July Mohedano - Director of IMAPC

The Spanish companies in the plastics and rubber machinery have always offered to processing firms ingenious and creative solutions. For this reason, plastics and rubber machinery sector is at the forefront of European technology and covers the needs of the transformers with an adequate level of speed and effectiveness.

However, the level of competitiveness of companies in other countries and the demands of the transformers grows constantly, what offer can not domirse on their laurels. Together with ongoing efforts to promote national and international levels, the offer must watch for new applications that take place in different industrial sectors to respond just at the right time.

The Spanish Association of manufacturers of machinery for plastic and rubber (Imapc) is a professional non-profit that brings together most of the companies in its sector of activity. The Association is an active member since 1974 by the European Committee of machinery manufacturers for plastic and rubber (Euromap) and particpa actively in all areas.

The primary objectives of the Association include the improvement of the levels of competitiveness and development of the sector in general and its partners in particular, as well as the promotion of exports of the Member companies.

Imapc also acts as liaison Representative of the sector in its relations with national, regional administrations and national and international agencies and power a wide range of services able to respond to the needs of their businesses.

The sector is composed of some 50 companies, which carry out their activity in eight main areas of activity, which gives account of their capacity to adapt. The fields of action are the extrusion and thermoforming, blow-moulding, welding, pressing, flexography, injection, molds and machinery of preparation and assistants. In recent years, the most dynamic subsectors in export have been those of machinery extrusion, injection and flexography.

Europe is the Spanish companies of the sector's largest export market, as they go to more than half of the foreign sales. America is also a very important market, with approximately 37 per cent of the total exports, followed by Africa and Middle East, with 7 percent, and Asia and Oceania distributed the remaining 4 per cent.

The Asian market, despite being now the least important, is that offers greater potential. Why the Association is making notable efforts to promote the Spanish sector in the countries of South-East Asia and the Pacific basin and provide information for these countries to their partners.

The main line of action of the Imapc is, however, to give a few tips customized to their partners. The Association offers companies a competent responsible in each sector of activity likely to propose guidelines and practical recommendations for a better approach to foreign countries. Since the election of the most interesting markets until the preparation of a journey of exploration through any other query relating to their field of activity.

Imapc offers to its partners, as well as personalized consultation, general services of information, training, counselling, promotion, administration and documentation and studies.

Increasingly there is the world largest number of regulations relating to issues of quality and safety. These laws can be halted sales in foreign markets and in the interior, as many binding, but they also provide an opportunity for companies who are well informed and work according to the strictest international criteria.

Any entrepreneur must be constantly attentive to the changes that occur in their environment and its sector of activity, but the manufacturer of industrial machinery for plastics and rubber it must be especially because many are parameters that make you to remain competitive.