Extrusion International USA 1-2021

12 Extrusion International 1/2021 INDUSTRY NEWS „ The next Fakuma international trade fair for plastics processing will take place from the 12th through the 16th of October, 2021. The 27th edition of the event, re- garded internationally as the first port of call for injection moulding, extrusion technology, thermoforming and 3D printing, is being eagerly awaited by manufacturers and customers from the plastics industry as a live platform. Amongst others topics, attention will be focused on the issues of sustainability, efficient use of resources and cir- cular economy. The plastics industry, comprising plastics producers, plastics processors and manufacturers of plastics processing ma- chines, accounts for roughly 6% of all German industrial production. According to the current bvse market report (German Federal Association for Secondary Raw Materials and Waste Management), roughly 421,000 people had jobs in about 3500 companies in the plastics industry with sales amounting to 97 billion Euro in 2019. Key market fi gures de- clined during the course of 2020. Above all the recycling mar- ket, which serves as an essential basis for successful circular economy, has suffered a noticeable slump. “Disruptions within the markets have made it plainly appar- ent that pricing for newmaterials and recyclates differ,” says Dr. Thomas Probst of the German Federal Association for Secondary Raw Materials and Waste Management (bvse), speaker of the professional association for plastics recycling. “Newmaterials are ultimately linked to the price of crude oil, which is unbeatably cheap at themoment. However, recycled plastics run through the entire recycling sequence including collection, sorting, conditioning and reuse. Through the be- ginning of 2019, the cost of recyclates and that of virgin ma- terial was roughly the same. The gap between prices for new materials and recyclates has widened to an ever greater ex- tent as a result of falling crude oil prices, which have dropped even further due to corona. Plastics recyclers are also suffer- ing from the fact that sorting quality is for the most part in- Fakuma 2021 – The Course is Set for Circular Economy adequate, on top of which it continues to deteriorate. The effort required to produce marketable recyclates is increasing as a result.” Plastics manufacturers and processors are suffering from ongoing disruptions – in particular sales problems, plastics bashing and littering. All of these aspects are linked to each other. “The corona pandemic has further aggravated the situation.” But Thomas Probst knows that a crisis also offers opportunities for reorientation: “Transformation of the plas- tics industry towards more sustainability has begun.” Probst contends that plastics recycling is a positive factor which gen- erates opportunities and markets worldwide and should be actively communicated. The next trend identi fi ed by Thomas Probst is “Design for Recycling” – D4R for short: Insoluble composites are being used to an ever greater extent in the packaging sector, for example labels and packaging which are fused together. In the case of hollow bodies, for example, a hot paper compo- nent is applied to the plastic and the paper fi bres are thus included in the regrind. This is where D4R comes in as a fa- vourable trend: D4R is an important instrument for taking the recyclers’ speci fi cations into account. Meanwhile, many companies have elaborated and advanced their production concepts with regard to automation, digi- talisation, networking and ef fi ciency. And thus Fakuma 2021 is being awaited as an outstanding trade fair experience with forward-looking issues and sustainable solutions. Until then, Fakuma-Virtual is proving itself a useful instrument for keeping the professional exchange of ideas and experience up to date with regard to materials, machines, peripherals, processes, simulation, procedures, technologies and tools for plastics processing. But the value of personal contact amongst suppliers and users remains unparalleled. Difficult Year for Italian Manufacturers of Plastics and Rubber Processing Machinery „ The double-digit dip in the import-export markets for the entire period January to September 2020 and the complex economic context due to the world health crisis prompt the trade association AMAPLAST to predict a rather negative year-end result for the Italian plastics and rubber processing machinery, equipment, and moulds industry. ISTAT foreign trade data for the fi rst ninemonths of last year, compared to the same period in 2019, show imports and ex- ports falling by 17% and 14% respectively. The balance of trade, while still amply positive at over 1.3 billion euros, has shrunk by thirteen points. While improving somewhat after the trough in May, these indicators – combined with the drop in orders among mem- ber companies, especially in the fi rst half of the year and particularly in the domestic market – lead the AMAPLAST Statistical Studies Centre to estimate total production for P. E. 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