Import expo a boon to Minhang industries
Minhang-based enterprises, as well as overseas companies with offices in the district, benefited from the 4th China International Import Expo – particularly in the medical, food, cosmetics and manufacturing industries.
Take Estée Lauder, for instance. The brand showcased a series of devices which test skin texture, enabling customers to choose the best products.
It will also launch more than 100 new products until the beginning of next year as well as introducing more quality products abroad catering for Chinese consumers.
Earlier the brand signed to set up its global research and development center that covers concept and product development, packaging design and product testing in Minhang. The project is now in construction and set to be in use next year.
Estée Lauder has several environmental protection programs. About 60 percent of its packaging materials are recyclable and the company is striving for at least 75 percent by 2025.
Estée Lauder's booth. The company also annouced a series of new products at the event.
Swiss Centers, a nonprofit organization, which promotes Swiss companies' investment and development in China and set up its offices at the Hongqiao Overseas Trade Center in 2018, opened an exhibition booth representing 35 brands of electric appliances, food, watches, suitcases and knives. Handmade chocolates and cookies were popular among visitors.
From Switzerland came two brands of alcoholic beverages, Kbler and Morand, to the Chinese market for the first time.
Kbler vermouth has an alcohol content of 53 percent, equaling that of renowned Chinese liquor Moutai. "In Switzerland, the product is just as famous as Moutai is in China; it can be used as a base for cocktails or for cooking," said a staff member.
Utilizing the CIIE platform, the Centers did their best to promote their brands offline.
Giant meat supplier Tyson Foods grilled steak and sausages on site, attracting shoppers.
"Here is our top featured grain-fed beef, free of grass smells and suitable for Chinese people's taste," said Zhou Quan, the company's senior director. The company said it will cooperate with Rockwell Automation for food processing and husbandry.
Medical exhibitors showcased their latest technologies.
Johnson & Johnson featured its new intra-ocular lens that treats cataract and presbyopia symptoms after implant. The product is set to be available in the Chinese market in two years.
Medtronic Inc. displayed a "smart-brain" pacemaker for Parkinson's patients. The device is tiny and can be connected to a controller linking patients' and doctor's smartphones.
"The device has a part implanted in the chest and a tiny electrode in the brain. With precise adjustments by the doctor, hand tremors, for example, can be largely improved," said Dong Dani, a staff member at the booth.
The technology has been approved in China and the product should be for sale in 2022.
Straumann Group from Switzerland, a dental organization, participated in the Expo for the first time, showcasing materials and services, including an implant that helps heal faster, a filler utilizing bio materials that increases the longevity of implants, and an "invisible" brace more comfortable than traditional braces.
The dental material by Straumann
Last year, Straumann Group set up a center for industry, research and academia in Xinzhuang Industrial Zone, Minhang District, with a long-term investment goal of 1.2 billion yuan by 2029 for dental solutions to meet Chinese demand.
Consumer goods supply chain provider Fung Group showcased its robots, which help with product distribution and refunding. For its manufacturing lines, the company provides sustainable packaging made from 100 percent recycled materials. The company says its aim is to support China's goal to attain "carbon neutrality."
The Japan Mall on the first floor of Hongqiao Import Commodity Exhibition and Trade center
