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Number of foreign participants increases at Plast 2012, despite domestic economic stagnation.



May, 25, 2012 - This year’s edition of PLAST – International Exhibition of the Plastics and Rubber Industry – which took place in Milan from the 8th to the 12th of May, has reaffirmed the image of the sector outlined earlier in the periodic statistical surveys published by market observers and economic analysis centres: stagnation in the domestic market, which is penalized by the on-going recession and partially compensated by export markets. This last aspect was confirmed to some extent by the participation of some thirty foreign delegations at the event.

Not coincidentally, the number of foreign visitors to PLAST 2012 grew both in terms of overall numbers (more than 18,000, as opposed to 17,500 at the 2009 edition) and countries of origin (121 versus 114 in 2009).

Some exhibitors expressed their views during and after the show.

Daniela Cosmoiu, director of the Romanian Association Aspaplast, states: "For us, who were present with a stand offered by the organizers, and for the visiting players from our country, PLAST was an interactive platform for developing contacts and also contracts, as well as being a unique opportunity to collect information on the latest technologies proposed by the world’s top companies in the industry".

There was also a great deal of satisfaction among the Slovenian contingent, who visited PLAST with the delegation organized by the local cluster Giz Grozd Plasttehnika. Through the secretary of the association (Mrs Urska Kropf), they confirm that they "gathered interesting information and updates on the sector within the context of a world-class event".

Italian visitors were fewer in number (32,400 or -14%) for this edition, although this was expected given the difficult economic situation. PLAST 2012 nevertheless showed good vitality both in terms of business contacts and the exhibits presented by 1,514 companies, thirty-six more than in the previous edition in 2009.

And the exhibitors confirm this assessment. "The outcome of PLAST 2012 and RUBBER 2012 exceeded the original expectations as far as we are concerned", states Riccardo Comerio of Comerio Ercole. "Many players, especially from other countries, visited our stand in spite of the close timeframe with respect to other international fairs for the industry". A similar opinion was expressed by Giorgio Colombo of ICMA San Giorgio, which witnessed a very positive number of visitors to their stand.

Andreas Dirnberger, sales manager for Erema, an Austrian manufacturer of plastics recycling systems, emphasized that their "customary presence in Milan for PLAST was once again characterized by the perfect organization and support from the secretariat as well as the functionality and hospitableness of the Fiera Milano facilities".

Shane O’Callaghan of the Irish company TSM commented that the quality of the contacts at their stand was excellent and many contracts were signed directly at the fair.

As always, PLAST 2012 was the ideal occasion for getting a snapshot of the market and its prospects from a national and a global viewpoint. There was much talk about the crowded inaugural convention opening the event, where a report presented by the economist Marco Fortis provided the basis for discussion.

PLAST 2012 also proved to be an ideal venue for refresher training and in-depth examination of the most current technical and regulatory issues, thanks to a program of seminars and workshops taking place over three days. Highlights in terms of quality and attendance included Biopolpack, an international convention on biodegradable packaging materials (organized by the Department of General and Inorganic Chemistry of the University of Parma and the Experimental Station for the Food Preserving Industry– SSICA), and Smart Plastics in a Quality Agriculture Chain (organized by Gruppo Sole 24
Ore, Edagricole, and Promaplast srl), which featured specialized speakers from Spain and Israel with over 100 players in the market participating.

Source: Promaplast