Interplastica 2013: Russian plastic and rubber market is building momentum!

More than 20,000 business visitors attended the interplastica 2013 and the UPAKOVKA/ UPAK ITALIA trade fair for packaging technology being held at the same time. An impressive range of innovative products and services was on show in the areas of machines and equipment, raw material production and processing at the Moscow exhibition centre Zao Expocentr in Krasnaja Presnja between 29th January and 1st February.

After talking to exhibitors from different product areas, the Chairman and CEO of Messe Düsseldorf GmbH, Werner M. Dornscheidt, was overall satisfied: "The Russian market has clearly revived; exhibitors are talking about very real negotiations and deals. Some visitors had a long way to come to experience the new technologies from international and Russian suppliers up close at the event. The very positive outcome of the interplastica gives us reason to look forward to the K 2013 in Düsseldorf this October with confidence!" 

The plastics sector is a particular beneficiary of the favourable development in the Russian economy; the upturn in important sales segments has generated an increasing demand for machinery, raw materials, technical parts and semi-finished goods. The packaging sector continues to have an important role to play and the construction industry has also pepped up, mostly due to extensive nationwide renovation and modernisation activity which needs insulating materials, pipes and window frames, etc. The automotive sector has also built up momentum; a number of production sites have been built or are underway. Experts expect an increase in per capita plastics consumption of around 10 kilograms over the next four years (estimated to grow from approx. 39 kg in 2012 to around 50 kg in 2016). 

Interplastica was considerably larger than last year with a net occupancy of over 13,000 square metres and featuring more than 700 exhibitors from 26 countries. The largest numbers of exhibitors came from Russia, Germany, China and Italy: Russia had 212, Germany 154, China 139, and Italy 65 firms. 

German machines were once again Number 1 in terms of deliveries to plastic and rubber processors in Russia, with 30.8 per cent of the total number of exports, followed by Italy (16 per cent) and China (11.6 per cent). German exports to Russia in the first eleven months of 2012 amounted to €185.9 million, 9.7% higher than the same period in 2011. 
The twelve Taiwanese exhibitors, including the national machinery manufacturer's association, also appear very satisfied with how things went at interplastica 2013. They found a positive resonance from visitors to their stands, managed to build on their existing business relationships and create new contacts.

The exhibitors at interplastica were unanimously impressed by the high level of expert knowledge of the visitors, who were well-informed and came with detailed inquiries. For their part, visitors were enthusiastic about the wide range of offers and in-depth advice offered by exhibitors. The next interplastica in the Russian capital is scheduled for 28th to 31st January 2014, again running in parallel with UPAKOVKA/ UPAK ITALIA.