EPPM Supplement

Nov/Dec 2017

PRODUCTION EFFICIENCY AT ITS PEAK Cover Story | Page 6

From The Editor

Think drinks market Hello and welcome to our annual print edition of Middle Eastern Plastics, the leading publication for the plastics market focusing on industry news in the MENA region.

The beverage packaging market is a recurring theme in this issue, starting with our cover story from ENGEL, one of the plastics industry’s most wellknown injection moulding brands. It showcased its e cap 2440/380 injection moulding machine within a real-world-conditions production cell at Drinktec 2017 and it’s primed and ready to bring drinks production in the Middle East up a gear.

The beverage packaging market is a recurring theme in this issue, starting with our cover story from ENGEL

If you have picked up a copy of MEP and sister title European Plastic Product Manufacturer at Plastivision Arabia, please get in touch with us and let us know how you are finding the show, which you can read about on page 10, while we are also media partner to Plast Eurasia once more - one of Europe and the Middle East’s most important plastics industry meeting places.

I really hope you enjoy this, our fourth back-to-back edition of MEP and EPPM and best of luck if you are attending any of the plastics industry shows featured in this issue.

Rose Brooke, Editor

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INDUSTRY NEWS

PLASTIVISION ARABIA

We home in on Iran’s snowballing petrochemical industry and the GCC region’s focus on lessening its dependency on oil for economic growth.

Plastivision Arabia is a key show for the GCC’s plastics industry and with a growing number of international visitors, we wanted to learn more about what the event has to offer those set to attend.

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COVER STORY

CHINAPLAS PREVIEW

ENGEL’s caps and closures manufacturing technology made a statement at Drinktec, and the booming beverages sector in the Middle East is the perfect home for it.

The world’s second-largest plastics and rubber event is returning to Shanghai in 2018 to a new home. CHINAPLAS organisers tell us why the show has changed venue and what this means for the CHINAPLAS experience.

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INDUSTRY NEWS

PLAST EURASIA PREVIEW

We focus on the biggest news to emerge among the most influential companies, as well as the announcements that prove the Middle East is a leader in plastics technology innovation.

Plast Eurasia is bringing the best in plastics processing to the thriving Turkish marketplace. In our preview, we summarise how this show is growing and what visitors will get out of their time there.

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Flip this magazine over for the latest from the Middle Eastern plastics market and the major shows taking place across the region.

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INDUSTRY NEWS

Iran plans to up petchem capacity to 120 m tonnes

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ran is showing no signs of slowing its drive to grow its petrochemical industry, with a senior decisionmaker stating that plans are underway to increase the country's petrochemical production capacity up to 120 million tonnes per year by 2021.

This would mean Iran's petrochemical production capacity gaining ground against the GCC region, which produces over 140.5 million tonnes per year according to the latest figures from the Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association.

Saudi Arabia, however, is Iran's biggest rival within the GCC, producing 76 million tonnes of petrochemicals a year.

Ad d ressi ng the fi rst tra de facilitation committee and export development of the Tehran Chamber of Commerce, the Managing Director of the Petrochemical Commercial Company (PCC) Mehdi Sharifi Niknafs said Iran is set to double its current capacity, which is presently some 60 million tonnes per annum.

Niknafs, who is a member of the board of representatives of the

Tehran Chamber of Commerce, said that by 2019, it is predicted that some 22 per cent of the world's ethylene output will come from the Middle East and Iran is poised to benefit due to the abundance of petrochemical feedstock at competitive prices.

The potential for the Iranian petrochemicals sector is being supported by an initiative to tap foreign direct investment (FDI).

Managing Director of the Persian Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company (PGPIC) Adel Nejadsalim

said tapping FDI for financing petrochemical projects is key to developing the country's petrochemical industry.

Nejadsalim said that based on 20 1 5 f i g u res, l a u n c h i n g n ew petrochemicals plants between now and 2025 will generate $55 billion, making the country the region's top producer of petrochemicals.

He added that regulatory stability, government-led incentives and bidding for projects will all help to ensure further investment in the sector.

Manufacturing becomes GCC growth focus Manufacturing has become a major growth focus for the Gulf Cooperation Council as economies within the GCC look to stabilise their economic dependencies by relying less heavily on oil.

According to Expotrade, the potential to grow non-oil GDP is boosting investment and overseas business deals in manufacturing, building on the region's established steel, chemicals, engineering, aerospace, plastics, shipbuilding, electrical, clothing and food processing industries.

In Dubai, manufacturing is now the third-largest industry and the Dubai Department of Economic Development (DED) anticipates some $19 million in research and development in manufacturing as the industry looks to grow to $16.1 billion by 2030 from its current position of $11.2 billion.

Infrastructure investment in the UAE capital, The National reported, could see Abu Dhabi's GDP catch up with Dubai in 2018.

This is according to the International Monetary Fund, which predicts government-led infrastructure projects could boost Abu Dhabi's non-oil economy after the Emirate agreed to cut crude output in compliance with OPEC's calls to action to regulate global Brent prices.

"We expect non-oil real GDP growth to accelerate to three per cent in 2017 and 3.5 per cent in 2018, supported by investment in preparation for Expo 2020 and improvement in private sector sentiment with the gradual recovery in oil prices," the Institute of International Finance was quoted by the news outlet as saying.

Similarly, in Abu Dhabi, manufacturing is being boosted alongside real estate and tourism as GDP growth markets to reduce the Emirate's dependence on oil.

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COVER STORY

Production efficiency at its peak ENGEL presented its e cap 2440/380 injection moulding machine within a real-world-conditions production cell at Drinktec 2017 - a system that is perfectly suited to the growing beverage packaging manufacturing market in the Middle East.

In the UAE all the wellknown bottlers and bottle cap producers now use ENGEL technology.

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t Drinktec 2017, the world’s leading trade fair for the beverage and liquid food industry, which took place in mid-September in Munich, Germany, ENGEL set a new standard of efficiency in the highly integrated production of beverage caps. In collaboration with partner companies, the injection moulding machine manufacturer based in Austria, presented a complete production cell, which clearly undercuts the energy consumption of previous solutions.

During the five days of the fair, under actual production conditions, the production cell was delivering 26-mm caps made of HDPE including tamper-proof bands at a cycle time of under 2.5 seconds. The system scored with highest degree of process consistency and outstanding energy efficiency. Energy consumption for the entire production cell was under 0.7 kilowatt hours per kilogram of HDPE. At the core of the highly integrated solution was an ENGEL e cap 2440/380 injection moulding machine with a clamping force of 3800 kN. A 96-cavity mould by Corvaglia from Switzerland was used. ENGEL integrated additional peripherals into the system including a DMS dry-air system by Blue Air Systems (Austria), a TWIN model cap inspection system by IMDvista (Switzerland), and material handling units by Piovan (Italy). The hot-runner temperature control was made by S.i.S.e. (France), and partners for the raw materials were Borealis, (Austria) and Gabriel Chemicals (Austria).

All-electric e-cap for the highest precision and process consistency Sensitivity of producers to energy efficiency continues to increase – Drinktec 2017 clearly spotlighted this trend. Energy efficiency however, is not the sole parameter if investing in new injection moulding solutions. In terms of geometry, beverage caps have reached their lightweighting minimum. This means that the demands on the precision and repeatability of injection moulding machines are higher than ever before. In order to meet both challenges, ENGEL is focusing on all-electric high performance machines for cap production. With clamping forces of 1,100 to 4,200 kN, the ENGEL e-cap series was developed specifically for this market segment.

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Among other things, the high-performance servo direct drives are responsible for the outstanding process stability and precision of the e-cap injection moulding machines. They ensure the required plasticising capacity and a maximum of usable parts even when using the new high-strength HDPE materials with an MFI significantly lower than 2 or even 1 g/10 min. In addition, the increased ejection and clamping forces help to achieve very short cycle times. In spite of its impressive performance, the e-cap requires very little energy and cooling water, even at constant high-speed. At Drinktec, the e-cap machine accounted for some 0.42 kWh/kg of total 0.7 kWh/kg energy consumption.

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Everything from a single source for faster project planning As a complete system, the production cell represented the stateof-the-art in highly efficient cap production. Both Blue Air Systems and IMDvista presented their latest innovations at the ENGEL booth. The DMS series devices by Blue Air Systems allow for higher product quality and energy savings of up to 85 per cent as compared to conventional mould dehumidifiers. What makes this series special is that it works without water. Without pre-cooling, it guarantees condensation-free production conditions regardless of the weather and the climate zone.

With its TWIN flying closure system, IMDvista has solved one of the biggest challenges in the inline-inspection of beverage caps.

Usually, the freshly produced caps undergo camera inspection while lying on a conveyor belt. This means that the top side of the caps cannot be viewed by the cameras. With the new technology, caps are lifted by a stream of air, and can thus be inspected from above and below without extending processing time.

From a single source, ENGEL delivers highly integrated and automated system solutions for the production of bottle caps worldwide. This results in several advantages for the producer.

For one thing, efficiency and quality potentials can only be fully utilised when the individual components of the production cell have been precisely synchronised from the start. Apart from that, the systems solution accelerates project planning and commissioning due to the fact that the producer does not need to coordinate various suppliers.

e-cap very well established in the caps and closures market The caps and closures market in the Middle East is one of the world's most dynamic.

From a single source, ENGEL delivers highly integrated and automated system solutions for the pro-duction of bottle caps worldwide.

"There is a clear trend towards all-electric machines in this segment," said Andreas Leitner, Sales Director Middle East at ENGEL. "ENGEL has established itself very well with the all-electric ENGEL e-cap injection moulding machine. In the United Arab Emirates, for example, all the well-known bottlers and bottle cap producers now use ENGEL technology." www.engelglobal.com

Maximum output with minimal energy consumption: During Drinktec 2017, a fully automated e-cap injection moulding machine, equipped with a 96-cavity mould, was producing 26-mm caps including tamper-proof bands at a cycle time of under 2.5 seconds.

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Pictures: ENGEL

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BUSINESS NEWS

Dubai to get 3D printing school

Borouge launches Anteo brand with BBT Borouge and Borealis have launched Anteo, a family of LLDPE packaging grades.

Dubai is set to get a school dedicated to 3D printing technology.

Arabian Business reports that Immensa Technology Labs will launch the Emirate's first unaffiliated institute dedicated to additive manufacturing.

COE of the company Fahmi Al Shawwa told the news outlet that candidates will be able to enrol in courses relating to the application of 3D printing across a range of technologies, materials and sectors.

There will be up to 30 different courses in total targeting both professionals and students, with the first classes set to begin in November.

Immensa was founded in 2016 as the first private company in the UAE entirely dedicated to 3D printing. In parallel to its 3D printing school, the company is creating a web portal to support those wishing to learn more about the process. www.immensalabs.com

Anteo delivers easy processability at lower extruder pressure, better sealing integrity and improved puncture resistance.

Boasting a unique combination of end-use properties for high-performance film applications, Anteo completes the full solution for high performance, multilayer flexible packaging applications using Borealis Borstar Bimodal Terpolymer (BBT) Technology.

BBT gives Anteo a bimodality in molecular weight and density. It can be processed at lower extruder pressure, and can seal laminated and non-laminated film, while its advanced puncture resistance reduces spoiling.

Borouge makes Anteo at its Ruwais plant in the UAE. www.borouge.com

Lanxess grows Lewabrane membrane elements in Saudi Arabia Lanxess’ LPT (Liquid Purification Technologies) business unit, one of the world’s leading suppliers of water treatment products and solutions, is expanding its business with reverse osmosis membrane elements in Saudi Arabia.

Sidel breaks Saudi bottling record Two new Sidel bottling lines at the Health Water Bottling Company (HWB) of Saudi Arabia have started running at a record-breaking output rate of 150,000 bph each, making a total installed output of 300,000 bph.

Bottled water is a growing market in Saudi Arabia (KSA) and HWB leads the way with Nova water.

In the Greater Middle East region, the top 10 countries represent 92 per cent of the total volume of the beverage market. Of these, Saudi Arabia is second only to Turkey.

On November 1st, 2017, LPT signed a distribution agreement for Lewabrane membrane elements with Riyadh-based Saudi company Industrial and Chemicals Supplies Co. Ltd. (ICSCO) The contract was signed by Lanxess head of LPT Jean-Marc Vesselle and ICSCO CEO Ahmed Mohamed Gashlan.

Gashlan said: “Our customers are owners of water and wastewater treatment facilities who are looking for quality, integrity and sustainability. Lanxess membrane elements meet the highest German and international production and quality standards, which makes them the perfect addition to our portfolio.” www.lanxess.com

www.sidel.com

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LEADERSHIP NEWS

Turkey and Qatar strengthen ties with science The Qatar National Research Fund, an education foundation in Doha, has pledged to strengthen research partnerships with TUBITAK, the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey.

Orkun Hasekioglu, Vice-President of TUBITAK, was quoted by Gulf News as saying: "We hope to expand the scope of joint activities as well as the areas of collaboration into a number of fields such as energy, aviation, space, biotechnology, health and several more programmes."

GPCA launches award to recognise petchem pioneers The Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association (GPCA) is proud to announce the launch of the GPCA Legacy Initiative and GPCA Legacy Award “Al Rowad” dedicated to the pioneers of the chemical and petrochemical industry in the Arabian Gulf.

First of its kind in the region, the annual programme honours those who have made extraordinary contributions to foster and strengthen the development of the chemical and petrochemical industry in one or more of the GCC states.

Hasekioglu also hopes to set up a joint committee to steer research projects.

The intentions by TUBITAK to co-operate with Qatar mirror ties between both governments, after Turkey stepped in to supply Qatar during the GCC blockade in June. Turkish President Erdogan condemned the Qatar embargo at the time, calling it 'a very grave mistake'. www.tubitak.gov.tr

Dr Abdulwahab Al-Sadoun, Secretary General, GPCA, said: "We believe that the history of the industry in our region is an important shared legacy that brings us together and encourages us to advance our industry even further."

Dubai sustainability roadmap prioritises recycling A rising population and economic growth in Dubai are the biggest drivers of environmental change.

This is according to ‘The Dubai Environment Outlook’, which was supervised by The General Secretariat for The Executive Council, in cooperation with Dubai Municipality, highlighting sustainability challenges.

The report supports the Dubai Plan 2021, which has committed to building a smart and sustainable city.

It recommends that the Dubai Roadmap towards Sustainable Waste Management is updated and revised based on a detailed field assessment of recycling activities and outlets in Dubai and the UAE. The waste recycling value chain for each type of waste (plastic, electronic, paper and cardboard, glass, metals and green) would then become the basis for the revised roadmap to slash per capita waste to 2.5 kg/capita/day in 2030 from 3.4 kg/capita/day in 2014.

The official launch will take place during Day 1 of the 12th Annual GPCA Forum on November 28th at the Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai. www.gpca.org.ae

VDMA 'confident about Iran'

www.dubai.ae

German plastics and rubber machine manufacturing association the VDMA has good reason to feel optimistic about Iran after 46 German companies showcased their innovative products and services at Iranplast in September.

In the first half of 2017, German companies exported plastics and rubber machines worth €22.9 million to Iran. In the first six months of the previous year, during which the sanctions against the country had been eased, this value totalled €9.3 million. Accordingly, German exports increased by 2.5 times within a oneyear-period.

"The mere market forecasts suggest further growth," said Thorsten Kühmann, VDMA Managing Director.

Under the general conditions and expectation that the Iranian market is developing, the VDMA's overall outlook is optimistic. www.vdma.org

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PLASTIVISION ARABIA PREVIEW

Plastivision Arabia rolls into Sharjah for 4th edition The fourth edition of Plastivision Arabia, which takes place at Expo Centre Sharjah from December 11th-14th 2017, will bring seminars and special focuses to a keen audience of Emirati and international visitors.

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ookending the Middle Eastern plastics calendar, after beginning 2017 with ArabPlast in Dubai, MEP returns to the UAE and neighbouring Emirate Sharjah for Plastivision Arabia.

Flexible packaging

Now in its fourth year, this growing plastics industry event takes place in the country’s ‘cultural capital’ and is becoming as much of an international industry event as its Dubaibased counterpart.

Flexible packaging demand in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) will expand at five per cent per year over the next five years. In 2013, the MEA market flexible packaging market totals almost $4 billion. Per capita consumption in the Middle East and Africa runs at only $3, compared with Europe’s $30.

The third edition of Plastivision Arabia was given an auspicious start, as it was inaugurated

by HH Sheikh Abdullah Bin Salim Bin Sultan Al Qassimi, the Deputy Ruler of Sharjah.

Rigid packaging

The show featured pavilions from China, India and Taiwan, as well as special focuses including ‘The Finished Goods Pavilion Plastiworld’, a ‘Filling and Packaging’ side show, and a jobs fair.

There were also live demonstrations on the show floor to entice investors and enlighten the uninitiated, resulting in many machines and other examples of cutting-edge hardware being sold right off the stand.

There were 175 exhibitors from 16 countries and over 6,600 visitors who attended both the Plastivision Arabia show and neighbouring Arabiamold event. 60 per cent of visitors were from the UAE, while 20 per cent were from within the GCC and ten per cent came from Africa. Five per cent represented Asian visitors and the remaining five per cent represented European visitors and visitors from the rest of the world.

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2017 FOCUS

Rigid plastics form the largest packaging product group accounting for a projected market value share of 28.2 per cent for 2014. Rigid plastics and flexible plastic packaging have increased their market share during the review period. Food represents the largest end use sector for packaging products accounting for a projected 33.8 per cent market value share in 2014. Industrial/ bulk is the second largest sector with 26.4 per cent, followed by beverage markets with 25.2 per cent.

Plastic raw materials and chemicals The Middle Eastern plastics processing industry will be a big winner from its drive to diversify its economy. The industry prefers the finest quality raw materials that are processed using highgrade materials, which include all types of virgin, prime, o-grade and recycled materials that over optimum strength, better shape and size and easy processing. www.plastivision.ae

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SEMINARS As well as the show floor, Plastivision Arabia offers visitors the opportunity to take their plastics processing knowledge to the next level, with special seminars from Arburg and Starlinger.

SUBJECT

TOPIC

COMPANY

Packaging

Application specific machine technology for cost effective packaging moulding

Arburg

Current Developments in Plastic Recycling Technology

Starlinger

Plastic Recycling Technology

WHAT PAST EXHIBITORS HAD TO SAY We are having good business meetings with quality visitors. The Forga 3 machine for higher tonnage from 450 to 7000 tonnes, the Potenza 320 tonne injection moulding machine for producing cutlery with cavities, and Effecta for cream cheese container production are the highlights on our booth at Plastivision Arabia 2016.

LK Machinery, Silver Sponsor of Plastivision Arabia 2016

There is a lot of potential at this show as this edition attracted more quality visitors than last year. We are witnessing an increasing awareness on selecting the variety of products we offer from our cost effective and high quality machinery from Taiwan. We have been in the GCC market for 20 years and our products are highly favoured by the manufacturers in the regional market. We are very confident of being a part of the GCC market.

WHY IS PLASTIVISION ARABIA ONTO A GOOD THING? • Plastics production capacity

in the GCC increased by six per cent to 25.5 million tons in 2014 and is projected to increase by 25 per cent to 33.8 million tons by 2020.

• The moulded plastics market in the GCC countries of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman is projected to grow at a CAGR of 8.3 per cent between 2014 and 2023.

Simon Chung, Managing Director, Chan Chao, Plastivision Arabia 2014 exhibitor

• Per capita consumption of plastics is estimated at 39 kg in the GCC, 33 per cent higher than the world average.

We have lots of scope in this industry as we find it to be a huge market for packaging machinery. We met genuine clients at Plastivision Arabia 2014 who were interested in our packaging machinery and we are looking forward to participating in the next edition of the show as we have a very good response for our products during the show.

• From 326 in 1990, the number of plastics factories in the GCC rose to 1,223 in 2007, ballooning to to 7,000.

Nitish Padhy, Techno Commercial Manager, Hilda Automation, Plastivision Arabia 2014 exhibitor

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CHINAPLAS PREVIEW

Chinaplas looks ahead to new venue in 2018

A new venue for Asia’s leading plastics and rubber event has got the plastics industry talking, but what else can we expect from Chinaplas 2018?

WORDS | John Carlon

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hinaplas 2018 will be held for the first time at the National Exhibition and Convention Centre (NECC) in Hongqiao, Shanghai, PR China, April 24th27th 2018. The exhibition area will cover over 320,000 m sq with 30 per cent more exhibition space than that of the 2016 edition of the show in Shanghai.

The plastics and rubber industries can anticipate an international, professional and distinctly high-tech platform at the major industry event. With widening economic reforms and its new ‘five year plan’, China has implemented changes to take a steering role in the global economy. China’s manufacturing technology sector is also accelerating rapidly. The country's plastics and rubber industries, which are fundamental sectors, are growing significantly. New materials and processing technologies continue to emerge, and propel the expansion of upstream and downstream industries.

"From 2012 onwards, Chinaplas has faced the problem of space shortage," said Ada Leung, Adsale's General Manager. "Previously, when we held the show at the Shanghai New International Expo Center in Pudong, we had used up all the indoor exhibition halls. We even built outdoor temporary exhibition halls, but still couldn't meet the huge demand from our exhibitors. By moving to the new venue, NECC, Adsale can fulfil the strong demand for exhibition space immediately. This relocation to the new venue is also good for the long-term development of Chinaplas."

Huge relocation project //////////////////// The NECC was designed in the shape of a ‘blooming four leaf clover’, an auspicious symbol even in China, and with a total construction area of 1.47 million m sq, it is the largest single block building and exhibition complex in the world.

"Chinaplas 2018 will not only accommodate more exhibitors, but will also have better management in the set-up of theme zones, country/region pavilions, and concurrent events," Leung continued. "We believe that visitors will have a new, high-quality

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Chinaplas 2018 will not only accommodate more exhibitors, but will also have better management in the set-up of theme zones, country/region pavilions, and concurrent events

visiting experience ... We’re lucky to have a very experienced team.

Starting in 1978, Adsale has organised trade shows and become a leader in the trade show industry. We hold about 20 trade shows each year."

Adsale formed a relocation team two years ago, visiting its new Hongquiao site many times to conduct extensive assessments and analyses. Relocating an exhibition is an extensive undertaking. The massive Chinaplas 2018 relocation project is equivalent to moving 4,000 houses to a new place at the same time. This is not a minor issue for any show, but is a challenge for the huge, technologyoriented Chinaplas.

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The sustainability trend /////////////////// For a materials focus, Chinaplas has seen the market accelerating for energy-saving, environmentally friendly and lightweight thermoplastic elastomers. They are widely used in the automotive, electronics and electrical, medical and footwear industries.

The coming edition of Chinaplas is introducing the ‘Thermoplastic Elastomers and Rubber Zone’ to the ‘Chemicals and Raw Materials Zone’, and is expected to attract about 70 suppliers to showcase the latest development in this field.

Exhibitors that have reserved their space include Huntsman, Momentive, SIBUR, Top Polymer, Dawn and Huafon. It hopes to cater for the demands of customisation and small-batch production, with the aim of shortening development cycle time and reducing costs arising from Industry 4.0 - Chinaplas will Our team has have its 3D Technology Zone to always upheld the group together the vendors and spirit of continuous providers of 3D printing (additive manufacturing) technologies.

innovation, which is very important for the plastics and rubber industries

The new theme zone and the concurrent event ‘Third Industry 4.0 Conference’ will complement each other, providing a comprehensive experience for the enterprises interested in 3D printing technology and smart manufacturing. Exhibitors that have reserved their exhibit space include Autodesk, Ureal, Cang Ming, dMac, and ZWSOFT.

it takes one hour by rail to arrive to the surrounding cities such as Wuxi and Hangzhou, and it takes just 30 minutes by subway to the Shanghai business districts.

NECC opened its doors in 2015, and has been in full operation since 2016. Supporting facilities have also been gradually improving in the area near the fairgrounds. In terms of public transport, Metro Line 2 directly links to the NECC; Metro Line 17, which is connected to the northwest corner of NECC, is expected to be operating by the end of 2017. Many restaurants will operate in the ‘four-leaf clover’ galleries to provide a wide range of food and drink options.

Some hotels near NECC are already open, and several more hotels along the Metro Line 17 will be open soon.

Exhibitor optimism /////////////////////// Adsale has received more than 4,000 exhibitor applications for the Shanghai show. After Chinaplas 2017, Leung says she has found a tangible optimism, with more exhibitor enthusiasm. Many exhibitors have opted to expand their booth areas, and for vistors there will be enlarged country pavilions, as there will be greater numbers of high-tech, innovative materials and equipment, plus entire production lines.

"Our team has always upheld the spirit of continuous innovation, which is very important for the plastics and rubber industries," said Leung. "We believe that our exhibitors and their advanced technologies, combined with the show’s concurrent events and on-site services, will bring an extraordinary new experience to visitors. We urge you not to miss the show next year.” " Chinaplas 2018 will relocate to the National Exhibition and Convention Centre (NECC) in Hongqiao, Shanghai, PR China, and run from April 24th27th 2018. www.chinaplasonline.com

Rich visitor experience //////////////////// Visitors can expect more from the country pavilions, as there will be greater numbers of high-tech, innovative materials, equipment, and even entire production lines. All these indicators reflect that exhibitors are strongly confident about the relocation of Chinaplas to the NECC, a location with a unique geographical advantage.

Located in the west of the core business district of Hongqiao, the linear distance from NECC to the Hongqiao traffic hub is only 1.5 km. It is closely linked with the Hongqiao International Airport and Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station. Flights take only two to three hours to reach major cities in the Asia-Pacific region, while

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PLAST EURASIA

Plast Eurasia: An opportunity to seize potential Plast Eurasia has come around again for its 26th outing in Istanbul. MEP gives readers a summary of what to expect from one of the world’s most important annual plastics events.

WORDS | Rose Brooke

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last Eurasia puts the growing Turkish plastics industry on a platform that gives the international marketplace ample opportunity to seize its potential.

In addition to high exports of plastic products, investment in machinery equipment was $880 million in 2016, up five per cent from 2015.

The latest figures published by Plast Eurasia organisers TĂźyap revealed that in 2016, Turkish plastics processors exported goods to some 205 countries, producing 8.9 million tonnes of plastic products amounting to $33.8 billion.

In the period of 2012-2016, an average of $821 million of machinery and equipment investment has been realised in the Turkish plastics industry, predominantly via press, injection and extrusion technology.

And it is these technologies that are on show at Plast Eurasia, demonstrating how plastics is a major driving force for the Turkish economy.

Production increased by 3.5 per cent on a quality basis and three per cent on a value basis compared to 2015, while 4.95 million tons of 8.9 million tons of plastic domestic consumption is exported indirectly in the form of semi-finished products and finished products such as automotive, packaging, construction and electronics, while the remaining 3.95 million tonnes is exported directly to the domestic market.

74%

visitors established leads at the show

The annual show will once again be held at the TĂźyap Fair and Convention Centre on December 6th-9th 2017, where the latest technology products and the latest trends in plastic raw materials and machinery industries will be exhibited.

957

26

26

th

show in 2017 14

countries

www.plasteurasia.com

48,725

Purchasing committees from

exhibitors in 2016

The show, which is one of the largest of its kind in Europe, bridging the European market with the Middle Eastern and Asian markets, expects more than 5,000 foreign visitors in 2017 and over 950 companies and company representatives participating in the show.

Visitors from

professional visitors

Exhibitors from

41

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84 countries

95%

recommendation rate

100,000 m sq floorspace