“New Productive Forces” to Bring Plastics & Rubber Industries to New Heights

More than 160 industry representatives attended the CHINAPLAS

After a 6-year absence, CHINAPLAS, the world‘s leading plastics and rubber trade fair, is ready to make a strong comeback to Shanghai on April 23-26, 2024, at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (NECC), Hongqiao, Shanghai, PR China. To mark this special occasion, CHINAPLAS - Ready to Roll at Shanghai Kick-off Gala was held in Shanghai on March 28. More than 160 industry representatives attended the event in person and over 10,000 industry players participated online to witness the thrilling moment, sailing through high winds toward a brighter future together.

Ms. Ada Leung, General Manager, Adsale Exhibition Services Ltd.

“We are glad to announce a record-breaking show scale of this year. The number of exhibitors hits a new high of 4,420, an increase of 12% compared to the 2018 edition in Shanghai, while the total exhibition area reaches 380,000 sqm. In response to the strong demand for technological innovation, cost reduction and efficiency enhancement, and energy saving and carbon reduction among the industry, the exhibition highlights 'circular economy', 'innovative materials', 'digitalization' and 'high-end technologies from China', showcasing the top achievements in plastics and rubber technology, as well as the upgrading of the industry and collaborative innovations, to inject impetus into the new productive forces," said Ms. Ada Leung, General Manager, Adsale Exhibition Services Ltd., the organizer of the exhibition.

Setting Sail towards High-quality Development with “New Productive Forces”

“New productive forces” play a leading role in innovation, breaking away from traditional economic growth models and paths of productive development. They possess characteristics of high technology, high efficiency, and high quality, aligning with the advanced productive forces that embody the new development concepts. The formation of “new productive forces” cannot be achieved without continuous breakthroughs in technological innovation. In response to market demand, CHINAPLAS 2024 will introduce high-quality plastics and rubber innovative solutions and there will be concurrent events to help the plastics and rubber industry players explore the "new productive forces".

At the upcoming CHINAPLAS, a grand stage for the plastics and rubber industries, leading enterprises take the forefront, while small and medium-sized enterprises compete vigorously, showcasing their expertise and innovative products and technologies. The show features a wide range of renowned exhibitors, including industry giants like BASF, DuPont, Covestro, LG Chem, Evonik, Mitsubishi Chemical, Polyplastics, Lyondellbasell, Borouge, Clariant, Sinopec, Wanhua Chemical, PetroChina, Sinochem Plastics, Kingfa, Wote, Arburg, Brueckner, Engel, Chen Hsong, Haitian International, Yizumi, Jwell, Borch, Shaanxi Beiren, Liansu, Tederic and many others. These leading companies proudly showcase their flagship products, demonstrating their exceptional capabilities and expertise in the field.

Among the exhibitors this year, over 800 companies have been recognized as “Professionalization, Refinement, Specialization and Innovation (PRSI)” enterprises, with more than 250 of them awarded as a “Little Giant”. These shining stars in the plastics and rubber industries showcase their local research and development of advanced machinery and innovative material solutions, promoting "High-end Technologies from China" to the global market.

Alongside the exhibition, the "World Trends & Plastics & Rubber Technology Summit" will be held, focusing on emerging industries such as new energy vehicles, photovoltaic, wind power, lithium-ion, hydrogen energy, energy storage, packaging, electrical and electronic. The summit aims to explore hot topics such as " The Global Plastics & Rubber Industries: Megatrends, Opportunities & Challenges," " Digitalization for Industrial Transformation and Sustainability," " Innovative Technology for Green Energy," and " Innovative Technology for Electric Vehicles."

Top-notch speakers from authoritative plastics and rubber associations and industry leaders from China, Germany, Italy, the United States, India, Malaysia, Mexico, Brazil and other countries will share insights on the development trends, opportunities, and challenges in the key global markets and emerging markets. The summit will also promote technological leadership, industry upgrading, and commitment to sustainable development in the plastics and rubber industries.

Tech Talk, another concurrent event will revolve around five main themes: “Advanced Packaging Solutions”, “Eco-friendly Solutions”, “Automotive Plastic Solutions”, “3D Printing” and “2024 New Materials”, featuring over 30 cutting-edge technologies which are the latest, hottest, and most groundbreaking in their respective fields.

Anchoring towards Smart and Green Directions by Embracing “New Productive Forces”

“New productive forces” encompass both intelligent and green aspects. CHINAPLAS will feature “Injection Molding Machinery & Smart Manufacturing Tech Zone,” “Auxiliary & Testing Equipment Zone” and “3D Tech Zone”.

These areas will comprehensively showcase AI-enabled plastic molding, machine vision and AI, AI-based visible light sorting machines, robotics and automation, high-speed and stable mechanical arms, digital platforms, solutions that achieve fully automated interconnection of multiple production processes, digital twinning, and other "digitalization and smart manufacturing" technologies. These demonstrations vividly illustrate how digitalization enhances the efficiency and productivity of manufacturing processes.

In the specialized areas dedicated to topics related to circular economy and sustainability, such as the “Recycled Plastics Zone”, “Bioplastics Zone”, and “Recycling Tech Zone”, the latest green plastic materials and processing technologies will be showcased. These include post-consumer recycled polycarbonate, sustainable TPE, CO₂-based multifunctional plastics, bio-based plastics, biodegradable plastics, bottle sorting machines, chemical recycling technologies, innovative materials for energy storage and charging, and many more. These exhibits will shine with their innovative solutions and contributions to sustainability.

Centered around three main themes: "Plastic Recycling & Fashion Trends", "Recycling & New Plastics Economy", and "Industrial Linkage and Low Carbon in All Fields", the organizers will hold the "Plastics Recycling & Circular Economy Conference and Showcase" concurrently. Senior government officials and leading industry organizations, brands, materials and machinery suppliers will be invited from around the world to participate in the conference and share their insights on hot topics in the circular economy, covering international trends and policies of plastics recycling, leading regions' experiences in recycling and sorting, as well as innovative achievements of recycling and utilization.

Discussing Four Major Trends: Innovative Technology Gaining Momentum

Ms. Samantha Zhang, Project Director of Sales and Marketing, Adsale Exhibition Services Ltd.

China's manufacturing industry is at the forefront of transformation and upgrading in the new era. At the CHINAPLAS Returns to Shanghai Kick-off Gala, Ms. Samantha Zhang, Project Director of Sales and Marketing, Adsale Exhibition Services Ltd., shared highlights of the upcoming CHINAPLAS 2024 exhibition. She mentioned that circular economy, innovative materials, digitization & intelligent manufacturing, and high-end technology made in China are important development trends in the industry, which are the focus of this year's exhibition. One can get a glimpse of these trends from the sharing of well-known exhibitors and buyer representatives at the Kick-off Gala.

During the speech, Mr. Lu Jianbo, Manager of Sustainability Development and Innovative Applications, BASF, mentioned that through the ChemCycling® business, BASF plans to expand the use of chemically recycled plastic waste as raw materials in collaboration with partners. He also previewed the showcase of "Quality Balanced PA66 Containing Post-Consumer Plastic Waste from Asia" at CHINAPLAS 2024.

Mr. Xu Bin, Deputy General Manager of Haitian Plastics Machinery Global Industry Line, Haitian International Holdings Ltd.

Mr. Xu Bin, Deputy General Manager of Haitian Plastics Machinery Global Industry Line, Haitian International Holdings Ltd., believes that with the upgrading of the industry standards, the demand for intelligentization in injection molding machines is increasing. Focusing on the future of injection molding in China, Mr. Xu introduced Haitian's 5th generation technologies, including injection compression technology, optical grid low-pressure injection molding process, polyurethane in-mold coating process, in-mold electronics (IME) process, and lightweight micro-foaming technology. These innovations can be applied in automotive display screen protectors, interior and exterior parts, battery brackets, and more.

Mr. Xu Mingxian, Chief Technology Officer, Motan Taicang Co., Ltd., shared the company's digital auxiliary equipment. Compared to traditional plastic processing methods, it helps reduce costs, energy consumption, and achieve better process control without compromising quality. He presented the "Motan’s Agile Digitalization Strategy and its Contribution to Enterprise Development."

Mr. Wang Shaojie, Application Development Manager, Wanhua Chemical Group Co., Ltd.

Mr. Wang Shaojie, Application Development Manager, Wanhua Chemical Group Co., Ltd., introduced the innovative applications of high-performance materials such as PA12, PC, PMMA and POE in the fields of automotive, home appliance and circular economy. These applications promote the high-quality development of the plastics industry.

Representatives from buyers analyzed industry trends and market demands from an application perspective. Mr. Si Chen, Director of Business and Sustainable Development at Amcor (China) Investment Co., Ltd., provided insights into the sustainable development trends of flexible packaging. He also shared solutions such as high-performance single-material packaging, the world's first PCR material food contact packaging, RFID packaging, and AR-enhanced interactive packaging.

Mr. Sun Zhejun, Purchasing Manager, SAIC Volkswagen Automotive Co., Ltd.

Mr. Sun Zhejun, Procurement Manager, SAIC Volkswagen Automotive Co., Ltd., discussed the impact of cost control and environmental requirements on the selection of raw materials by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), as well as the new opportunities brought by the collaboration between raw material suppliers and OEMs. Mr. Sun mentioned that new materials can replace traditional processes, thereby reduce material costs, and improve production efficiency. He looks forward to close cooperation with raw material suppliers through shorter information chains to jointly build a stable and agile supply chain system.

Seizing New Opportunities in Foreign Trade: Expecting a Significant Increase in Overseas Visitors

The development of high-quality "importing" and high-level "exporting" is driving the advancement of new productive forces. In 2023, China's export value of its "three new products", namely electric vehicles, lithium-ion batteries and solar cells, exceeded RMB 1 trillion which is equivalent to USD 141 billion for the first time, marking nearly a 30% increase. "Going overseas" has become a pivotal strategy for Chinese enterprises. Despite the relatively slow global economic recovery, Asia maintains its growth momentum, with emerging markets and developing economies in Asia expecting a growth rate of 5.40% in 2023. Owing to the factors such as costs and the international environment, many companies have accelerated their expansion into developing countries such as Southeast Asia and Latin America, seizing opportunities in the evolving global industrial and supply chain landscape. China's continuous technological innovation in plastics and rubber machinery and materials has significantly enhanced its competitiveness in overseas markets, facilitating a rapid expansion in overseas presence. This has laid a robust foundation for inviting overseas visitors to CHINAPLAS.

As of early March, China has granted visa-free entry to a number of Asian and European countries, and has also introduced new measures to simplify visa processes. While China is expanding its visa-free access, CHINAPLAS 2024 has also intensified its efforts to attract foreign visitors.

Visitors from over 120 countries and regions have already completed pre-registration, with overseas buyers accounting for approximately 25%. The number of pre-registrations from overseas buyers not only represents an increase of over 175% compared to the same period last year (as of Mar 24), but also sets a new record. The exhibition is to welcome over 360 visiting groups, with more than 70 coming from overseas, including notable organizations such as Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers, Indonesian Packaging Federation, Vietnam Plastics Association, Pakistan Plastic Manufacturers Association, Thai Auto-Parts Manufacturers Association, The All India Plastics Manufacturers’ Association, 18. Turkish Plastics Industrialists’ Association, Polish Recycling Association, etc. It is projected that this year's exhibition will receive 270,000 local and overseas visitors from around the world.

Witnessing the Return of CHINAPLAS to Shanghai

Mr. Chen Guokang, Vice President and Secretary-General, Shanghai Society of Plastic Industry

“CHINAPLAS has evolved and developed hand in hand with China's plastics and rubber industries. Over the years, it fostered and witnessed the global integration and innovative development of the industry," Mr. Chen Guokang, Vice President and Secretary-General, Shanghai Society of Plastic Industry remarked. "We can find the trend-setting highlights for global plastics and rubber industries at each edition of the show. This year's event is set to once again be another highly anticipated gathering within the industry."

CHINAPLAS 2024 is around the corner. The online pre-registration to the exhibition is open till April 17, 2024, 17:00 (GMT +8). All visitors are required to pre-register and reserve the entry dates in advance for admission correspondingly. Click HERE to pre-register now for an admission ticket at RMB 50 or USD 7.5. Pre-registered visitors shall receive their Visitor eBadges (for local visitors) or eConfirmations Letter (for overseas visitors). Admission tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis.