Solar energy and recycling focus gain support

The ninth edition of Plastivision India 2013, organised by the apex body of Indian plastic manufacturers - All India Plastic Manufacturers’ Association (AIPMA), was held at Mumbai’s Goregaon fair grounds. A mega 5-day plastic show with over 1,225 exhibitors from India and overseas showcased their latest technology and innovations in the plastics industry. Plastivision India was spread over 75,000 sq.m. area with 9 halls. The event attracted over 1,25,000 business visitors from India and abroad.

Chairman of the Plastivision India, Raju Desai, was upbeat with business generated at the show and said, “The event has successfully generated business of INR 1,500 crore this time, bringing 50% growth when compared with business of Rs 1,000 crore recorded at the previous Plastivision.”

India’s plastics industry is poised to be around $20 billion in another seven years. Earlier Indrajit Pal, Secretary of the Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals, during the inauguration of the show said, “India has emerged as a preferred centre for establishing manufacturing facilities for plastics goods and that Plastivision 2013 would give impetus to plastics exports from India. He further mentioned that the Plastics Industry is growing rapidly and is expected to touch $20 billion by the end of 2020.”

An encouraging development is the government’s plan to set up Plastics Parks in various Indian states to help the growth of the plastics industry, which is important for the economy as well as employment generation. The Ministry of Petrochemical has already cleared two plastics parks, one in the state of Madhya Pradesh and one in Orissa and some funds have already been disbursed. Some more parks are under consideration to facilitate the growth of the plastics industry. 

Earlier, Saif Mohammed Al Midfa, CEO of Expo Centre Sharjah, who was the Guest of Honour on the inauguration said, “We partnered with AIPMA to take the Plastivision India to the Middle East in 2012. I strongly believe that the tie-up with AIPMA will be a precursor to wider relations that will help open up new channels of trade and economic exchanges.”

Expanded number of applications highlighted

The show had dedicated pavilions like Indiamold, Plastiworld, Plastics In Agriculture, Automation & Robotics in Plastics Pavilion, Green Pavilion, Solar Energy Pavilion and Plastics in Medical Pavilion. One of the areas where more attention was focused is biodegradable plastics. Some of the highlights of the Plastivision India 2013 were live demonstration of machines for moulds, packaging, printing and product.

There was a dedicated section for solar energy to create awareness of the optimum use of solar power in plastics industry. “Plastic processing units require consistent energy for manufacturing of plastics; the solar pavilion has been introduced in Plastivision India 2013 with the objective of making the stake holders aware of the productive use of solar energy,” said Ashok Mukherjee, Chairman, Solar Energy Pavilion.

The event has a special focus on recycling for which the fair created a “Green Pavilion” for people to understand how plastics can be environment friendly.

The plastic industry fair was also trying to send that important message that recycling plastics is extremely relevant in the Indian context. Raju Desai said that, “India needs to catch up upon its percentage of recycled plastics in iAir Foamposite One Pro