Polymer Insights, present and future of plastics

On March 13, the Sheraton Milan Malpensa provided the venue for the fourth Polymer Insights conference, an annual event organised by ChemOrbis Italia. Over 70 participants from Italy and other countries (Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and Turkey) listened to the various reports which provided an update on the current state of the plastic materials industry and looked at the lines along which it may evolve in 2014 and in the medium term (3-5 years), both in Europe and worldwide.
The opening presentation by Maurilio Sartor (Adaci) seemed to show that the chance of a recovery is now within sight for the Italian economy too - a recovery that will be much better exploited if the companies manage to organise themselves appropriately, as underlined by Alessandro Grecu (SGC Grecu Consulting) in his talk on "lean plastics". The reports focusing on the different polymers described the problems relating to each of the markets and the opportunities they offer. Among the future trends, the continually increasing importance of China and other spot markets in setting prices and price trends was reiterated.
Mario Maggiani (Assocomaplast) also struck an optimistic note, underlining the importance of the plastic materials and rubber sector in Italy. In the same way, the talk by Simon Philibert (Fédération de la Plasturgie et des Composites) was much appreciated. With regard to processing, Fabrizio Tassinari (Coopbox) set out the problems facing buyers and underlined the importance of pursuing innovation as a means of competing at global level.