Extrusion Asia Edition 2-2024

了无数次讨论和会议。创业区在其交易 会展位上受到了热烈的关注。专家论坛 再次成为专家群体收集深入技术信息的 中心会议场所。Bettina Schall对该行业 的未来持乐观态度。董事总经理说：“虽 然目前的形势充满挑战，我们必须同时 处理许多高度复杂的问题，但Fakuma 2024年会议上经历的集中创新力量强烈 表明，我们正在以决心和信心面对这些 问题。过去几天在贸易博览会上的活动 有助于逐步实施建设性的办法。我要感 谢所有参展商和观众的积极贡献和参 与。诚挚邀请所有行业利益攸关方出席 2026年 10月 13日 至 17日 在 Friedrichshafen举行的第30届Fakuma !” n The 29th Fakuma international trade fair for plastics processing closed in Friedrichshafen as a great success. 1639 exhibitors presented their innovations in the fields of effi- ciency, sustainability and circular economy in twelve almost fully occu- pied halls and nearly booked-out foy- ers from the 15th through the 19th of October, 2024. The 5-day trade fair on Lake Constance was characterised by bustling activity, in-depth discussions and a programme packed with high- lights. Fakuma is becoming increasingly interna- tional. With 47.5% of the exhibitors com- ing from outside of Germany (previous year: 44.0%), this year’s trade fair for the plastics processing industry once again occupied a leading position throughout the world. From a total of 1639 exhibitors (3 more than in 2023), 778 travelled to Stuttgart from many different countries – including 170 companies from China, 142 from Italy, 81 from Switzerland, 77 from Austria and 51 from Turkey. For manufacturers and users, topics such as increased efficiency, process stability, re- producibility and minimised setup times are at the top of the agenda. Conse- quently, plastics processors are imple- menting all conceivable technical and organisational measures, as well as in- vestments, to ensure that they remain competitive … because they’re being forced to produce more and more eco- nomically. Roundtable Discussion The highly specialised expert community was presented with lots of attractive highlights as part of this year’s trade fair programme. Initially, the second edition of the Fakuma Round Table was held dur- ing the afternoon of the first day of the trade fair, this time addressing the topic of “Digitalisation – Top or Flop?” The panel of experts included Professor Dr. Michael Braungart, founder and scientific director of BRAUNGART EPEA, Miranda Burtscher, head of corporate operations controlling at ALPLA, Guido Frohnhaus, managing technology director at Arburg, Professor Dr.-Ing. Hans-Josef Endres from the Institute for Plastics and Recycling Technology at Leibniz University Han- nover and Professor Dr.-Ing. Thomas Seul from the Schmalkalden University of Ap- plied Sciences. The panellists, moderated by Markus Lüling, Editor-in-Chief of K- Profi, examined the extent to which digi- talisation offers solutions to the issues of sustainability and the shortage of quali- fied personnel. The prominent panellists arrived at a conclusive verdict: digitalisa- tion is tops. It’s a necessity. It’s a tool for achieving effectiveness, which in turn leads to greater efficiency, emphasised Thomas Seul. There are plenty of exam- ples from numerous sectors indicating that digitalisation has helped us to move forward. Hans-Josef Endres also made his case for “tops”, because digitalisation of- fers many opportunities and practical ad- vantages throughout the entire process chain – for example in order to make the flow of materials transparent by collect- ing and using the relevant data, in order to be able to reuse materials. Michael Braungart stressed that the prerequisites for closed loop processes can only be ful- filled by means of digitalisation. However, digitalisation should not be taken to ab- surd extremes. “We shouldn’t focus at- tention on irrelevant aspects,” says Braungart. “Always take a careful look at what you want to digitalise first.” The panellists agreed in this regard: simplify and improve processes first, then digi- talise them. This is the only way to ensure meaningful and effective digitalisation. Miranda Burtscher pointed out an impor- tant task: digitalisation also results in large amounts of data that require the use of appropriate analysis tools. How- ever, the interfaces must first be equipped with a common language because net- working would otherwise be doomed to failure. New Talent Recruitment on Career Friday Career Friday was a special highlight this year: The trade fair promoters, the ex- hibitor advisory board and the exhibitors jointly organised a campaign for pupils, students and entry-level employees in keeping with the motto “Mould Your Dreams, Mould Your Future”. The objec- tive was to inform young people about career opportunities in the plastics indus- try and, at the same time, impart knowl- edge in the field of plastics. The campaign was very well received – many exhibitors organised shuttle services, ac- tivities, tours of the trade fair booths and glimpses behind the scenes of plastics processing. More than 400 highly inter- ested young people took advantage of this opportunity and joined the various guided tours. Positive Verdict “Fakuma 2024 was once again a great family celebration for the plastics indus- try,” says Bettina Schall, managing direc- tor of trade fair promoters P. E. Schall, in summing up the 5 successful days of the event in Friedrichshafen, which attracted 36,675 visitors. “Already at the opening press conference, Professor Dr. Michael Braungart inspired us with his approach which holds that ‘everything can serve as a nutrient’. This was followed by count- less discussions and meetings in the highly frequented exhibition halls and conference rooms. The Startup Area en- joyed lively interest at its trade fair booths. And the expert forum was once again a central meeting place for the ex- pert community for gathering in-depth technical information.” Bettina Schall is optimistic about the industry’s future. “Although the current situation is chal- lenging and we have to deal with numer- ous highly complex issues simultaneously, the concentrated innovative power expe- rienced at Fakuma 2024 is a strong indi- cation that we’re tackling the issues with determination and confidence,” says the managing director. “The last several days at the trade fair have helped to make it possible to implement constructive ap- proaches, step by step. I would like to thank all of the exhibitors and visitors for their active contribution and for their par- ticipation. All industry stakeholders are cordially invited to the 30th Fakuma in Friedrichshafen from the 13th through the 17th of October, 2026!” ➠ P.E. Schall GmbH www.fakuma-messe.de 23 Extrusion Asia Edition 2/2024