The first deadline for applications, January 31, registered more than 600 companies which have confirmed their participation in Plast 2018 (the international exhibition for the plastics and rubber industries, which will take place in Milan from May 29 to June 1, 2018), reserving an area about two thirds as big as that occupied in 2015.

This is a noteworthy result, particularly in the light of the fact that many Italian and foreign exhibitors have reaffirmed their intention to display plants and systems in operation, thus providing an exhaustive and up-to-date technology showcase.

Plast 2018 confirms its stature as the most important European event for the sector in 2018. Together with parallel tradeshows in The Innovation Alliance (Ipack-Ima, Meat-Tech, Print4All and Intralogistica Italia), Plast 2018 will occupy all halls at FieraMilano, representing the second largest event to be hosted there, after Salone del Mobile.

The upcoming edition will feature three satellite shows dedicated to three areas of industrial excellence: Rubber (in its third edition, with content true to its name), 3D Plast (second edition, focusing on 3D printing and related technologies), and Plast-Mat (debuting in 2018 and dedicated to innovative plastic materials solutions).

In the meantime, the organizing office is continuing its intense promotional campaign. After its presence at a number of fairs in January - from India to Russia, Germany to the United Arab Emirates - Plast 2018 will be present in the coming months at Koplas (Seoul, March 7-11), Plastico Brasil (São Paulo, March 20-24), Plastexpo (Casablanca, April 5-8), Chinaplas (Guangzhou, May 16-19), Plastpol (Kielce, May 23-26), FIP (Lyon, June 13-16).

The interest in Plast 2018 registered by businesses is an important signal, complemented by the moderate optimism expressed in recent weeks by companies in the plastics and rubber industries - especially machinery manufacturers and processors surveyed by Assocomaplast (Italian plastics and rubber processing machinery and moulds manufacturers’ association) in its mid-term January-February studies - in the light of improvements in order books, both for the export and the domestic markets.

The positive attitude of operators toward the domestic market is particularly significant. This is at least in part attributable to positive expectations for the National Industrial Plan 4.0, which sets forth instruments to provide support to companies for investments in operating assets - in the first place super-amortization, hyper-amortization, and the “Nuova Sabatini” capital equipment law.

Companies may still apply to Plast 2018 until the second and final deadline of April 30, 2017, benefiting from a 10% discount on participation rates. The list of participants is available on the website plastonline.org.