Aritco to Exhibit at Design Shanghai’s First Post-Covid Edition

For the first time since the pandemic, top designers and brands from around the globe will be on display at the renowned international exhibition Design Shanghai. Running from 8th to 11th of June, this year marks the event’s 10th edition, which centers around not only innovation and sustainability but bringing together Eastern and Western design to create powerful synergies that push the industry forward.  
 
We spoke with Aritco’s VP of Sales for the APAC region Madeline Lim to learn more about Aritco’s exhibit and the overall importance of Design Shanghai not only for the Asian-Pacific market but for the industry on a global scale.

Hi Madeline! Why is Design Shanghai important to the APAC region especially now, post-Covid?

“I think this is one of the most highly anticipated international design exhibitions in the Asia- Pacific region. And it’s probably the most important exhibition in China, attracting world-renowned design brands from more than 40 countries as well as all the leading Chinese brands. You see a lot of architects, interior designers, building developers and global industry leaders coming from all over Asia. Some come from as far as Australia and New Zealand. I think they’ve already sold more than 100,000 tickets.  

 After not being able to witness physically the vigorous design developments that happened over the last three years, I think many people are really looking forward to attending this exhibition. This is a great opportunity for them to be able to see, touch and sense the latest in global design and product development.

There will also be a lot of idea-sharing from not only the international brands but also the local manufacturers and leading industry players that have finally come together.” 

The theme for the Design Forum at this year’s event is “Beyond Sustainability Lies Re-Creative Design – Design for Wellbeing”. How does this connect to Aritco’s products and design philosophy?

“For Aritco, sustainability is a journey that we will always undertake. I think the work that we do and the products we innovate always center around sustainability. Currently, 95% of our lift parts are recyclable to safeguard our environment and minimize our carbon footprint.

We want to drive sustainability in all the things that we do, be that in our production line, in the products we design or in how we pack and ship our lifts in a more environmentally-friendly way. I think this lives in the blood of every designer at Aritco and that allows us to create a positive impact on the world and still be able to grow our business in a renewable way. 

Our lifts will also make it possible to keep the buildings longer, giving the buildings more flexibility in use without rebuilding new shafts, taking down and build new etc. which is a key for future sustainable thinking.

When it comes to wellbeing, if you look at our lifts, they are very different. They give you that really homey feel. A lot of lifts you see on the market are actually commercial lifts they are trying to use as home lifts. That’s why you don’t get that same homey feeling. And with the SmartLift app, lift owners get even more of a sense of wellbeing. These days, people want to have things in their house connected, which is why we worked so hard the past years to create the new app.”

Design Shanghai has a focus on creating creative synergy between Eastern and Western designers. How have you seen these two design styles interacting in recent years?

“There is a lot of sharing of ideas between different countries, and now with the internet, everything is so open. I don’t see that there is really an Eastern and Western culture. Everything seems to be blending together. For instance right now in Asia, you see all kinds of Western food. We call it fusion food. And likewise, I think in terms of design, people are putting everything together to create more of a design fusion.”

And, what are the goals for Aritco’s exhibit this year?

“For Aritco, the key message we want to deliver at Design Shanghai is that we are a premium global lift company that’s 100% imported from Sweden, so all the products we offer are completely designed, developed, and produced in Sweden. 
 
This year, we will be exhibiting two of our lift models. Aritco HomeLift is our premium product which is aesthetically really quite spectacular. And we are actually exhibiting the Aritco HomeLift Compact in Asia for the first time since it launched. The nice thing is that both of the lifts we have on display are movable so people can actually experience how the lift works and travels. In the past when we exhibited at Design Shanghai, we had a long queue of people coming in to try the lift.  
 
Another feature we want to highlight is the SmartLift app and SmartFleet management system, which allow lift owners and our partners to monitor lift status, giving our customers peace of mind.” 

Are there any other highlights of this year’s event that you’re looking forward to?

“This is a very good opportunity to meet up with architects, designers and builders. We will be conducting two panel discussions with famous Chinese architects and designers, such as Justin Youting Zhu, Chen Wang, Yunfei Ding, Jianghai Shen, Xingqian Xi and Jimmy Ming Yang to talk about future buildings and sustainability and how they can use our product in their line of work. We are also hoping to plan some interviews with other exhibitors who also see sustainability as an important part of how they develop their products.” 
 
Aritco will be exhibiting at Stand: 2N21. Learn more about Design Shanghai.