If feelings are anything to go by, then this year’s “Fakuma” trade fair (www.fakuma-messe.de), held in Friedrichshafen / Germany from 13-17 October, saw a huge leap in quality-terms. Last year’s claim made by organiser P.E. Schall (Frickenhausen / Germany; www.schall-messen.de) that the event has reached a par with “technical speciality and sector events of an international scale” was impressively confirmed at this year’s 24th edition. Whereas in previous years the fair’s international dimension was mostly expressed through exhibitors, this year visitors, too, increasingly came from abroad.

As usual, Swiss and Austrian visitors could be seen aplenty, and interest among Italians also appeared stronger than in earlier years. On top of that, there was a rising number of attendees from the Benelux states and Scandinavia, as well as eastern and central Europe. By contrast, the number of visitors from Russia was markedly down – although considering the crisis and the rouble’s precarious situation, this is anything but surprising. Instead, the number of Asian attendees was also up. The experience of 2015 shows that Fakuma has come a long way from the 1980s and 90s, when the fair was still a largely regional event. Speaking to Plasteurope.com parent company KI Group, many exhibitors praised the fact that many key decision-makers were on site, while also pointing to the expertise displayed by visitors.

This alone is reason enough for the organisers to book Fakuma 2015 as a success. According to official figures, 45,721 visitors attended this year's event, which would be exactly 32 more than in 2014, indicating stability. The number of exhibitors also remained rather stable, rising by 8 to 1,780. Schall says the fair was increasingly international both with regard to exhibitors as well as visitors – pointing to a heightened presence from Spain, Portugal, Italy as well as the US. By contrast, the presence of visitors and exhibitors from Latin America and eastern Europe – Russia in particular – was markedly down, and the high growth rates among Asian representatives also appear to have become a thing of the past.

The nine halls in Friedrichshafen were unable to accommodate all exhibitors – yet another sign of the fair’s success. As a result, the entrance areas west and east were also lined with booths. The strongest days were 14 and 15 October, with the fairgrounds being very busy. On 15 October especially it proved extremely difficult to make your way to the stalls of the machinery manufacturers. Still, full halls are a much better option than empty ones – after all, they testify to the great visitor interest and the sector's unbroken dynamism.

As usual, however, Fakuma was characterised by serious, down-to-earth business dealings rather than a euphoric mood. And although the overall sentiment was definitely positive, some amount of uncertainty still characterised most discussions. Injection moulding remains at the centre of attention, and many of these applications are highly dependent on the performance of the automotive sector. The spectacular callback initiated by leading OEM Volkswagen continues to reverberate, especially since its impact is still unclear. It should not be forgotten that the company’s board has already announced EUR 3 bn in delivery cuts.

The discussions on material supply often proved to be quite unsatisfactory for exhibitors from the distribution, trade and compounding segments. The VW crisis has the potential to impact the balance sheets of many suppliers severely, at a time when the end of financial 2015 is already in sight. Although the current situation remains positive, that is not to say there cannot be a bad ending. It is not surprising, therefore, that – all optimism notwithstanding – the feedstock front is characterised by restraint.

KI Group’s “Feedstock Summit”, held on 14 October, also hit a nerve. The severe crisis in the material supply segment that occurred this spring remains a key concern among many processors. About 100 attendees listed to the opening segment of Ron Marsh, head of EuPC’s Polymers for Europe Alliance (see Plasteurope.com of 12.10.2015), who called on the entire European industry to join the alliance. The calls by Olliver Möllenstädt, CEO of German plastics converters' association Gesamtverband Kunststoff Verarbeitende Industrie (GKV, Bad Homburg; www.gkv.de), for a reduction in import duties also met with great support. GKV is offering its members a lot of practical advice in applying for and realising exemptions to import rules, which in turn allows companies to lower their costs.

Thomas Müller, CEO of distributor Chemieuro Deutschland (Hamburg / Germany; www.chemieuro.com), pointed to the challenges faced by both traders and processors and outlined ways in which the current dilemma can be addressed. Wolfgang Zacherle, CEO of Neidhardt (Memmingen / Germany; http://neidhardt-recycling.com), presented his company’s proprietary technology for the recycling of PE/PA blends. Technologies like these open up entirely new horizons for the use of plastic scraps.

Recycling can in fact end up being one of the solutions to the global shift in raw material producers’ interests, Daniel Stricker, editor in chief of PIE’s German sister publication Kunststoff Information (KI, Bad Homburg / Germany; www.kiweb.de) said. Painting a picture of Europe’s polymer landscape in 2020, Stricker said the raw material interests that lie at the roots of polymer production will increasingly decouple themselves from the mostly regional processing industry, whose blending activities are increasingly being spun off from the world’s leading producers. The current restructuring at Sabic Innovative Plastics – as part of which polycarbonate production is now being grouped together with its global commodity business, and set apart from compounds and blends – could serve as a symbolic first step in this historical process (for details, see Plasteurope.com of 09.10.2015). In future, polymer suppliers will be able to source their base polymer from a range of sources, the thinking goes. And, as is true elsewhere, every change also comes with new opportunities.