The decisions for the global future of the plastics and rubber industry are being made here! It’s K 2016

The most important event in the industry this year has finally started in late 2016! Regardless of the technology, trends originate from the K-show for years to come. If you want to know about the latest technology, market trends, growth areas, topics for debate and innovation in raw materials the K-Show is a vital tool to keep up to date with current business affairs.

The significance this exhibition in regards to promoting trade, beginning partnerships and completing transactions cannot be understated. The competitiveness of the fair show drives quality forward so a positive cycle of improvement can take place. With all of the latest innovations on display, a lot of technical knowledge can be learnt and exchanged at the fair show. With all of this going on, a large number of exhibitors, buyers and industry professionals are all attracted to the show. Germany prides itself on being a world leader of manufacturing technology, this means that the German manufacturers pull out all the stops for this event to make sure that the best will be on display in Germany.

The K-Show not only exhibits machinery but all the related peripherals used throughout the process from start to finish. From the machinery, to the raw materials to the software needed, everything is on exhibit. This leads to an abundance of themes that can be explored. This year the catchphrase is "plastic molding the future," so looking at the future of material efficiency and how balance can be achieved with taking from the environment and providing to the global market. Equipment is as ever in development and undergoing re-engineering with the focus being on automated, lightweight, energy-saving, zero waste, intelligent and safe machinery. Plastic products are undergoing a revolution, with composite materials becoming more widespread, greening packaging and making sure that plastics can be disposed of safely being some of the driving forces behind future innovation.

Global Plastic Production Leader: Asia
With 46% of total world production, the Asia-Pacific Economic Area (APEC) has become the largest producer of plastics in the world, this gives a huge opportunity for Asian manufacturers and this is reflected in the fact that over 40% of the world's plastic processing machinery is being made in Asia, with China contributing to 33% of that 40%
Europe and the United States have been seeing a drop in manufacture, with the slack being picked up by the rest of the world. Apart from the huge growth seen in Asia, the regions of the Near East, Middle East, Africa and Latin America have all seen a rise increase in market share. The rubber industry has a very similar outlook but with greater domination from Asia, with 73% of the natural rubber manufacturing output and 61% of the synthetic rubber market originating in Asia.

Contrasting areas of focus: Germany lead the world in technology with China dominating the plastic machinery market

The 2014 statistics show, that European equipment manufacturers accounted for 40% of the world's total production of plastic rubber equipment, equivalent to 13 billion euros out of a total of 32.5 billion euro world market. In 2015 there was 600 million Euros added to the European industry which resulted in a modest 0.1% gain in world market share. The demand for plastic machinery around the world is increasing, with a total industry value gain of 1 billion euros this yeah but only 200 million of this is expected to come from the European industry meaning that other parts of the world are becoming more competitive and taking a greater market share.

Official K-Show press release

In 2014, the single largest producer of plastic and rubber machinery was China, followed by Germany, Italy and the United States. But in terms of the export market, Germany is still ahead of China, Japan, Italy and the United States.
This shift of power within the industry reflects global trends with more and more manufacturing coming out of China. But as shown by the figures, people still have the most confidence in European and especially German machinery, meaning that after quality and technology is taken into account European Manufacturing still has the reputation of being the best. 

A tough year for Europe: Terrorism and Brexit                                                                         

The K-Show has always had an irresistible attraction for a global market but this year has been a tumultuous one for Europe, with terrorist attacks in Germany, France and Belgium this year and Brexit dominating the headlines, according to a few exhibitors, this has all had an impact on visitor numbers to K 2016. Visas, particularly for people from the Middle East seem to be more difficult to acquire.

Of course, the plastics and rubber industry covers a wide range of different products each with their own ups and downs, so although some manufacturers feel that the crowd this year is down on previous events, it’s undeniable that the K-Show is still a very important part of the industry calendar and is still the world’s premier plastics and rubber machinery exhibition.

NB: The above information and data has been taken from the Messe Dusseldorf K-Show official press release.