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A New Vision for the Glass Economy

With the appointment of Matteo Padovan as Vice President of GIMAV, the association and the Italian glass industry are entering a new phase of discussion on the sector’s future.

Drawing on extensive managerial experience in the glass industry and an international perspective gained through close engagement with global markets, Padovan brings to his new role a strong focus on innovation and on the ability of the industry as a whole to address the transformations currently underway.

We met with him to discuss the role GIMAV can play in supporting companies and his vision of a Glass Economy that is increasingly integrated, innovative and competitive.

The interview was conducted by Andrea Stevanato, an expert in the glass and insulating glass sector with more than twenty years of experience in research, quality and regulatory compliance.

AS: Taking on the role of Vice-President of GIMAV is a significant honour. Which responsibility do you feel most strongly?

MP: I see it, first and foremost, as a responsibility towards our member companies.

GIMAV represents an extraordinary supply chain that has helped make Italy a global benchmark for glass.

My aim is to listen to the needs of businesses and turn them into concrete initiatives that help the sector grow and become more competitive. If, by the end of my term of office, member companies perceive GIMAV as a more useful, more accessible and more authoritative association, I will have achieved my goal.

AS: How do you intend to strengthen dialogue with the membership base?

MP: I believe that the role of an association is, first and foremost, to listen.

All too often, companies are focused on their day-to-day challenges and do not find the time to voice their needs.

I would like to establish an even more direct and ongoing dialogue with members, because GIMAV’s priorities must stem from the companies themselves.

Only in this way can we be truly effective.

AS: Could GIMAV play a more active role in interpreting regulations?

MP: Today, the regulatory framework is increasingly complex, and companies often find themselves faced with differing interpretations.

GIMAV can become an authoritative technical point of reference, facilitating dialogue between machine manufacturers, accessory producers and glass processors.

The more we share experiences and expertise, the stronger we become as a system.

AS: What are the three top priorities of your term of office?

MP: The first is to ensure that the supply chain operates increasingly as a unified system. We often talk about machinery, accessories, software or glass processing as separate worlds, whereas the true strength of Italian industry stems precisely from its ability to bring together different areas of expertise.

The second is to accelerate innovation.

Technologies are evolving rapidly and we must help businesses, especially the smaller ones, to tackle issues such as digitization, automation and artificial intelligence with a practical, results-oriented approach.

The third is to strengthen the competitiveness of our member companies in an increasingly complex environment.

Sustainability, energy efficiency and new regulatory requirements must not be seen merely as constraints, but as levers for creating value and consolidating Italy’s global leadership.

AS: How will your international experience influence GIMAV’s projects?

MP: Working daily with clients and markets across the globe, I am fortunate to observe at close quarters how the sector’s needs are evolving.

This international perspective can be useful for identifying opportunities, anticipating trends and understanding where the market is heading.

I believe that GIMAV must help companies look beyond their own borders, whilst firmly maintaining the identity and excellence of ‘Made in Italy’.

AS: Which markets should the association focus on most?

MP: Europe and North America remain key markets, but today I also see great opportunities in India, North Africa, South-East Asia and the Middle East, where demand for advanced glass technologies continues to grow.

In general, I believe the challenge is not to focus on a single market, but to help companies diversify and build an increasingly international presence.

AS: What role can GIMAV play in supporting companies through the transition relating to EPDs, the European taxonomy and the digital passport?

MP: Many companies, particularly SMEs, are currently facing a growing number of regulatory and documentation requirements.

The risk is that these issues will be viewed as a cost or a bureaucratic obligation.

I believe, however, that GIMAV should help businesses understand their strategic value by providing practical tools, training and opportunities for discussion.

No company should have to face these challenges alone.

AS: Is the Italian sector ready for digital transformation and artificial intelligence?

MP: Some companies are already well ahead, whilst others are only just beginning their journey.

This is a normal situation.

What I see is a strong capacity for innovation that has always characterizes our sector.

Artificial intelligence, data analytics and automation are no longer topics for the future, but tools that are already changing the way we work.

GIMAV can help businesses understand which opportunities are genuinely applicable to their business models, ensuring that these technologies do not remain mere topics of discussion.

AS: How do you envisage Vitrum evolving over the coming years?

MP: I believe Vitrum should aspire to become much more than just a trade fair. It must become the place where the future of the glass industry is imagined.

For years, the sector has developed across different segments, technologies and markets that have often followed parallel paths and at times even competed with one another.

Today, however, the major challenges we face – from sustainability to artificial intelligence, from energy efficiency to the digitalization of processes – require a different approach. Innovation increasingly stems from the convergence of different skills, technologies and visions.

This is why I envisage a Vitrum capable of becoming the focal point for the entire global glass economy.

A place where manufacturers of machinery, materials, software, automation, flat glass, hollow glass, construction, automotive, energy and design can engage not as separate worlds, but as parts of an ecosystem that evolves together.

The aim must not be merely to showcase products, but to foster cross-fertilization, collaboration and new ideas.

Technologies that we currently view as competitors or as belonging to different markets could become complementary and generate innovations that no single player would be able to develop on their own.

I would like Vitrum to become the place where not only the key players of the present come together, but above all those who are shaping the future of glass.

If we succeed in creating this international platform for dialogue and innovation, Vitrum will not simply be a major Italian trade fair, but one of the global benchmarks for the entire glass industry.

Vitrum must not be the place where the sector showcases what it has achieved over the past two years, but the place where it envisions what it will achieve over the next ten

AS: Will Italian competitiveness increasingly depend on the ability to co-design the entire supply chain?

MP: I am convinced of it.

Today, innovation rarely stems from a single product.

Customers are asking for comprehensive solutions in which machinery, materials, software and processes interact with one another.

One of the great strengths of the Italian glass industry is precisely the presence of an excellent and highly specialized supply chain.

If we manage to collaborate more and more, we will be able to offer the market a value that few other countries are able to replicate.

AS: How can GIMAV help companies bridge the skills gap?

Talent is probably one of the most important issues for the future of our sector.

Many young people are unaware of the opportunities the glass industry can offer in terms of technology, innovation and international prospects.

We need to engage more closely with schools, universities and technical colleges, doing a better job of explaining who we are and what we do.

GIMAV can act as a bridge between the world of education and the business world.

AS: Do you consider it strategic to forge stronger alliances with other trade associations?

MP: Absolutely.

Glass is used in key sectors such as construction, the automotive industry, energy, furniture and design.

Many of the challenges we face are shared with other industrial sectors.

Working as a team means having a stronger voice when dealing with institutions and contributing more effectively to decisions that affect the competitiveness of our businesses.

Today more than ever, I believe that collaboration is a strategic factor.

Matteo Padovan’s words convey a vision of the glass industry increasingly driven by collaboration, innovation and the ability to anticipate change. A challenge involving companies, associations and different areas of expertise which, for the Italian industry, also represents an opportunity to strengthen its position in international markets. From this perspective, the future of the Glass Economy will increasingly depend on the ability to work together and turn change into new opportunities for growth.

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