The "Central Nation", advancing from a follower through the peloton to a front-runner, is grasping the opportunity to enter an age of high-quality development, supported by dynamic technology innovations and dissemination. CHINAPLAS 2018, architected around the theme "Innovation is Key to the Future", is inaugurated today, congregating 3,948 exhibitors from 40 countries and regions. The technology-driven, new-look trade show is open until 27 April in National Exhibition and Convention Center (NECC), Hongqiao, Shanghai, PR China in an area of record-breaking size (340,000sqm.), 100,000sqm. larger than the previous Shanghai edition two years ago.
New starting point - a new phase of reforms and opening-up
In 2018, on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of China's reforms and opening-up, Adsale Exhibition Services Ltd., organizer of CHINAPLAS, founded in 1978, likewise celebrates its 40th birthday. "Over the past 40 years, Adsale has weathered the struggles of early industries and benefited from the current economic take-off. We have witnessed China's transformation from a ‘factory of the world' to a powerhouse of innovations. We also experienced several financial crises, globalization, transformation, upgrading, and rejuvenation through technology. With China and the world's economy expanding by leaps and bounds, Adsale has gone through four extraordinary decades," observed Stanley Chu, Chairman of Adsale. "Established in 1983, CHINAPLAS has been swimming with the tide, which is the reform and opening-up of China. In the early years, it was organized to introduce overseas technologies and provide a procurement platform for local companies. Now, it is an international hub that facilitates exchanges between suppliers and buyers from all over the world, and for the release of high-end technologies."
"With many brilliant and glorious years of reform and opening-up laid as groundwork, CHINAPLAS' scale exceeds 300,000sqm. for the first time, an indicator of the massive demand for new technologies. It's a critical moment in China's economic restructuring and the shift to new growth drivers. We aspire to promote the transformation and upgrading of the industries and sustainable development through the introduction of innovative technologies," added the enthusiastic chairman.
New venue - new visiting experience
While manufacturing industries edge toward the high end, the plastics and rubber industries, being the main basis of them, are thriving exceedingly well. "Rapid expansions of the upstream and downstream industries, as well as the unfailing annual growth of CHINAPLAS, have benefited from the breakthrough innovation and technical advancement of plastics and rubber materials," explained Ada Leung, General Manager of Adsale. "Holding CHINAPLAS in the world's largest exhibition complex, National Convention and Exhibition Center, not only provides more space for the plastics and rubber industries to demonstrate their huge potential and to meet the pressing needs of exhibitors but also endows the show with high standards and quality. In addition to accommodating more exhibitors and visitors, the allocation of theme zones and country/region pavilions has been revamped. Be it exhibits, innovative technologies, concurrent events, or on-site services, the exhibition brings participants a fresh-looking environment and extraordinary experience."
New technology - behold the glamour
Novel applications in the FAST (the Five hundred meter Aperture Spherical Telescope), BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, AI, quantum technology, 5G, "Internet + Manufacturing", new energy vehicles and auto-piloting give rise to new demands for materials. CHINAPLAS, in its role of an indicator of trends and a podium of innovation, focuses on cutting-edge technology and makes every effort to promote the development of the global plastics and rubber industries. Exhibitors will make use of this global platform to present their top innovative products. According to Ada Leung, there are more than 120 global or Asian launches, as well as a number of hot and cutting-edge technologies.
In addition, the show will also introduce high-performance materials i.e. high-gloss, spray-free, surface-textured, lighter, thinner, non-toxic, biodegradable and 100% recyclable materials, alongside multi-colour multi-station injection molding, 5- to 12-axis robots, cloud analysis tools, automatic production management systems, and other equipment and technologies for further automation and intelligent production. Ada Leung further points out that these innovative solutions, which provide timely responses to users' needs for cost and energy reduction, eco-friendliness, smart manufacturing etc., are brilliant technology achievements helping application industries to seize the opportunity to benefit from technological advances. (Please visit the "2018 New and Hot Technology Collection" for more details.)
New blood - Young Tech Hall
New suppliers of plastics and rubber technology keep popping into CHINAPLAS in recent years. Just this time, the show has attracted about 560 new exhibitors, bringing new blood and impetus to the industries. To provide a one-stop platform for visitors to understand new technologies and to locate new exhibitors, a "Young Tech Hall" will be introduced to house more than 400 rising stars. This glittering hall of the young is where excellent products and highly flexible services are available.
Moreover, further segmentation of the exhibition areas into theme zones are brought in to better cater for the needs of visitors, with 18 theme zones to facilitate buyers' successful procurement. The "3D Technology Zone", focusing on 3D printing (additive manufacturing) and responding to the dire demand from high-end manufacturers such as those of aerospace, automotive, medical and consumer goods, helps companies shorten R&D cycles and reduce related costs, as the demand for individualized and customized production is on the rise in this digital age. With the advent of a low-carbon economy, light, energy-saving thermoplastic elastomers with a wide range of applications have a promising prospect. The "Thermoplastic Elastomers & Rubber Zone" within the "Chemicals & Raw Materials Zone" is an arena in which over 50 suppliers brandish their best.
New R&D achievements - Tech Talk
CHINAPLAS is an "annual tournament" of the plastics and rubber industries. As technology plays increasingly important roles in the trade show, the organizer introduced the concurrent event "Tech Talk", which is an open forum where over 40 renowned enterprises release the latest technology in 2018, highlighting "Smart Manufacturing", "Innovative Materials", "Medical Plastics", "Intelligent Injection Molding", "Green Solutions" and "High-performance Materials" as sessional themes. Visitors will be able to appreciate the latest R&D results and discuss new tactics in a short time, which is an efficient way to get the most out of the show.
New visions - concurrent events
The "3rd Industry 4.0 Conference", co-organized with VDMA - German Engineering Federation, is an epic extravaganza. The conference this year, being the third running, once again upgrades itself and draws lessons from Germany and Europe's best practices, focusing on case sharing and the new Industry 4.0 business model. Experts in the industry will explore ways to optimize production automation in the process of upgrading from traditional to smart manufacturing.
And here are the hottest design trends. Here are creative ideas to improve your products. Color, Material and Finish (CMF) is vital for product design. Another concurrent event, "CMF Inspiration for Design x Innovation", revolves around, for the first time in CHINAPLAS. The event, comprised of two parts, "CMF Inspiration Walls" and "CMF Design Forum", allows visitors to experience a rich variety of colours, materials and production processes made possible by plastics technology, guiding enterprises on an excursion to "blue oceans".
In regards to the demand of the medical industry, a series of medical plastics related events will be launched, and collectively known as "Medical Plastics Connect". These include the "Medical Plastics Open Forum", the "Medical Plastic Product Pop-up Kiosk", the "Medical Plastics Guidebook" and "Medical Plastics Guided Tour", which present the latest medical plastics technologies from renowned suppliers, providing medical device, disposables and packaging manufacturers with the most advanced solutions.
New targets, new challenges
China's mission to fully catch up on technology innovation will soon be accomplished. Yet new ways to transform and upgrade are still under exploration, while new forces are poised for action. The "liner" named China is changing course, and the new course is known as "quality". 2018 is a critical year of changes and transforms. It also marks the beginning of a new era for CHINAPLAS. Be dauntless. Be indomitable. It's time to gear up.
