that Busworld, which stages Europe's biggest bus and coach fair every two years in Belgium, has organised an event for the Asian market.

Pilkington had a stand at the exhibition, with information on its joint venture sites in China, details of Pilkington capabilities, illustrations of its products and a demonstration booth for its latest solar control product.

"Being a relatively new event it was quite small," said Jari Myllyperkio, sales and marketing manager in Finland for bus and coach. "But it was a useful opportunity to get a picture of the market and to renew our contacts with global manufacturers who are based in China, such as Mercedes and Volvo.

"China is the world's biggest and fastest growing bus and coach market but it is very fragmented. The vehicles come in all shapes and sizes and there are a lot of manufacturers who buy locally from many sources and in small quantities.

"It is a big market but you need to be on the spot to take advantage of it. We have put together a number of recommendations and are planning how best to proceed."