K 2013 in numbers

The doors have closed to K 2013 and it is time to do some sums. According to Messe Düsseldorf, there were 218 thousand visitors from over 120 countries at the fair. This is slightly lower than 2010, when 222,486 visitors were counted. However this dip was counterbalanced by the quality of the visitors, at least in the opinion of the Italian exhibitors surveyed by MacPlas. Comparing the two years in terms of total number of exhibitors, K 2013 witnessed an increase from 3,094 to 3,200.
Examining these data in greater detail, some 126,000 visitors (58%) came from abroad, nearly half from overseas. The largest group (30,000) came from Asia, most of them from India. Some 8,100 visitors arrived from the United States and Canada and close to 11,000 from Latin America. Among European visitors, the highest number were from Holland (8,000), followed by France, Belgium, Great Britain and Italy. There was also a significant number of people from Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary.
According to the organizers, a large number of visitors were middle or upper level managers, a good half of them playing a major role in investment planning for their companies. Many of the innovations on display during the 8 days of the fair regarded energy efficiency and resource savings, expressing the strong desire in the sector for economically and environmentally sustainable production.
Plants and machinery, the principal segment at K 2013 with some 1,900 exhibitors, was once again able to arouse great interest among the visitors. Assocomaplast (the Italian plastics and rubber processing machinery and moulds manufacturers' Association) was present at K 2013 with a stand covering approximately 70 square metres, where visitors had the chance to review the success story of the plastics and rubber industry in a multimedia gallery with videos on the development of processing techniques. There were also many designer objects on display that have been intimate parts of our fashions and lifestyles in recent decades. There were an impressive 232 Italian exhibitors just among the builders of machinery and auxiliary equipment (although the total number of Italian companies represented at the fair was over 400), the second largest delegation, after the masters of the house.
Even though many manufacturers no longer await this major three-year appointment to launch their latest products, the German fair is still the main event in the industry, acting as a sort of megaphone to communicate technological innovation to the world. "Once again it is clear that K still remains the most important event for the plastics and rubber industry. It represents the place where the most interesting new technologies and product developments are presented and where many orders are made. Visitors from abroad, in particular, have shown a desire to invest, and at least one out of two came to Düsseldorf with a well defined intention to make purchases," stated Messe Düsseldorf president and CEO, Werner Matthias.
While we await the final figures, which should be available in mid-November, the dates for the next K have been announced: 19-26 October 2016, in Düsseldorf.