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148437
Tue, 11/02/2010 - 15:01
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MESSE DUESSELDORF ASIA MAKES STRONG PITCH FOR M-PLAS ASIA IN KUALA LUMPUR

By Manik Mehta

DUESSELDORF, Nov 2 (Bernama) -- Messe Duesseldorf which organises the ongoing K’ trade fair, the world’s largest show for the plastics and rubber industry, is also aggressively promoting its Malaysian edition called M-Plas Asia which will be held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre from Nov 9 to 12, 2011.

Messe Duesseldorf, which has created a company called Messe Duesseldorf Asia Pte
Ltd in Singapore to promote its plastics and rubber trade fairs in the Asean
region, has long eyed the huge Asean market as a catchment area for its trade
fair business.

"The M-Plas trade fair is being held since 2000. It is held in a two-year cycle
in Kuala Lumpur," Messe Duesseldorf Asia Managing Director Gernot Ringling told
Bernama at the K’ fair here which runs from Oct 27 to Nov 3.

He said M-Plas was an ideal platform for updates on the latest industry news,
innovations and developments from Malaysia's plastics and rubber industry.

"It brings together leading international manufacturers and suppliers under one
roof. Professionals will benefit from this state-of-the-art showcase and be able
to explore the opportunities for better business," he said.

The targeted visitors at M-Plas come from sectors such as raw-material
processing, automotive and transportation, building and construction, electrical
and electronics, mechanical engineering, telecommunications, furniture,
packaging, and medical equipment.

Besides M-Plas, Messe Duesseldorf Asia also organises the Tripex in Bangkok, and
the Plastics + Rubber Vietnam in Ho Chi Minh City.

Ringling said each fair is "uniquely national in character" and addresses the
idiosyncrasies of each country.

"The three shows at three different venues are also aimed at meeting the needs
of the trade which may not meet each other in the Asean region," he said.

He said Malaysia's plastics industry had grown at a very strong pace and would
continue to do so in the future as well. He said Malaysia’s plastics industry
had done well even as many countries of the world were mired in a deep recession
in 2008 and 2009.

"Though there is a shortage of resins, the demand is higher than supply," he added.

Messe Duesseldorf Asia estimated that resin consumption was the highest in
Thailand amongst the Asean region, followed by Indonesia and then Malaysia.
Indonesia’s plastics industry has made tremendous strides in terms of its
development in the last three years.

The German industry has also been closely observing the Asean market which has
remained unaffected by the global recession and downturn.

"The Asean plastics industry, in general, is doing well. Orders for
machinery have continued to come from the Asean region and we are confident that
there will be a lot more international suppliers going to Malaysia and other Asean
countries," Ringling observed.

He said Malaysia "has always been a good market for us". Malaysia’s
converters have shown great interest in acquiring the latest technology to upgrade
their machinery.

"Malaysian companies have recognised that they cannot compete with China as far
as prices are concerned. They are, as a result, concentrating on high value
products.

"This is the direction in which Malaysia is going and because of this, they are
looking for hi-tech machinery suppliers that would provide added-value to their
products," Ringling said.

The Malaysian exhibitors at Duesseldorf’s K’ trade fair are small and
medium-sized manufacturing companies of semi-finished products.

It is not surprising that the K’ trade fair, besides attracting exhibitors, has
also become a shopping ground for large numbers of Malaysian trade visitors and
buyers interested in acquiring machinery and technology.

Ringling estimated that there must be between 800 and 1,000 Malaysian visitors
at the sprawling Duesseldorf exhibition ground.

Lai-Lyn Fong of Kuala Lumpur-based Edaran Anfas (M) Sdn Bhd, which
represents Messe Duesseldorf in Malaysia, pointed out that the wide range of
technical products such as machinery and technical processes on display at the K’
show should serve as an eye opener for many Malaysians on the latest products that
were deployed by the industry of the developed countries.

"This is where you get a good exposure to the latest technology and tools used
in plastics and rubber production," she said.
-- BERNAMA


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