The twenty-seventh edition of Chinaplas is scheduled this May 20-23 in the Guangzhou fairgrounds. The annual tradeshow, an itinerant event alternating between Guangzhou and Shanghai, represents Asia's preeminent event for the plastics market. Over 50 Italian companies will take part within the framework of a national collective coordinated by Assocomaplast, the Italian plastics and rubber processing machinery and moulds manufacturers' Association. In preparation for the event, Promaplast has been carrying out an intense campaign to promote the Italian presence at the Chinese fair, publishing a great number of ads and notices on various websites and a special one dedicated to the exhibitors taking part in the collective (available via the link below) in the China Plastic Rubber Journal (CPRJ), the most widely read magazine for the sector in China. Additionally, given the fact that Chinaplas for years now has encompassed an international dimension, several thousand converters - and not just from China - have been invited to visit the Italian stand to get caught up on the new technology offered by Italian machinery manufacturers.
On the basis of the latest statistics for the market compiled by the China Plastic Product Industry Association (CPPIA), data for 2011 delineate a sector in China composed of some 13 thousand companies with just under 2.5 million employees and revenues of nearly 190 billion euro, having grown 27.5% with respect to the previous year. Production volume reached nearly 55 million tons. The study shows that 17.2% of revenues derive from sales of pipes and profiles, 13.4% from film, 12.2% from filaments, 11.4% from consumer goods, 8.7% from containers and rigid packaging, 7.7% from technical components, 6% from synthetic leather, and 4.4% from foams. The segment showing the most dynamic growth was this last one, with production volumes growing by 25%, followed by agricultural films (+14%). Still regarding data for 2011, consumption of the principal polymers approached 52 million tons (18 t of PE, almost 14 t of PVC and over 13 t of PP), of which 70% was produced locally. The forecast for 2013 is quite rosy, with growth in production of plastic articles and raw materials estimated, respectively, at 12-15% and 3-4%.