Exhibitors Council of the International Plastics & Rubber Fair convened for its first session in Düsseldorf

The first meeting of the Exhibitors Council heralds the beginning of concrete preparations for K 2013, which will take place in Düsseldorf from 16 to 23 October 2013. The members of this body met to set the course for the world’s No.1 trade fair for the plastics and rubber industry. The Exhibitors Council supports Messe Düsseldorf in planning K 2013 and advises it on fundamental strategic and organisational issues. It is composed of representatives from the exhibiting companies and leading industry associations and covers the entire technological breadth of K 2013 – machinery and equipment manufacturing, production of raw materials and auxiliaries, and manufacture of semi-finished products and technical parts made of plastics and rubber.

The Exhibitors Council is again chaired by Ulrich Reifenhäuser, CEO of the machine manufacturing company of the same name and chairman of the Plastics and Rubber Machinery Association within the German Engineering Federation VDMA. Vice-chairman is, as before, Dr Rainer Büschl, Head of Communications, Performance Polymers, BASF SE, who also leads the conceptualisation committee. The organisation committee is once more chaired by Thorsten Kühmann, managing director of the Plastics and Rubber Machinery Association within VDMA.

Further members of the Exhibitors Council for K 2013 Düsseldorf are: Günter Bachmann  ( Coperion GmbH), John Ballantyne ( Dow Deutschland Anlagengesellschaft mbH), Dr. Rüdiger Baunemann ( PlasticsEurope Deutschland e.V.), Dr. Harald Hammer ( Borealis AG), Juliane Hehl  (Arburg GmbH & Co KG), Fritz Katzensteiner (Wirtschaftsverband der deutschen Kautschukindustrie e.V., WDK, Association of German rubber manufacturers), Ulf Kelterborn ( Industrievereinigung Kunststoffverpackungen e.V., IK, Plastic packaging industry association), Jan-Udo Kreyenborg ( Kreyenborg GmbH), Felix M. Loose (AGOR GmbH), Dr. Peter Neumann ( Engel Austria GmbH), Michael Rathje (Gesamtverband Kunststoffverarbeitende Industrie e.V., GKV, Federation of plastics processors), Klaus-Uwe Reiß (Mitras Materials GmbH), Manfred Rink (Bayer MaterialScience AG), Peter Steinbeck  (Windmöller & Hölscher Maschinenfabrik), Dr. Dietmar Straub (KraussMaffei Technologies AG), Pascal Streiff ( SWISSMEM).

K Düsseldorf is a trend barometer and innovation forum for the entire sector. Staged every three years, this is where companies from all over the world present their latest developments and upgraded technologies. K 2010 in October of last year provided impressive proof of this and generated significant momentum in a phase of economic recovery. 3,098 exhibiting companies and 222,000 trade visitors participated in K 2010.

In 2013, the most important suppliers of products and services across the rubber and plastics industry are again expected to exhibit at the event. In the coming months, the main themes for the next edition of this premium trade fair will be finalised and new visuals will be designed. Invitations to exhibitors will be sent out at the beginning of 2012, and the registration deadline for K 2013 is 31 May 2012.

Source: Messe Duesseldorf