K2019 | EXHIBITION REVIEW
The plastics industry “faced up” to global challenges at K2019
K2019 arrived as the plastics industry faced multiple challenges—a faltering global economy, the prospect of US-promoted trade wars, seemingly endless uncertainty over the UK’s departure from the EU, ongoing technological shifts in critically important end-markets such as automotive and, of course, the intense environmental pressure on plastics and single-use plastics. However, the show came at “precisely the right point in time,” according to Werner Matthias Dornscheidt, President & CEO of organ- iser Messe Dusseldorf. “Especially in times of
great challenges, a platform like the K is indispensable,” he said on the final day of the October event. “It provides guidance and perspectives, sets sustain- able economic impulses, shows forward-looking trends and concrete approaches. The industry and its professional associa- tions enjoyed the unique opportunity here to present sector-specific solutions and debate questions of
K2019 visitor numbers held close to 2016 levels despite tougher economic times
socio-political relevance on a global scale.” Certainly, the show was
well attended—fears that the economic conditions would keep visitors away or that the anti-plastic lobby would be unable to resist the publicity opportunity it presented both proved unfounded. Provisional figures from Messe Dussel- dorf showed that 225,000 attended the event over the eight days, down by just 2% on the 2016 figure. As might be expected, the single larg- est national group was drawn from Germany,
PHOTOS: MESSE DUSSELDORF, CONSTANZE TILLMANN
followed by Italy, the Netherlands, India, Turkey, China and then the US. The organisers said they had also recorded “a marked increase” in the number of visitors from Russia, Japan and Brazil. Ulrich Reifenhäuser, Chairman of the Exhibitor Advisory Board for K2019 and Chairman of film machinery manufacturer Reifenhäuser, was also clearly pleased with the event and particularly with the steps exhibitors had taken to tackle issues such as waste and the Circular Economy.
“It was a great trade fair,”
K2019 Exhibitor Advisory Board Chairman Ulrich Reifenhäuser
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Werner Dornscheidt, Presi- dent of K2019 organiser Messe Dusseldorf
Reifenhäuser said. “On the one hand, the conditions were not so good; the industry in 2019 has had a real media bashing and the image of plastics has been going down the drain. We have a real waste problem. The good thing is that the plastics industry recognises
that. We have faced up to it, we have looked for solu- tions, and we have present- ed solutions…many people have given us input; we now need to use that input.”
Given the predicted declines in plastics machin- ery production forecast by industry association Euro- map at the show (reported separately in this section), Reifenhäuser remains remarkably convinced that the plastics industry has a sound future. “We look towards the future with a lot of optimism—plastics are indeed the materials of the future,” he said. The plastics industry will be able to judge if Reifen- häuser’s optimistic perspec- tive is well founded in three year’s time at what will be K’s 70th anniversary. The dates for that are set for 19-26 October 2022. Location, of course, Dusseldorf. �
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November/December 2019 | INJECTION WORLD 15
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