With 972 exhibitors and a total of 19,080 visitors from 39 countries, ArabPlast 2017 proved once again that it is the leading marketplace for the world to talk plastics in the UAE and wider Middle East.
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The eighth ArabPlast was hosted by the Dubai World Trade Centre and the four-day event seemed to really be perfecting its focus on quality over quantity and bringing a sense of Middle Eastern identity to plastics processing in the MENA region.
Led by principal sponsor Borouge, the theme of corporate responsibility and sustainability loomed large, with recyclable packaging and efficient machinery pushing a new class of plastics processing that is low on material waste, low on downtime and low on carbon footprint.
Among the biggest machinery stories to come from the halls were Arburg's Middle Eastern premiere of the Allrounder Golden Electric injection moulding machine, the electric entry-level machine for the precise, energy-efficient production of sophisticated moulded parts. WM Thermoforming Machines brought its new Twist 500 tilting concept to the Middle East for the first time after a year of after launching it at K 2016. Bunting Magnetics came home with some quality leads, sold an FF Drawer Gate Magnet and even lightened its load home by selling its display equipment to a very eager buyer. Finally, ENGEL's stand showcased how quality means competitiveness with its caps and closures systems and plastic pallet manufacturing machinery.
On the materials side, A. Schulman and NATPET highlighted their Polyfort and Polyflam PP joint venture, Milliken shone the spotlight on its technology-leading clarifiers and nucleators for PP resin, and Borouge held a number of seminars to better inform visitors of how its advanced materials solutions for a range of applications including packaging, agriculture and energy are unmatched in the market.
"For the Middle East, this has become the main show," ENGEL's Andreas Leitner told us at ArabPlast. "It's good to be here to see existing customers and new customers. This is an exciting place to be."