Networking through knowledge exchange

 The Indian plastics industry has big market potential and is steadily prospering as it propels the subsequent growth of other associated industries. Taking note of this growth, the All India Plastics Manufacturers' Association (AIPMA) held the 8th PLASTIVISION INDIA (PVI 2011), one of the largest exhibitions for the plastics industry. It offered opportunities for market players to explore this booming market through an ideal networking platform for both manufacturers and visitors. The exhibition was held from 20-24 January 2011, at Bombay Exhibition Centre, Goregaon in Mumbai.
 Mr. Niu Qingbao, Consul General of People's Republic of China; Dr Seohang Lee, Consul General of the Republic of Korea and Mr. Paul Jukes, President, British Plastics Federation, were the honourable guests at the ceremony. The Chief Guest for the inauguration was Mr. Ashok Goel, President of Plastindia Foundation. Mr. Qingbao emphasised on the strong partnership between China and India in the plastics industry. He said that Chinese manufacturers of plastics machinery are ready to help through joint ventures and MoUs.
 PLASTIVISION INDIA is one of the largest plastics exhibitions in the country organised by AIPMA, with the support of the Government of India; Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers; Plastics Export Promotion Council of India; Plastindia Foundation; Indian Institute of Packaging; and various state agencies.
 Talking about the exhibition, Ms. Yogesh Shah, President, AIPMA, said, "Today, we are living in the plastic age. At no given point of time, we can live without plastics; hence it is extremely important to know how and where to use them. Considering the two aspects, namely the growing sector and environmental concerns or rather the myths related to plastics, we at PVI 2011 had incorporated the relevant discussions through Green Pavilion and PLASTICA."

 Increased participation
 In terms of exhibitor participation, a 58% rise was witnessed at PVI 2011. The exhibition saw the participation of 1,000 exhibitors from 17 countries spread across the 5 halls at the exhibition centre. The exhibition covered a gross area of 55,000 sq.m., making this the largest trade fair ever held in Mumbai.
 On the success of the exhibition, Mr. Ajay Desai, Chairman, PLASTIVISION INDIA 2011, commented, "The 8th PVI 2011 has been a satisfying and pleasing experience for us. All the exhibitors, including international and national, large, medium and small sized companies finalised business deals. Following this success, we are now being truly recognised as a 'global exhibition for plastics industry'. All our efforts are being truly fulfilled and we are glad to see the smiling faces of our exhibitors. The exhibitors have shown great enthusiasm and have assured their participation for the next edition scheduled to be held in 2014."

 Going green
 The Green Pavilion attracted a lot of attention from both visitors and exhibitors alike, as it brought to light one of the most highly discussed issues – plastics and its effects on the environment. Visitors were educated on how smart use of plastics can help save the environment. There was also a live demo on plastic recycling, products that could be made out of used plastics, among others.
 During the five days, various seminars were held at the exhibition, of which a major one was on 'Indian Plastic Industry Vision 2020' . The panel comprised eminent personalities from the plastics industry and its allied sector, which included names like Dr UK Saroop from Reliance Industries; YR Anand from Unimark; Parasuraman from Allied Solutions; and many other prominent experts.
 AIPMA, on a parallel line, also undertook initiatives to educate the young generation about the imporОбувь