CHINAPLAS debuted 30 years ago in 1980s Beijing. Perfect timing for an event ready to capitalise on China's then completely new open door foreign policy for trade.
ChinaPlas
With 140,000 expected visitors, 3,000 exhibitors and 3,800 machines on site, the 30th-anniversary event lives up to its reputation for being the world's second-largest plastics show and in organiser Adsale's official press conference delivered by General Manager Ada Leung and Chairman Stanley Chu, there was evidence of plenty of room for further growth.
In terms of quality, CHINA is still lagging behind Europe, Japan and the US but it is catching up and is the world's number one manufacturing market for plastics processing machinery production.
"How did CHINAPLAS achieve so much in 30 years," asked Chu "Firstly I think it has to be attributed to China's open-door reform and economic policy since 1978, CHINAPLAS could never have grown at such a pace [without this]."
"China is number two in the world in terms of GDP and could overtake the US GDP. In China we cover a wide range, automotive building, electronics, construction, packaging and medical, and all these industries are growing very fast."
The opportunity for growth in China for plastic is enormous, as many sectors are only just discovering the potential for the material to transform their products, particularly where environmental benefits are concerned. Chu cited lightweighting in automotive and packaging as the kingpin in the environmental benefits plastics holds for a market on the brink of embracing the green trend already maturing in Europe. This "driving force" is the theme for CHINAPLAS 2016, hence the theme 'Greenovation for a brighter future'.
Leung explained the symbolism of the logo for the 30th anniversary edition of CHINAPLAS, which comprises three circles growing from small to larger, from bottom to top, from incomplete to complete. This represents the growth of CHINAPLAS and how it has provided an increasingly complete cross section of the plastics processing industry and its services. The final circle also represents recycling, encompassing the full life cycle of recycled plastics.
The Greenovation them, Leung explained, applies to every plastics processor and every market. China is in a process of industrial upgrading and bringing in smart technology that reduces the carbon footprint of the machine, the process and the end product is vital to those who want to remain competitive on the world stage.