Around 19,000 visitors came to Kielce / Poland for the 22nd "Plastpol" plastics and rubber trade fair. Organiser Targi Kielce (www.targikielce.pl) reports, the event, which now extends over four days, was once again able to register high exhibitor numbers, a large exhibition area and a higher visitor count – thus consolidating its importance beyond Poland.

More than 800 exhibitors from 36 countries presented innovations from all areas of the plastics industry on a surface area of more than 34,000 m². As in previous years, foreign companies accounted for more than 50% of the total exhibitors. Plastpol thus occupies a special position within the Polish trade fair landscape, says Kamil Perz, director of the Kielce trade fair company. In addition to representatives from the EU, companies from the US, Turkey, Lithuania, Israel, Egypt, Russia, Japan, China and Malaysia were also represented. Most of the foreign exhibitors came from Germany and – at a considerable margin – from Italy, Turkey and China.

Like other plastics trade fairs around the globe, this year's Plastpol focused on both "smart production" and digitisation of production. The exhibition demonstrated that Industry 4.0 products are already making a clear move into the plastics industry. Also on display were new system solutions for plastics processing and further technological developments.

The supporting programme at the trade fair also reflected the importance of this industry event, with two big conferences and a number of specialist seminars, workshops and lectures.