The Spanish plastics and rubber industry is experiencing an economic upswing (see Plasteurope.com of 28.03.2017). This is also reflected in the increasing sales of plastics machinery – especially extruders – according to the organisers of the 18th "Equiplast" (www.equiplast.com) plastics and rubber trade fair. A total of 226 companies exhibited in the 13,536 m² pavillion at the Barcelona event held between 2 and 6 October 2017. "Many sales were closed during the show and many operations initiated during the week will come to fruition over the weeks to come," said Bernd Roegele, president of Equiplast.

The product innovations presented at the fair show that the sector is pushing ahead with the development of environmentally friendly materials, according to organiser Fira de Barcelona (www.firabcn.es). Equiplast takes place every three years and presents technical innovations in plastics and rubber production. The Equiplast trade fair, as well as "Expoquimia", "Eurosurfas", "World Chemical Summit and Smart Chemistry" and "Smart Future" events and exhibitions attracted more than 35,000 visitors this year.