Germany remains to be number one among the most important suppliers to the Russian plastics and rubber processing industry, exporting a total of 32.2 % to this segment, followed by Italy (15.5 %) and China (13.9 %). In the first eleven months of 2013, German exports in this segment amounted to EUR 204 million, up 10,2 % on the result posted for the same period during the previous year. Between 2011 and 2012, global exports from plastics and rubber machinery manufacturers to Russia increased by 7.5%, corresponding to an overall value of about EUR 640 million.
For Bernd Nötel from the German Association for Plastics and Rubber Machinery within the VDMA (Verband Deutscher Maschinen- und Anlagenbau - German Engineering Federation), the Russian market remains promising, despite the dampening effect of political vagaries and the current weakness of the rouble on the demand for plastic and rubber machinery: “Negotiations drag on, some projects are postponed. In other areas however, there is still a great willingness to invest, contracts that were prepared at K 2013 in Düsseldorf for example, are now being signed. Business is going strong in the injection moulding and thermoforming segments, and rubber processing machines are in high demand. Thanks to state funding, investments into plastic pipe production and into the production of insulation material are rising. The emergence of recycling as an important issue in Russia is rated as a positive development. So far, this development is still in its infancy, but there is a growing awareness that even countries with an abundance of natural resources must economize."
Dr. Rüdiger Baunemann, Director General PlasticsEurope Deutschland e.V., recognizes a lot of potential in the raw material segment, both for polymer producers as well as for suppliers of additives such as stabilizers and flame retardants. At interplastica’s “Meeting Point Raw Materials”, Dr. Baunemann’s presentations on resource and energy efficiency as a driving force for innovation and sustainability attracted a lot of attention and met with keen interest. For the second time at interplastica, open seminars for exhibitors on new developments in raw material production and application were again conducted in cooperation with the Russian plastics portal Plastinfo.ru.
The exhibitors were impressed with the high level of professionalism among interplastica’s visitors, who appeared to be well prepared and approached the exhibitors with practical inquiries. In turn, visitors were delighted with the wide range of international exhibits presented at interplastica.
