T-PLAS 2019 beckons amid ASEAN economic acceleration

Bringing together more than 200 exhibitors including thought-leaders and trade professionals from 20 countries, T-PLAS 2019 is supported by various leading trade associations from Thailand, Malaysia, Japan and the Philippines. The 4-day exhibition off wide range-range of machinery and equipment, raw materials, solutions and services.

The International Trade Fair for the Plastics and Rubber Industries returns to Bangkok in September on the cusp of economic growth. Southeast Asia is poised to maintain its economic growth momentum, which is forecast to average 5.2% per year from 2018 to 2022, boosted by robust domestic private spending and the implementation of planned infrastructure initiatives according to the OECD Development Centre1. Inter-regional trade is also set to expand under the auspices of the ASEAN Economic Community, with most goods now at zero tariffs. ASEAN also has free trade agreements in place with China India, Japan and Korea, among other nations, which further boosts the region’s trade potential.

T-PLAS host country Thailand’s medium-term growth is expected to settle at 3.6% – an improvement from the 2.9% average growth between 2011 and 2015. The pick-up in trade activity augurs well for Thailand’s economy, with exports comprising more than three-quarters of GDP. Recent regulations easing investment and trade frictions, and the laying out of the Eastern Economic Corridor project, which covers the provinces of Rayong, Chonburi, and Chachoengsao, are expected to provide additional momentum. The establishment of the Eastern Economic Corridor means well for exports, especially for the manufacturing industries identified in Thailand 4.0.

Industry 4.0 and ASEAN

Industry 4.0 presents potential opportunities for Southeast Asia to drastically expand its manufacturing capacity and Thailand for one is taking the initiative through its “Digital Thailand”, or “Thailand 4.0” plan. This national project aims to support the development of the automotive industry, aviation, tourism, health care, food processing and an array of technology-based industries. Many of these industries rely on plastics and rubber to a large degree in their products. The Digital Thailand plan aims for long-term development and sustainability, in line with the country’s 20-year strategy.
The ultimate objective in Thailand, and indeed other ASEAN nations, is to boost value added by manufacturing industries, including plastics and rubber processing. In 2017, Thailand’s plastic product manufacturing industry added US$13,000 of value per worker, a level similar to that if Indonesia (US$16,000) and Malaysia (US$15,000). The US$57,000 per worker added by Singapore plastic processing companies is, if anything, an indicator of the growth potential in Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries.

Medical Plastics Zone and Raw Materials Zone

Plastics have played a significant role in revolutionizing the healthcare industry and continue to be one of the few versatile materials that can be adapted along with the dynamic nature of the industry. Making its debut at TPLAS 2019 is the Medical Plastics Zone, a dedicated platform to showcase a range of innovative components, processing machinery and products and equipment catered to the medical industry. This edition will also feature a dedicated Raw Materials Zone to showcase a range of innovative components, processing machinery and products and equipment catered to the raw materials industry. Unpredictable raw material prices, combined with mounting environmental trepidations regarding plastics dumping and sustainability has spurred industry leaders to develop bio-based alternatives, thus increasing the usage of plastic raw materials.

Medical Plastics Engineering Symposium

The 2nd Singaporean-German Symposium on Medical Plastics Engineering will take place concurrently with T-PLAS 2019 on 19 September. Jointly organized by The Technical University of Munich (TUM) and Messe Düsseldorf Asia, the 1- day conference will gather international experts and specialists from the industry and academia to share findings and updates on R&D projects and innovations in medical plastics. Topics include antimicrobial plastics, plastics for medical devices, additive plastics engineering and recycling.



Specialty Plastics Conference

Held on 20 September, this regional conference will gather industry experts and specialists to share their knowledge on topics centred on agriculture, automotive, electrical & electronics application sectors and trends on bioplastics, green initiatives and smart manufacturing for the specialty plastics industry. This conference will also serve as a knowledge-gathering platform for specialty plastics companies to share their expertise and insights on the industry trends and developments with fellow trade professionals. Held concurrently with the exhibition is a series of on-site activities including educational workshops, technical presentations, new and improved product demonstrations and association-led seminars that aim to present and discuss modern-day challenges and solutions for future-proofing processes for the plastics and rubber industries in the region. T-PLAS forms part of the Global Gate brand under which Messe Düsseldorf pools its global activities for the plastics and rubber industries. The product portfolio with ten events in total leverages the competence and experience gained by organizing the leading international K trade fair in Düsseldorf and by developing successful regional events. The ten trade fairs in total are professional communication platforms serving as door openers and gateways to such promising growth markets as Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, China, India and South East Asia. Organized by Messe Düsseldorf Asia, the highly anticipated biennial exhibition will provide a mutually beneficial platform for both exhibitors and visitors to share best practices and shape partnerships that aim to inspire cross-border expansion, establish their corporate presence, discover business prospects to expand into Thailand, or for local companies to step into the global arena. Exhibitors and trade attendees alike can leverage on the trade show to explore the booming ASEAN plastics and rubber markets. The strategic co-location of T-PLAS and PACK PRINT INTERNATIONAL 2019 will sharpen the profile and enhance the relevancy of the two independent trade fairs. The co-location of the trade fairs has garnered a huge response, coming against the backdrop of the AEC (ASEAN Economic Community) in 2015 – the economic integration of the region under a single market and production base. The symbiotic trade fairs in 2019 will bring together the best companies from the plastics and rubber, packaging and printing manufacturing sectors.

About Pack Print International 2019 A tripartite collaboration between Messe Düsseldorf Asia, The Thai Packaging Association and The Thai Printing Association, PACK PRINT INTERNATIONAL is quintessentially Thailand’s packaging and printing trade fair for the industry, by the industry. The exhibition will present the entire value chain that is, from ideation to creation bringing to the forefront the full spectrum of the printing and packaging sectors; from developing new products and technology to creating packaging that protects food for longer shelf life to digital printing’s economic and speed-to-market advantages for mainstream package decoration.



For more information on T-PLAS 2019 and PACK PRINT INTERNATIONAL 2019, please visit: www.tplas.com / www.pack-print.de

For more information, please contact:

Exhibition Contact
Press Contact
Overseas
Messe Düsseldorf Asia
Ms. Lee Ai Ling
Tel: (65) 6332 9644
Email: [email protected]

Overseas
Messe Düsseldorf Asia
Mr Alvin Sim
Tel: (65) 6332 9621
Email: [email protected]