Extrusion International 6-2024-USA

12 Extrusion International 6/2024 INDUSTRY NEWS Plastpol 2025 – The International Plastics Processing Industry is getting Ready to do Business in Kielce Hundreds of companies from over 30 countries in Europe, Asia and the Middle East have already confirmed their participation in the 29th Inter- national Fair of Plastics and Rubber Processing. From 20 to 23 May 2025, companies will present the latest solutions for this industry; exhibitor registration is still open. “Poland is Central Europe’s cen- tre of plastics processing, which is why our presence at Targi Kielce is a must,” emphasised many company representatives at last year’s Plast- pol Expo. Preparations for the May 2025 event are already in full swing. From 20 to 23 May 2025, Targi Kielce again turns into a working factory and the latest technologies and solutions are presented at the Plastpol Expo; plastic processing ma- chines such as innovative injection moulding machines, extruders, blow moulding machines, recycling lines for the production of plastic packag- ing will work live. Plastpol is also a presentation of companies involved in producing and distributing innovative raw ma- terials whose expo stands offer visi- tors the possibility to learn about the range of polyethene and polypropyl- ene granulates, regranulates, vari- ous dyes and additives for plastics – including ecological ones. The agenda is enriched by confer- ences devoted to sustainable devel- opment and recycling in the plastics industry. The accompanying events lineup at the plastics processing expo includes the conference organised by the PlasticsEurope Polska Foun- dation. The Plastech Info Technical Seminar welcomes representatives of important companies, top-players on the global market; Tworzywa.pl in cooperation with Targi Kielce are the seminar organisers. www.targikielce.pl/plastpol Signs of Slowdown – for Italian Plastics and Rubber Machinery Manufacturers ISTAT data for Italian foreign trade in machinery, equipment, and moulds for plastics and rubber in the first half of 2024 evidence a pro - gressive drop in trade in both direc- tions compared to the same period in 2023. According to analyses by the MECS Study Centre of the trade associa- tion Amaplast, after positive con- solidated year-end results for both imports and exports in 2023, imports were consistently lower in the early months of 2024 with respect to the same period a year earlier, with drops entering into the double digits in the second quarter. This is a symp- tom of lower propensity to invest within a context of contraction in the economy generally and in the indus- trial sector specifically. The period closed with a drop of 12 percentage points to a value of 483million euros, with imports noticeably declining from all three main source countries: Germany, China, Austria. The first half of 2024 closed with exports still in the positive range (+2.5% at 1.73 billion euros) but on a diminishing trend because of lower demand for a number of dif- ferent types of machinery – includ- ing some making up a large share of the total – and moulds. Exports to Germany – historical main partner of Italian manufactur- ers, currently grappling with an un- favourable economy and a compli- cated political situation – have been rather lacklustre while those to the United States (second largest des- tination market), while remaining high in recent years, have slowed somewhat. If we stick to the ten most impor- tant target markets, we see dia- metrically opposed trends. Exports to the EU countries in this group – Spain, Poland, France – have dropped by 13% and 32% and remained substantially stable, re- spectively. Meanwhile, double-digit growth is recorded for a number of extra-EUmarkets: +26% for Mexico; +36% for China; +50% for Turkey; +22% for India; and +24% for the United Kingdom. Looking at the principal macro areas, on average exports show significant growth towards the Far East, North America (excluding the United States), extra-EU Europe, and Sub-Saharan Africa. The above-mentioned slump in trade between Italy and Germany is confirmed by the most recent data (January to July 2024) published by the local plastics and rubber ma- chinery manufacturers association (VDMA), showing a 20-point drop in orders and a 9-point drop in rev- enues: in both cases the domestic market has suffered much more than sales abroad. Italian companies thus express a certain amount of concern for the performance of their industry and are very cautious in expressing ex-