Successful 30th edition of CHINAPLAS attracted 148,575 visitors

The 30th edition of CHINAPLAS, held from April 25 - 28, recorded 18,575 visitors who witnessed the innovations of over 3,300 exhibitors housed at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre, PR China. A myriad of eye-catching exhibits, live machine demonstrations, and concurrent events greeted the 148,575 visitors. These exhibits and concurrent events aimed at covering every application industry and every stage in the life cycle of products. The visitor profile has been extended to a multitude of industries, including those from automotive, packaging, electronics & IT communications, building & construction, medical, toys, among others.

This year's edition is a significant milestone for CHINAPLAS, of which the vision and aspiration were expressed through a new logo for its 30th edition. More important, the exhibition introduced something new each year, and this year, the ceaseless development of the plastics and rubber industries was highlighted with sustainability and smart manufacturing gaining more importance.

The organizer of CHINAPLAS said that exhibitor number is an all-time high at more than 3,300 inspite of the less favorable global economic conditions. The exhibition area also boasted an 80% increase to 240,000 square meters compared to 2008, the last time when the economy was sluggish. Both achievements showed that CHINAPLAS and the plastics and rubber industries are capable of sustaining their growth momentum despite many challenges.

Trendy, yet green
At the exhibition, trendy materials and breakthrough technologies marked their entry into China's dynamic market. These fit in the current or projected needs of plastics and downstream industries, like lightweight automobiles, food safety, green packaging, low carbon buildings and light-thin electronics, etc.

Industry 4.0, intelligent manufacturing, Internet+ were undoubtedly among the hot topics, and at the same time core ingredients of some forward-looking development strategies of the various plastics application industries, regardless of the different materials and machinery involved. The Industry 4.0 Conference, jointly presented by CHINAPLAS and VDMA, the German Engineering Federation, was well attended. Operational action plan and smart factories were the focus of this conference. The introduction of German technology provides opportunities for manufacturers to transform and upgrade.

Over the years, CHINAPLAS has been adding new elements to bring more value to both exhibitors and visitor. This year, there were 16 special theme zones. The Automation Technology Zone and the Composites & High-performance Materials Zone made their Shanghai debuts this year, while the Recycling Technology Zone was the latest introduction to the trade fair. Exhibits in the last mentioned zone covered each part in the recycling chain, such as sorting, shredding, washing, dewatering, drying and granulation.