Interplastica 2012 – Good Perspectives on the Russian Plastics and Rubber Market

The Russian economy is growing again! The effects of the global economic crisis have basically been overcome and, even if the dynamism of the years leading up to the crisis has yet to be attained again, there are clear signs of recovery in every sector of the economy, and in particular in the plastics and rubber market. The development of key customer industries, first and foremost the packaging industry, is leading to growing demand for plastic and rubber products. The construction industry has also recovered, although less due to major new building projects than to extensive renovation and modernisation work throughout the country, which need a wide variety of products such as insulation material, pipes, window frames etc.. A lot of small and medium-sized companies have sprung up in the last few years, which are investing in the expansion of existing capacity and the creation of new factories, not least due to state support, which is creating very good prospects for sales of raw materials as well as plastic and rubber machines.

INTERPLASTICA 2012, the International Trade Fair for Plastics & Rubber, has profited from the economic recovery in the industry and underpinned its leading position in Russia impressively. New projects with well-known business partners and promising new contacts meant that the 550 exhibitors from 28 different countries went away very satisfied with the event. About 20,000 experts from the industry from throughout Russia and the neighbouring countries came to the exhibition centre SAO Expocentr in Krasnaya Presnya in Moscow from 24 - 27 January, to find out about the latest innovations in the fields of mechanical engineering, raw material production and processing, and to visit UPAKOVKA/UPAK ITALIA, the Trade Fair for Packaging Machinery, Packaging Production and Packaging Material, which was held in parallel to INTERPLASTICA, thus matching the previous year’s success.

“It is really paying off for the international exhibitors at INTERPLASTICA who maintained their presence here and kept in touch with their Russian partners during the crisis now”, sums up Werner M. Dornscheidt, Chairman and CEO of Messe Düsseldorf GmbH. “Now that business has picked up again significantly, they are profiting from the good investment climate and their order books are nice and full. The trade visitors take the unique opportunity here at INTERPLASTICA to find out about the latest developments on the global market and to negotiate with vendors right away here at the fair.”

The recovery of the Russian industry has been especially good for German manufacturers of plastic and rubber machines in the past year. Their exports to Russia in the first eleven months of 2011 amounted to €169 M and were thus some 62% higher than in the same period in 2010. Germany is still in first place among the supplier countries for Russian plastic and rubber producers, accounting for 31.1% of total exports in 2010, followed by Italy, which accounted for 13.3%, and China, which accounted for 12.5%.

Bernd Nötel from the Fachverband Kunststoff- und Gummimaschinen im VDMA (association for plastics and rubber machinery within the VDMA) is optimistic about the prospects for machinery sales in the years ahead, too. “We want to significantly increase our share of the value chain in Russia, which is why we are no longer concentrating solely on exporting raw materials such as oil, but also investing in the processing of these materials. The plastics manufacturing and processing industry at home in Germany also benefits from this, as modern machines are essential in order to remain competitive, so there is still great demand for replacement machines and modernisation. German plant is highly valued due to its high quality and state-of-the-art technology, and German-Russian business relations, which also include the provision of extensive training and services to the customers, are often very long-lived.”

Apart from Russia and Germany, Italy has traditionally been the best represented at INTERPLASTICA. Mario Maggiani from ASSOCOMAPLAST, the Italian Plastics and Rubber Processing Machinery and Moulds Manufacturers' Association, confirmed what his German counterpart had said about the importance of the Russian market for suppliers of plastic and rubber machines. “The signals from the market are very positive, even if the economic recovery in Russia is somewhat slower than in the other BRIC countries. We have yet to reach the pre-crisis export level to Russia, but demand has picked up a lot and we are very confident that the next few months will be very good. The packaging sector, in particular, is generating brisk business, although the construction industry is also seeing a lot more activity again, especially due to modernisation and repair work. The companies in our association have great confidence in the Russian market.”

The trade visitors were especially interested in new, sophisticated technologies and system solutions. Many of those who came to INTERPLASTICA were well informed and were interested in something specific. This was the 15th time that the fair was organised by Messe Düsseldorf and its Russian subsidiary OOO Messe Düsseldorf Moscow.

The next INTERPLASTICA in the Russian capital will take place from 29 January - 1 February 2013, once again in parallel with UPAKOVKA/UPAK ITALIA. For further information, please visit www.interplastica.de or contact Mr Stefan Koschke at Messe Düsseldorf GmbH, Tel. +49 (0)211/4560-7768, e-mail:  or Mrs Claudia Wolfgram, Tel. 0211/4560-7712, e-mail