Chinaplas 2011

Recently, Colin Hindle (SPRA Education Officer) and I travelled out to the Chinaplas 2011 Fair in Guangzhou (17th – 20th May), to see what the 25th International Plastics and Rubber Exhibition had to offer. We travelled from the UK via Hong Kong, and by train up to Guangzhou. In Hong Kong we spent almost as much time waiting for connecting UK flights as we did touring the halls in Guangzhou.

Fair Facts

The fair was split into three sections:
the Chinese Export Machinery and Materials Halls;
the International Machinery Halls, which displayed mainly moulding machinery and plastics and rubber equipment;
and finally the Chemicals and Raw Materials Halls.
It was noticeable that the quality of Chinese equipment is improving. The fair registered over 94,000 visitors, up from 82,000 on last year’s Shanghai fair. 20% of visitors came from overseas.

The British Dimension

Support was given to British exhibitors by UK Trade and Investment, the UK government’s trade promotion arm. The British Consul General in Southern China, Alastair Morgan, made a visit to the British stands. If companies wish to make contact with the UKTI in China then they can contact Jackie Mullen at the Guangzhou Consulate.

The Scottish Dimension

Of the exhibitors almost 35 countries and regions took part, including John McGavigan, a Scottish plastics manufacturer, who journeyed from Bishopbriggs in Glasgow to promote their wares. Safeglass Europe Ltd from East Kilbride took part in the BPF mission sponsored by the UKTI and used the visit to expand its customer base and has since taken almost £250,000 of orders from the region. Many of the visitors to the British stands were Chinese recyclers in search of UK plastics waste.

Eco-friendly China

The theme selected by the organisers, Adsale, for the Exhibition Conference was - ‘Eco-friendly Plastics’. Over 50 speakers from around the world spoke over the 3 day event. Philip Law (Public & Industrial Affairs Director at the British Plastics Federation) gave a keynote speech and spoke about the role and expertise within the BPF’s Bio-based and Degradable Plastics Group. Chris Dow of Closed Loop Recycling also spoke on the future of plastics recycling technology. An interesting exhibit displayed at the Fair was a tree fashioned out of more than 3000 recycled plastic bottles. The art installation aimed to beat a Guinness world record and visitors were encouraged to add bottles to the design.

Next Year’s Fair 2012

The Chinaplas Fair flips venue between Guangzhou and Shanghia. Adsale are confident of selling out for Chinaplas next year. The only concern for them is the availability of energy and the avoidance of power interruptions.

Summing up

Overall, we thought Chinaplas 2011 and Hong Kong was very impressive and provided a great business opportunity for local and international businesses alike, well worth a visit next year.

Ralph McNeill, SPRA Council Member. July 2011