ArabPlast 2005 records USD396 million worth of business deals

Announcing the robust results, Al Fajer Information & Services, organisers of the show, said the record success of the seventh edition of ArabPlast this year is a strong and direct indication of the rising potential of the Middle East's rubber and plastics industry and the increasing contribution of this sector to regional economies.

Commenting on the overwhelming response to the show, Mr. Satish Khanna, General Manager, Al Fajer Information & Services, said, 'The Middle East is witnessing an expansion in both production capacities as well as consumption levels. Besides, it is the world's largest exporter, offloading 80 per cent of its output to international markets. Arab Plast 2005 showcased the latest technologies and traced market trends of this burgeoning industry. The spectacular response to the 2005 edition was a clear indication of growing international interest in the Middle East's plastics industry.'

He said ArabPlast 2005 held from March 20-23, was attended by 9,657 industry professionals from 58 countries as compared to 6,542 visitors from 18 countries in its 2003 edition.

Exhibitors showcasing their latest technology in plastic manufacturing at the fair said the Middle East held tremendous potential for industrial machinery given the rapid expansion of, and huge investments in, its manufacturing sector.

The largest group of exhibitors was from Austria, China, Germany, Italy, India, Korea Taiwan and UAE. The official German group, whose participation was the largest in ArabPlast, was led by the German Ministry (AUMA).

Besides the vibrant market potential, the strong European presence at Arabplast was also due to the fact that, Messe Dusseldorf, - organisers of the world number 1 plastics fair, K -- amassed their expertise in bringing such an impressive display of European exhibitors. Both Al Fajer of Dubai & Messe Dusseldorf of Germany are having joint partnership cooperation for promoting the ArabPlast edition of exhibitions.

'The show provided an ideal platform to interact and build new alliances for new entrants who wished to penetrate regional markets,' Mr. Khanna said. The large participation from various countries is an acknowledgement of the region's leading position in global petrochemical markets, Mr. Khanna added.

Leading manufacturers/suppliers participating in the show included Reinfenhauser, Krauss Mafeii, DME, Starlinger, Bielloni, Borouge, ExxonMobil, Qatar Petrochemicals, Astra Polymers, Clariant, EnerPlastics, Reliance Industries Iran Petrochemicals, Intergulf, Chen Hsong, Akdeniz, Qaroh Products, Oman Polypropelene, Modern Plastics, Ferromatik-milacron, Plastiblends, Kabra Extrusion, Kai Mei Plastics, Chern Hrong, and so on.

The exhibition was held alongside the Arab Plast summit which projected crucial trends and the changing dynamics of global petrochemical industry. The summit, addressed by industry experts and heads of leading companies, discussed challenges and opportunities faced by the changing Middle Eastern market.

A report released by McKinsey at the Arab Plast summit cited a shift in the petrochemical business from the West to the East, backed by the region's advantages of low-cost feedstock, cheap labour, rising demand and new technologies. The Middle East is expected to account for 40 per cent of the new ethylene capacity by 2010, while its polyethylene trade to East Asia is expected to grow by 119 per cent by 2010.

On display at Arab Plast 2005 exhibition were new products and technologies in injection moulding, blow moulding, wrapping & packaging, pre and post plastic processing techniques as well as raw materials such as masterbatches, additives and polymers.

It covered a wide spectrum of plastic machinery, plastic/rubber processing technology, pre and post-processing systems, plastic packaging technology, injection moulding, blow moulding, wrapping technology, extrusions, chemicals and additives, semi finished goods, engineering plastics, plastic products and many more.

The next edition of ArabPlast, which will be bigger than the current one, is scheduled to be held from January 13-16, 2007, at Dubai International Exhibition Centre.