The Innovation Compass will be available online about six weeks before the start of K 2010. This tool offers a search matrix for innovations that can bring major improvements or even fundamental changes, thus making it possible to generate real competitive advantages.
A circle of experts including top-ranking academics and prominent representatives of the K Exhibitors Council has defined a series of main topics that will have a decisive impact on market trends over the next few years.
For raw materials and auxiliaries these are: optimisation of standard plastics and rubber, plastics made from renewable resources, modification of plastics and rubbers with nanoscale particles, functionalised plastics, components and surfaces, plastics and rubber for lightweight structures, incl. foams, fibre composites and their processing, materials/hybrids.
The machinery and equipment segment covers the following: faster manufacturing processes, increased throughput, faster product changeover times, integrated manufacturing processes, optimisation of subprocesses, energy efficiency, materials efficiency.
For inclusion in the Innovation Compass, exhibitors must document their innovation claim. The provided explanation of the innovation and the link to the exhibitor’s home page allow visitors to judge for themselves, even before the trade fair, which innovations will be of most interest to them.
Most trade visitors to K Düsseldorf come in order to acquire information about trends and innovations. Others come to foster existing business relationships and establish new ones, to monitor the competition, to gather information about systems and applications, and to compare prices and conditions. At the last K in 2007, a large number of experts from a total of 86 countries came with concrete purchasing intentions.
The trade visitors included a considerable proportion of top managers: 59 percent indicated that they played a crucial or participatory role in investment decision-making in their companies, while 23 percent stated that they were involved in an advisory capacity.
These experts rated the information they obtained at the trade fair for their business purposes extremely favourably. The survey carried out during K 2007 indicates clearly that the visitors to the trade fair were very impressed by the abundance of knowledge, new developments and technical solutions. The visitors’ interest in the range of exhibits was as follows: 67 percent were interested in machinery and equipment for the plastics and rubber industry, 41 percent in raw materials and auxiliaries, 27 percent in semi-finished products and technical parts, and 16 percent in services. Finally, more than 90 percent of the visitors were satisfied with the ranges in all these areas.
