(Yicai Global) Oct. 25 -- The 10-day countdown to the fourth annual China International Import Expo, the world’s biggest import-themed trade expo, started today.

The six-day event, which will open at Shanghai’s National Exhibition and Convention Center on Nov. 5, will wrap-up building booths and preparing exhibits around Nov. 2, Yicai Global learned from the CIIE Bureau, the expo’s organizer.

The CIIE covers more than 360,000 square meters and has six zones: food and agricultural products, automobiles, technical equipment, consumer goods, medical equipment and healthcare, and service trade, according to its website. Both the number of exhibitors and countries of origin are higher than last year.

Some 150 batches of exhibits, 98 percent of the total, have been imported into Shanghai as of Oct. 23, according to the CIIE’s website.

A reach forklift from Germany’s Jungheinrich was one of the first exhibits to arrive at the venue, said Bai Daping, general manager of Jungheinrich China, noting that the machine is mainly used to move ultra-long products. It can turn 360 degrees freely and improve storage efficiency by up to 30 percent.

A bending machine from Japan’s Amada was also one of the first items to arrive at the CIIE. With a fully automatic mold changing device, it can maximize the efficiency of the bending process, the metal processing machinery and equipment maker said.

The CIIE’s technical equipment zone will feature cutting-edge technologies, including nine world premiere products and 28 China premieres, according to the expo’s organizer. The first ones will include an unmanned electric wheel loader from Swedish carmaker Volvo, a new-generation high-performance transparent protective film from German solar module producer Avancis, and a large-capacity tape storage medium from Japanese imaging and electronics firm Ricoh.

Other exhibition areas will also have new items. French sports giant Decathlon will showcase its first adjustable skiing board for children in the consumer goods zone. US auto giant General Motors will premiere the Hummer EV, the first all-electric supertruck, in the automobiles exhibition area.

Editors: Dou Shicong, Futura Costaglione