Strong show signifies a solid market

This month, Nigel Flowers, Chairman of the PMMDA, reflects on show success signifying and a solid market, as well as calling for participants in a new working group for EN Standard development.

With the dust now settled on Interplas 2014, it appears to have generated a number of positive leads for members to follow up on, reflecting the revived optimism in the plastics industry. I was struck by how busy the aisles and stands were; I do hope that all our members benefitted from the abundant opportunities to network and showcase their expertise.

In talking to colleagues throughout and after the show, the feedback from the majority of exhibitors has been extremely positive, with good quality enquiries. Representatives from Sandretto said “there was an exciting buzz about the show which was very encouraging”, with Arburg adding “it was particularly satisfying to secure high value of orders across a number of sectors during the show.”

The ancillary equipment segment was not overlooked, with Renmar saying it had “a really good show” with “excellent footfall.” From Sumitomo (SHI) Demag’s perspective, these comments really encapsulate the mood throughout the arena. It’s certainly good to see the market buzzing again.  

A successful show is usually a solid indicator about the state of the market.  As I reported in my last column, the UK injection moulding machine market is expected to top 550 machines this year. This boost suggests that UK manufacturing is well positioned for a bumper 2015. Looking at the PMMDA market survey for the first six months of 2014, while the overall numbers are at a record 10-year high, the adoption of electric technology has stagnated at around 20 percent. This is surprising given the investment many suppliers are making in their eIMM ranges, combined with the inherent benefits of energy consumption, precision and repeatability.

Finally, I would like to ask for your help. The PMMDA has been involved with EN standard development for many years, with UK representation on 11 of the 15 working groups. In 2015 we are kicking-off a new working group to revise EN1612: Reaction Moulding machines. For anyone involved in production or use of these machines, I would welcome your input. If you’d like to be involved in the development of the next standard, please do get in touch: nigel.flowers@dpg.com