Oct 01, 2012
TAIPEI PLAS is the show that just keep growing and glowing! From Sept. 21th to 25th the five day show attracted a record 2,518 international visitors from 111 countries. That's a 2% increase in foreign participants over its previous show, even in the face of global recession.
Taipei PLAS or the Taipei International Plastic & Rubber Industry Show welcomed 13,361 domestic visitors, an impressive 5% growth on the last cycle's number. This event in its 13th edition, every second year unfolds at the NANGANG Exhibition Hall. It ranks among the top three such trade exhibitions in Asia.
The tactics used by the organizers of this event show that it's best to be as flexible as rubber. That's made possible by the nature of the two organizers; there's Taiwan's top exhibition outfit TAITRA (the Taiwan External Trade Development Council) teaming up with TAMI (The Taiwan Association of Machinery Industry.
Flexing with the times!
What's noticeable this year is how exhibitors have changed with the global economic downturn. Constantly across the venue one would hear the three terms of energy-saving, lowest-cost and high-efficiency.
The GM at Chuan Lih Fa Machinery, Lin Chung-Hsien, echoed this stating, "MultiPlas, our feature product is ‘All Electric Injection Machine' that has multiple benefits of no oil pollution, reduced noises, and massive savings on electricity, cooling water and operating costs." He pointed out how their creation combines a vertical rotary injection molding machine, single shuttle table injection molding machine, horizontal direct pressure injection molding machine with 6-axis mechanic arm, resulting in a very "Smart Automated Production System" that saves manpower and lower operation costs.
Emerging Markets inspire Growth
Those from the newly emerging markets accounted for 78% of the internationally-based buyers, a dramatic shift from what was once an area dominated by buyers from the developed world. And eight of these emerging nations (China P.R, Thailand, Indonesia, India, Philippines, Malaysia and Vietnam) even made it to the top-ten list of buyer-nations represented at TaiPLAS 2012. For decades Taiwan makers have been active in these regions and their products are trusted for quality, reasonable pricing and servicing.
And to make this show even better the overseas offices of the Ministry of Economic Affairs alongside TAITRA's 58 offices around the world mobilized their resources to extend invitations to target buyers, particularly to those in the newly emerging markets.
Over 140 One-on-One Meetings generates NT$3.5bn. in Business
During the show 147 1-on-1 trade meetings were held and based upon exit surveys, deals were signed worth an estimated US$67.26 million or NT$ 3.5bn.
Much of this business was generated by the 50 big buyers who were specially invited to show from Vietnam, Indonesia, India, various nations in the Middle East, Turkey, Russia, South Africa, Brazil and P.R. China. Most of these buyers represented firms with P/A turnover exceeding US$50 million.
Taiwan Hits the World Headlines
The ingredients of a good news story are change, intrigue, innovation and stuff that's new!
And that's why Taipei PLAS and its exhibitors easily rode the global trade press headlines to fame and fortune. From around the world trade press journalists touched down in Taipei. The press scrum included those from Mexico, Malaysia, India, Japan, the USA, Russia and Hong Kong.
Returning for the second time to Taipei PLAS was Monica Conde, editor in chief of the Mexico-based Plastico Ambiente magazine. On returning after two years, she was amazed at the ability of Taiwan makers to flexibly adjust output for "extraordinary" peak performance that was topped off with a rare aesthetic.
Tej Fernandez, an executive editor of the Malaysian magazine, Plastics & Rubber Asia (PRA) observed that Taiwan makers follow an on-going strategy to invest in system integration and factory planning and as a result are capable of differentiating their machinery products from the competition in Korea, Japan and China.
The chief editor of Modern Plastics India, Ginu Joseph report on the growing trend in Taiwan products to emphasise the cutting of energy use to cut energy costs while reducing emissions for more eco-friendly output.
Over the past 26 years Taipei PLAS has won renown for being a key trade platform for the Asian plastic and rubber industry. This year's event took up three themes, namely: Environmental Awareness (with key forum and innovations on energy saving and cutting carbon emissions), All-in-One System Integration, and Aesthetic Design.
These focus topics helped progress the profile of Taiwan industry and enhance the reputation of Taipei PLAS.
Source even greater prospects when Taipei PLAS returns September 26 to 30, 2014.
Source: TAIPEI PLAS