PLAST breaks up the 3 years cycle with the next PLAST being held September 26 - 30, 2017, instead of May 8 - 12, 2018. The show will then continue on its usual triennal frequency. This is the big news announced on the first day of the exhibition. NPE moving from the month of March to May 7-11, 2018, as well as the overlapping with FEIPLASTIC this year, has surely affected such decision but not crucially.
Every operator of the sector knows that PLAST in 2018 would have taken place in a year already crowded of important exhibitions: PLASTINDIA (in February), NPE (as just mentioned from 2018 in May) and, in addition, CHINAPLAS (yearly exhibition held at the end of April when in Shanghai and at the end of May when in Guangzhou) and also the already mentioned FEIPLASTIC every six years (being biennial). It is known that those above are very important events not only for Italian but also German manufacturers and more in general for everybody working in the plastics and rubber field. A huge effort on a organization and commercial but also (and most of all) economic level for small and medium enterprises that are the core of this sector. In light of this we have decided to break up, just for once, our 3-year cycle. In accordance with their exhibitions' schedule (already congested for the next three years), FIERA MILANO proposal of the last week of September 2017 made to the Board of Directors and Committee of ASSOCOMAPLAST - Italian Plastics and Rubber Machinery and Moulds Manufacturers' Association – (controlling 100% of PROMAPLAST srl, PLAST Organizing company) appeared to be the best solution. A favorable moment, that separates PLAST from a very hard cycle of events taking place in March/May 2018. This solution has satisfied the majority of our executive bodies.
In addition, PLAST will be taking place three weeks away from FAKUMA (which dates are not yet official, but it is historically held in the third week of October), a reasonable time to let everybody working in the automotive sector (the main target of such exhibition) organize. First reactions of exhibitors are all positive and we hope that this decision will strengthen PLAST, further increasing the number of visitors and exhibitors.
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PLAST 2015: POSITIVE OUTCOME AND A DATE FOR 2017
The seventeenth PLAST has come to a close. The triennial International Plastics and Rubber Fair is one of the most important events for the industry and the most eagerly awaited one in Italy and Europe. The results from this year's PLAST, in terms of visitors and exhibitors, were more than positive. The total number of visitors is similar to that for PLAST 2012 at approximately 50,000, with over one third from abroad: mostly from all the countries of Europe and from the USA and Asia. The international scope of the fair is confirmed both by the percentage of visitors from abroad, exceeding 2012 levels, and by the many delegations from other countries (40 delegations for a total of 300 delegates), all satisfied with the meetings held during the Fair. There was a slight decline in Italian visitors with respect to the previous edition, but this had been forecast by the organizers, who underscore that in spite of the economic difficulties that companies are facing, PLAST 2015 has demonstrated a good level of vitality both in terms of business contacts and number of exhibitors (1558).
Mario Maggiani, Managing Director of Promaplast, PLAST organizer, has already envisioned the guidelines for the next edition, which will make an exception to the three-year rule and take place in 2017 (26-30 September). The three satellite fairs – Rubber, 3D Printing and Start Plast – will become permanent features, and new thematic areas are already in the development phase. “Thanks partly to the requests from exhibitors or potential exhibitors, now that this year's fair has ended we will get straight to work to stay one step ahead and embrace the new business opportunities and the new technological frontiers of our world," comments Maggiani. "We will be organizing a number of thematic areas representing the future, one of which will be recycling. It is a sector where significant financial resources are being invested, and Italian companies have always been at the forefront of innovation.
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The other major theme we want to dedicate increasing space to is composites, which are finding applications, including niche applications, by taking advantage of the benefits of plastics combined with reinforcement agents. These are advanced materials used in leading industries such as automaking, aerospace, aeronautics, shipbuilding: all sectors where Italian industry is a world leader." PLAST is thus confirmed as one of the world's most important events for the industry, an opportunity for meetings and discussions with preeminent players, an occasion for staying up-to-date and increasing knowledge through the many workshops and conferences, but most importantly, a showcase for Italian companies to bolster their commercial contacts on both the national and international level.
For more information on PLAST 2015 and what to expect at PLAST 2017, contact the following:
PLAST 2015 Press Office A Più Srl Dr. Veronica Gaviraghi tel. (+39) 039-746502 mob. (+39) 345-1120805 Email: veronica [at] a-piu-srl.com (subject: Via%20Machines%20Italia%3A%20Request%20for%20information%20on%20PLAST) www.plastonline.org
