A Plast in difficult times

All of this in the Plast Hall, but also in the same room and during the same days, takes place the fair Ipack-Ima, the encounter for the process and packaging technology. Is here where the suppliers of food and non food on the one hand and of industries technologies users on the other, meet, exchange ideas and opinions, do business and form alliances giving life to one of the communities most influential of the sector on a global scale.

In addition to the exhibition of products, the Plast fair becomes a point of interest in the parallel events that offers.

Wednesday, March 25:

• ' Processability of PVC films. Manufacturer and consumer warranty' (Centro di Dell'informazione sul PVC)
• ' Polymer engineering: education and research for tomorrow's industry' (LIM.pol)
• 'Plastics & Agriculture' - International Conference (Promaplast)

Thursday, March 26:

• ' Advanced composite materials: recent developments and opportunities for the national community "(Assocompositi)
• ' Creative Cesign: EPS Packaging' (AIPA)
• ' Plastics materials for packaging: news from the research' (AIM-Associazione Italiana di Scienza e Tecnologia delle Macromolecole, in cooperation with Italian Imballaggio Institute and with the support of Assocomaplast)
• ' Innovation in plastic coating' (Anver-Associazione Nazionale Verniciatori)
• ' Plastics and sustainable future' (PES Italy)

In regards to the visitors, the expectations are slightly optimistic, taking into account the nearly 8,000 pre-registrations in late January, 5% more in comparison with the same date in the previous edition.

It is also expected the arrival of 30 official delegations, trade missions organized in cooperation with the Trade Commission of Italy and sectoral associations of the industry in the various countries.

Plast 2009 is organized as well as 2009 Ipack-Ima, Grafitalia and Converflex, rooms dedicated to the packaging and packaging, graphic arts and converting sector.

According to forecasts made by Assocomaplast (Association of Confindustria which brings together about 200 builders of machines, equipment and moulds for plastics and rubber), in 2008 the sector failed to repeat the behaviors registered in 2007 (on the other hand the best year since 2000 until today) and, as summarized in the table of this article, production and both directions of Exchange is estimated to be closed 12 months with negative sign.

During 2008, production fell by 3.5% (the figure was not final at the close of this Edition,) exports by 3.4% and imports by 1.9%. As a result, the internal market and the balance of the balance of trade is estimated to have decreased respectively the 3.2 and 3.8 per cent.

As you know, this is the result of the profound crisis which has hit virtually all markets in the world in the second half of 2008, particularly from October onwards and linking to the builders of Italy with its major world competitors.

To confirm that, if we consider Italian exports of the sector in June of the year past (excluding the molds on tariff heading which has had a negative trend continued since January), connection to June 2007, there was still a growth in sales abroad equivalent to 7.4%.

In addition to the deep crisis of the moulds that recorded for the machines of injection (whose problems, however, are, at least in part, before the economic crisis of last fall). For both tariff items it is possible that the contraction of the foreign sales was at least 20%.

As regards forecasts for 2009, any hypothesis is risky and is very likely, not to say certain, that the year will close presided over by the negative sign. Quantify or make assumptions about the descent however is entirely premature and you must wait yet some months to have a clearer picture.

In this context, the first possible occasion will offer the triennial international exhibition Plast 2009, which will feature the presence of more than 1,200 exhibitors from over 40 countries. On the grounds of the FeriaMilano it will become apparent if the relationship oferta-demanda register the desired first signs of reversal of trend, especially for the Italian master builders, who remain at the top of the world rankings in the sector.

2007 2008 (estimates) 2009 (forecast)

4250 Production 4,100 3,800

Export 2.691 2,600 2,300

Import 612 600 500

Domestic market 2.171 2,100 2,000

Trade balance 2.079 2,000 1,800

This time, far more than in the previous fourteen, the Plast fair is an important event for exhibitors who will present their products in the pavilions of FieraMilano, for operators who will visit the stands of Italian and foreign companies and also for those who during these dates are in their offices or their homes thinking in the world economic situation and its implications for the rubber and plastics industry.

I would like to point out that, in reference to the scene of the show (not only Italian), seems that Plast has been less affected than other specialized fairs scheduled after hard and early signs of the crisis, back in the month of September 2008. The Organization of the fair has been very few cancellations, especially of international exhibitors, while the number of exhibitors that have requested and obtained a space slightly smaller requested initially is larger, but not much more.

A few weeks before the holding of the exhibition could estimate a reduction of 3,500 to 4,000 square metres of the total area occupied by comparison with the previous edition of 2006. The offer of the 1,300 exhibitors from some 40 countries, who will occupy seven halls, will be complete and relevant. Not only will cover the sectors of machinery, equipment and molds, but also raw materials (Virgin and recycling), semi-manufactured products and rubber products.

For our Association, whose business Promaplast organizes the Plast trade fair, the fair is important to try to clarify, as far as possible, the horizon in the short term for those companies that process or used plastics and rubbers. We have to recognize that the backlog is really tense but, on the other hand, the Outlook for 2009 for other operators remains stable. A number of Italian and foreign visitors who have shown interest in new technologies will meet in Milan.

A visit to the fair will allow everyone to see who is investing, who will invest in the short term, and who is really going through problems in this world crisis situation.

In conclusion, there are many reasons to be concerned, but it is worth highlighting the continuity of the orders in the sectors of the plastics (packaging of food, agriculture, domestic appliances, etc.) less affected by the industrial crisis. Nor should we forget that the trend of the consumption of plastics and rubbers is still on the upside, which represents a fundamental issue in our expectations of recovery.

Currently agriculture consumes two billion tons of polymers, of which most are used for roofs (greenhouses, tunnels and membranes of control), although other possible applications are allocated to the container and packaging, membranes of sealing, irrigation tubes, etc. It is known that coverage systems creating conditions of microclimates or modify existing situations to grow in areas where conditions are not always adequate, or in order to raise crops for which ground is ready of course.

The materials used for roofs must meet a range of properties, both for the installation and use, as to their treatment at the end of its life cycle.

The materials used must preserve its physical, mechanical and optical properties and, moreover, have to be recyclable. The ability to maintain the intrinsic characteristics over time, your life, is also needed in other types of applications. More specialized and technical applications are tanks to store water, often located underground for many years, so it must ensure precise functional benefits, as well as a high secrecy. And all this must be equal for years. All this requires sophisticated technology able to optimally exploit the properties of the polymers used, in order to manufacture products processed or semi-processed high-tech for the agricultural sector, in which more that in others, there is a growing awareness on the environmental impact and recyclability of materials.

The interior of the car, one of the sectors that uses composites of plastics with natural fibers, will grow a 9.9% in 2009.

The Petfood sector growth, passes through Ipack-Ima 2009; the pet food market is dodging the blows of the crisis affecting the entire sector of consumer goods. The latest data from the international institutes such as Iri and Euromonitor International have registered only a slight drop in recent months. The level of growth over the past five years, has been on average of 5% per year, with + 5.2% in 2007. In Ipack-Ima, the fair for the packaging and technologies in agro-industrial processing, to be held from 24 to 28 March 2009 at the Milan fair, a specific thematic route will be devoted to the technologies and materials for the pet food sectorPetfood.

The production and distribution of food for large wakes up pets interest for the packaging sector. It's a sector that each day is more varied by the type of preparation and segmentation between greater consumer products and Premium products. Speaking of numbers, the Italian market, in a 90% composed of food for dogs and cats, it is about 500,000 tons per year, 58% is imported and 42% is produced in our country. In terms of value (source: report Assalco 2008), refers to more than 1.3 billion euros in 2007, including also the 'Snack & treats', all the delicacies, which of itself weighs 44 million euros.