CHINAPLAS 2018 unveils future trends

As China continues to implement reforms and a more open policy, its economic and technological sectors have been changing rapidly. The country’s plastics and rubber industries, which are fundamental sectors, are growing significantly as well. New materials and processing technologies continue to emerge, and propel the expansion of upstream and downstream industries. 

 

CHINAPLAS 2018 takes place on April 24 – 27, 2018 in a new venue, National Exhibition and Convention Center (NECC), in Hongqiao, Shanghai, PR China. CHINAPLAS, the number 1 plastics and rubber trade fair in Asia, is a reflection of how China’s main sectors are developing fast. China’s mega event for the plastics and rubber industries focuses on “Smart Manufacturing”, “Innovative Materials”, “Green Solutions” this year. The exhibition area at NECC spans around 400,000 sq.m.– 30% more than that of the 2016 edition of the show in its old venue in Shanghai. More important, the new venue houses around 4,000 exhibitors from around the world, who are located in well-organised theme zones.  

 

Adsale Exhibition Services Ltd., the show’s organiser, continuously expands the event’s scale and upgrade its quality. The NECC is shaped like a blooming “four-leaf clover" and is considered the largest single block building and exhibition complex in the world. The whole exhibition site consists of 13 large exhibition halls and three small exhibition halls. There are conference rooms with different specifications and settings among the halls. The central area is a commercial plaza providing abundant catering services. CHINAPLAS is expected to attract more than 180,000 professional visitors from over 150 countries or regions.

 

 

New Theme Zones   

To bring visitors a good and convenient experience, the show organiser rearranged the overall theme zone layout. Exhibits of the same category are arranged near each other and conveniently situated. Different European pavilions are gathered in Hall 2H at CHINAPLAS 2018.  

 

CHINAPLAS 2018 also introduces a “3D Technology Zone” and a “Thermoplastic Elastomers & Rubber Zone”. To cater to the demands of customisation and small-batch production, with the aim of shortening development cycle time and reducing costs arising from Industry 4.0, CHINAPLAS sets up a “3D Technology Zone” to group together the vendors and providers of 3D printing (additive manufacturing) technologies. The new theme zone and the concurrent event “The 3rd Industry 4.0 Conference” complement each other, providing a comprehensive experience for the enterprises interested in 3D printing technology and “smart manufacturing.” 

 

In recent years, the market is accelerating for energy-saving, environmentally friendly and lightweight thermoplastic elastomers. They are widely used in the automotive, electronics and electrical, medical and footwear industries. Thus, CHINAPLAS introduces the "Thermoplastic Elastomers & Rubber Zone" to the “Chemicals & Raw Materials Zone.”  

  

Exciting events add value

The world is shifting into high gear on sustainability and China, being one of the major manufacturing countries of cars, has put emphasis on the development of energy-saving and new energy automobiles in its "Made in China 2025" strategy. According to a report in January 2018 by the China Association of Automobile Manufactures, production of new energy automobiles in 2017 amounted to 794,000, a year-on-year growth of 53.8%. "Innovation is Key to the Future", theme of CHINAPLAS 2018, is architected around to call for electric, lightweight and intelligent vehicles. The them is replete with high-tech, energy-saving and environmentally friendly solutions for automotive industry by more than 1,500 exhibitors.

 

The “Automotive 4.0” seminar in the past edition was a well-received full house event that Adsale Exhibition Services Ltd. once again co-organises with German Engineering Federation (VDMA) the “3rd Industry 4.0 Conference” where well-known exhibitors jointly explain actual applications of their technologies with visitors, bringing insights into smart manufacturing from multiple perspectives.  

 

Other concurrent events include “Tech Talk”, “Medical Plastics Connect” and “CMF Inspiration for Design x Innovation.” The organiser introduced “Tech Talk” last year to enrich the technology content of CHINAPLAS, creating a platform for international exhibitors to launch their state-of-the-art products. “Smart Manufacturing” which offers insights into automation/robotics, micro-injection moulding, digitalisation/informatisation, in-mould labelling,  Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) and 3D printing. “Innovative Materials" looks at lightweighting, thin-wall moulding, micro-foaming, multi-functionality, spray-free, anti-UV, anti-bacterial, and flame-retardant materials, etc. “Green Solutions” focuses on sustainability and topics such as biodegradable materials, low VOCs, energy saving, and recycling.