K 2022 meets the highest expectations

The joy of the plastics and rubber industry at finally being able to exchange ideas on a global level again after three years shaped the course of K 2022 Düsseldorf and ensured an excellent atmosphere among the 3,037 exhibitors. The companies reported extraordinarily good contacts and a clear willingness of trade visitors to invest, the establishment of promising new customer relationships and numerous, sometimes spontaneous business deals.

"The K in Düsseldorf has once again fulfilled the highest expectations. It continues to be the most international, complete and innovative trade fair for the global plastics and rubber industry," says Erhard Wienkamp, Managing Director of Messe Düsseldorf, pleased with the good result, adding: "The trade fair impressively demonstrated how valuable personal networking, chance encounters and physical brand and product experiences are. We are very pleased that K 2022 was able to send out strong signals as an innovation driver in the industry and that our exhibitors did business with numerous international customers with a high level of decision-making authority."

176,000 trade visitors from all continents travelled to Düsseldorf for their most important industry event. The proportion of international guests at K 2022 remained at a consistently high level of over 70 percent.

Ulrich Reifenhäuser, Chairman of the Exhibitor Advisory Board of K 2022, is also very positive: "After hardly any trade fairs could take place worldwide in the last three years, even at national level, K 2022, as the world's leading trade fair, was all the more eagerly awaited by the plastics and rubber industry and was able to provide new impetus in all areas of our industry. The many, sometimes unexpected concrete contract negotiations that were conducted at the trade fair speak for themselves!" 

Although the current unpredictability and unpredictability of events is causing a tense overall situation in the industry, this did not detract from the commitment of exhibitors and the interest of visitors, quite the contrary: "K 2022 was the ideal place right now – in turbulent times and when the plastics industry is in the midst of the transformation process towards a circular economy. to actively set the course for the future together," says Ulrich Reifenhäuser.

Above all, the wealth of new technological developments presented by raw material producers, mechanical engineers and plastics processors for the implementation of the circular economy, resource conservation and climate protection impressed the trade visitors. Ulrich Reifenhäuser comments: "It is clear that the need to face up to social responsibility and to think sustainably about plastics from the beginning of the process chain has reached all companies. The variety of solutions, machines and products for the transformation to a circular economy shown at K 2022 was incredible."

The trade visitors to this year's K came to the Rhine from 157 nations. In addition to Germany, the nations strongly represented on the visitor side were the Netherlands, Italy, Turkey, France, Belgium, Poland and Spain. With a share of 42 percent from overseas, K's reach among international trade visitors is as strong as usual. While guests from East Asia in particular were less strongly represented than at K three years ago due to the currently difficult conditions in these countries due to quarantine regulations, numerous visitors from the USA, Brazil and India were welcomed at K 2022.

For around two-thirds of all visitors surveyed, mechanical and plant engineering ranked first in terms of interest in the offer. 57 percent, five percent more than at K 2019, declared that they were interested in raw materials and auxiliary materials, with recyclates and bioplastics being particularly popular. For 28 percent, semi-finished products and technical parts made of plastic and rubber were the main reason for their coming (multiple answers possible). More than 70 percent of all visitors belong to top and middle management.

Visitors to K 2022 gave top marks for the completeness of the product range and the mapping of the entire supply chain. 98 percent of all professionals stated that they had fully achieved the goals associated with their visit.

During the eight days of the fair, it became clear that this year's K was exactly right with the selection of its hot topics, circular economy, climate protection and digitization. In terms of investment intentions, machinery and equipment for processing and recycling stood out at 43 percent. Particular focus was placed on sustainability, but also circular economy and energy/resource efficiency in production. Around 40 percent of decision-makers stated that they were dealing with the topic of decarbonisation.

The K's specials, which also focused on the three hot topics, were also very well received. The official special show Plastics shape the future focused on the economic, social and ecological challenges and solutions around the K key topics in top-class discussions and lectures and booked consistently well-filled ranks. The Circular Economy Forum, in which the VDMA and 13 of its member companies impressively illustrated the importance of technology in the implementation of circular economy in the plastics industry, scored with an international audience with live demonstrations and a lot of in-depth knowledge as well as detailed information on the topic.

There was also much discussion at this year's K in Düsseldorf about the global language of production, OPC UA, with which the processing parameters of the machines and devices involved can be coordinated more precisely and in a more targeted manner. This, in turn, is considered an important prerequisite for optimized circular guidance. 40 companies from eight countries took part in an OPC UA demonstration project at the trade fair.

In the Science Campus, both exhibitors and visitors to K 2022 were given a concentrated overview of scientific activities and results in the plastics and rubber sector. Numerous universities, institutes and funding organisations offered the opportunity for direct dialogue.

Numerous pupils, trainees and students took advantage of the offer of the plastics training initiative (KAI) to find out about professions and career opportunities in the plastics industry.

The next K in Düsseldorf will take place from 8 to 15 October 2025.