K2025 NEWS K Show still pulls in the crowds


K 2025, still the most prominent trade fair for the plastics and rubber industries worldwide, closed on 15 October after welcoming 175,000 visitors through the doors of Messe Düsseldorf in Germany. In view of the current difficult economic climate and other factors affecting the plastics industry, many companies travelled to Düsseldorf with subdued expectations, said the organisers. But encouragingly, they described the prevailing mood across the fully occupied exhibition grounds as “good” as the industry presented itself as more resilient and forward- thinking than ever. “K has demonstrated once again just how much innovative power and dynamism this sector holds,” said Marius Berlemann, Chief Operating Officer at Messe Düsseldorf. He said: “K is an indispensable compass in uncertain times and once again succeeded in confirming its role as the most important impulse provider and launch platform for the global plastics and rubber industry, where numerous companies have unveiled their innovations to the


global public for the first time.” At this year’s K Show, there were


3,275 exhibitors from 66 nations and over 175,000 trade visitors from around 160 countries. Official post-show figures indicated that 73% of visitors came from outside Ger- many. A particularly strong represen- tation was seen from China (6,300 visitors) and India (6,400 visitors) with a total of 10,000 travelling from the


US and Brazil, said the organisers. For machinery exhibitors, efficiency,


precision, and resource savings were key themes, while materials exhibitors highlighted developments related to sustainability and megatrends like e-mobility. The emergence and incorporation of artificial intelligence (AI) was another prevailing theme at this year’s event. � www.k-online.de


SI Group makes market-led changes


SI Group is taking action to align its sales structure with key markets and pursue opportunities. The US-head- quartered additives and intermediates company will focus on five key markets – Core Solutions, Fuel & Lubricants, Oilfield, Plastics, and Rubber & Adhesives – and is reshaping its sales from a strategic business- based model to a regional sales team structure globally. At a K2025 press event,


Paul Tilley, Senior Vice President, Sales & Business Development, said the


www.compoundingworld.com


group is aiming to improve sales intensity by strength- ening customer relation- ships and provide a more unified approach to market coverage across the Americas, EMEA, India and APAC. Plastics and Rubber & Adhesives are the two biggest markets for the group, which has also appointed new distribution partners in sales territories around the world. SI Group has also closed two plants, one in China and another in the US (the latter is not plastics-related).


Robert Kaiser, Vice President of Strategic Marketing, said the closures were for reasons of competitiveness. Varun Thakur, Senior


Market Development Director, updated journalists about the company’s products, including Evercycle recycling additives. Launched at K2022 for use with recycled PET and polyolefin packaging, there is now Evercycle EXP 0055 for PP automotive compounds with recycled content. At daily technical presen- tations, experts discussed


these additives, and also SI Group’s development of additives for PE water pipes that are free of Arvin substances (organic com- pounds which have been found in drinking water). n On 23 October, SI Group held the opening event at its European Innovation Centre in Four Ashes, UK. Its focus is on plastics and rubber application develop- ment, as well as analytical characterisation. It will serve as a collaborative hub for the group’s customers. � www.siigroup.com


November 2025 | COMPOUNDING WORLD 13


IMAGE: MESSE DÜSSELDORF/CTILLMANN


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50