Fairs and Events

07/03/2017

Baerlocher: Two busy days at Plastteknik 2017 in Sweden

The plastics industry in the Nordic region of Europe convened in Malmö, Sweden, for Plastteknik 2017, the leading trade show for polymer production, materials and industrial design in the region. From May 17-18, more than 170 exhibitors presented their products and innovations. Most of the more than 2,400 visitors came from Sweden, Denmark, Germany and the Baltic States. The international participation in the fair reached a new record high this year. Seminars with a focus on design, material innovation, and polymers accompanied the fair. Topics of the papers in the polymer sector included sustainable innovations, bio composites and the third generation of bio plastics. Ingemar Ekvall, managing director of Baerlocher Nordic, along with Daniel Midcalf, technical service representative for PVC Additives at Baerlocher UK, and Michael Kriebitzsch, manager business development for Special Additives at Baerlocher Germany, represented Baerlocher Nordic at its booth. Baerlocher’s booth was very popular with visitors from the pipe, cable, film and sheet industry, as well as with manufacturers of wood plastic composites. The Baerlocher team at the booth met with current customers and developed many new contacts. A key issue in the discussions was the recycling of PVC, but also of other plastic products and paper. The Nordic PVC market has almost completed the transition to Ca-based stabilizers. The main issue for many plastics manufacturers is how to secure the supply of raw materials. Baerlocher’s sophisticated raw material management, based on criteria such as sustainability, fair pricing and the availability of raw materials, as well as long-term supply contracts, creates a sound and reliable basis for its customers. “The business spirit at the event was excellent,” said Ekvall. “We had two busy days with lots of interesting meetings, and some will likely lead to additional sales within our existing customer base. But we even initiated some new business, for instance in the growing field of recycling applications. This will further strengthen our leading position in the Nordic market.”