During an extraordinary meeting, the members of Swiss Plastics (Aarau / Switzerland; www.swiss-plastics.ch) elected Silvio Ponti – part of the management of Sika (Zurich / Switzerland; www.sika.ch) – as new association president. He succeeds Doris Fiala, who has been at the helm of the foundation since 2008, and has served the maximum time possible in the position. At Ponti’s request, the handover will take place in summer this year.

The association in late January also presented its members with ideas for a new, more efficient structure. In a consultative vote, the green light was given for a more detailed presentation of the project, which is to be voted on during the association’s regular meeting in Q3 this year. Swiss Plastics currently consists of seven professional groups, each with its own administration. By making the structure more centralised, the association hopes to be able to transmit more expert knowledge and market information to its members. At the same time the plans call for a more sustainable financing model.

As representative of the Swiss plastics industry, Swiss Plastics comprises 836 companies with some 34,000 employees and generating sales of about CHF 15.1 bn (EUR 14.9 bn).