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K 2016, the premier platform for the global plastics and rubber industries, will open on Wednesday (October, 19th)
Demographic growth, urbanisation, rising energy consumption, dwindling resources and climate change – there are a host of challenges to master. The global situation calls for creative minds, innovative technology and high-performance materials. From 19 to 26 October, the international plastics and rubber industry will be meeting at K 2016 in Düsseldorf and presenting its solutions. The global flagship fair for the sector and industrial applications, K unites central industry trends and future trends at a single venue. It has become established as the innovation and business platform not only for raw materials producers, manufacturers of plastics and rubber machinery, and processors, but also for stakeholders from the key user industries. K 2016 has been booked out for months. Some 3,100 exhibitors from almost 60 nations will be taking part and showing their products and services on more than 170,000 square metres of net exhibition space. Werner M. Dornscheidt, President and CEO of Messe Düsseldorf, has no doubts: “Nowhere in the world can one experience the full breadth of raw materials, processing and application equipment as completely as at K in Düsseldorf. This is the premier platform for the global plastics and rubber industry, and each company aims to present itself here with forward-looking innovations. Another unique feature is the high internationality of exhibitors and visitors. This ensures, firstly, that trade visitors can expect an offering of world market standard across the board. And, secondly, exhibitors here have access to industry experts from over 100 countries and come together with potential customers that they would nototherwise meet.” Again, the strongest contingent of exhibitors comes from Europe, especially from Germany, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, France and Turkey, but there is also an impressive number of participants from the USA. At the same time, K is a clear indicator of changes in the global market: over the past years, the number of Asian companies and the exhibition space booked by them has been rising steadily, and this year, particularly China, Taiwan, India, Japan and South Korea will be impressing visitors with their strong presence. Since K welcomes highly diverse companies from all over the world, the spotlight is not only on the industry’s major talking points – such as energy, resource and materials efficiency – but also on niche segments. As always, K 2016 will occupy all the exhibition space at Messe Düsseldorf, with products and services on show in all of the venue’s 19 halls. The industry’s core business areas, listed below, have been neatly grouped in the various halls.: Machines and equipment – world premieres This year, international machine and equipment manufacturers, K’s largest group of exhibitors, will be presenting an abundance of world premieres. Occupying about two thirds of the exhibition grounds, exhibitors from this particular group will be showing their products in halls 1 to 4 and halls 9 to 17. Engineers and machine manufacturers from all over the world are already working flat out so they can present live demonstrations of new complex production units in October. K 2016 provides a unique opportunity for drawing global attention to innovations, as no other event anywhere in the world attracts such an international and expert audience. Ulrich Reifenhäuser, Chairman of the K 2016 Exhibitors Council, is very confident that the fair will give the industry a shot in the arm. “An abundance of innovations promising genuine customer benefits have already been announced in the run-up to the fair. I am particularly excited about the new developments we can expect under the heading of Industry 4.0. The possibility of supporting production with digitalisation and the interlinking of machines in the production process offer plastics processors new opportunities for accelerating production start-up and making production more flexible as well as enhancing quality assurance and maintenance. I am sure that there will be much of great interest in this area at K 2016.” Raw materials and auxiliaries – materials of the future Raw materials and auxiliaries specialists will be presenting the leading edge in polymer science: materials with superior resource efficiency that help to achieve a better balance between economic and ecological performance. In addition to the optimisation of standard polymers, this year’s major topics will centre on additives and fillers, biopolymers and functional polymers as well as on self-reinforcing polymers. Semi-finished products, technical parts and reinforced plastics– a growth market The industry is noted for its strong innovative powers and a broad diversity of products. There is a greater emphasis than ever on energy- and resource-efficient products, as they are capable of satisfying the most challenging requirements. Suppliers of raw materials, semi-finished products and technical parts will be exhibiting in halls 5 to 8b. Finger on the pulse of advancing technology K 2016 represents the industry’s complete value chain in an unparalleled breadth and depth. Rubber also plays an important role here. Though small compared to the plastics industry, it is of major importance to key user industries and is highly innovative. The Rubber Road in hall 6 is a permanent fixture at K, and 12 companies will be participating in this “shop window” of the rubber sector. For all visitors interested in elastomer technology, there will again be a Rubber & TPE Pocket Guide at K 2016. K has always had its finger on the pulse of technological development. This is borne out not only by the presentations at exhibitor stands, but also by the supporting programme, which provides real added value for visitors. The special show, the Science Campus, Bioplastics Business Breakfasts, the Design Chain Conference, 3D fab+print and the plastics training initiative focus on specific aspects and industry-related issues: the perfect opportunity to gather strategic information. Special show “Plastics shape the future” The special show “Plastics shape the future” will spotlight how polymer materials have shaped the appearance of our modern world– not just functionally but also in terms of aesthetics and sustainability. This event deals with economic and environmental performance as well as addressing problems such as marine litter. Presentations and an innovative stand design will be prominent features of the special show in Hall 6 that comprises VIP keynotes, introductory presentations, events and panel discussions.Throughout the entire trade fair, school and university students will also be welcome to express their ideas on shaping the future. At “Plastics shape the future”, there will be theme days for the first time, i.e. each day is assigned to a certain theme and offers a variety of talks and a central round of discussions on the theme in question: Wednesday, 19.10. Plastics Industry 4.0 This special show, a project of the German plastics industry spearheaded by PlasticsEuropeDeutschland e.V. and Messe Düsseldorf, will be enhancing K’s exhibition offering for the 9th time in succession. Source: Messe Düsseldorf |
Some 3,100 businesses from the plastics and rubber industry will again be presenting trend-setting products, processes and practical solutions.
