A new exhibition scheduled to be held in Sharjah this month will serve as a premier sourcing and networking platform for the region’s fast-growing plastics industry.

The launch edition of the international plastics exhibition and conference Plastivision Arabia, to be held at Expo Centre Sharjah from May 14 to 17, will seek to build on the buoyancy of the petrochemicals and plastics sector in the region.

Middle East’s petrochemicals industry is the most competitive in the world thanks to its low feedstock advantage, said a statement.

Reflecting the robustness of the sector, a new report by industry intelligence company GlobalData said the basic petrochemicals capacity in the Middle East grew by a compounded annual average rate of 11.1 per cent to reach 46.61 million tonnes a year between 2000 and 2011, it said.

As a result, the region is building a higher-value plastics sector capable of delivering higher profits and creating secondary manufacturing industries and services, throwing up plenty of opportunities for businesses operating in this field, the report said.

“The emphasis on the upstream and downstream petrochemicals sectors is a result of the regional governments’ focus to reduce their economic dependence on the production and export of crude oil and natural gas. The region’s strong basic petrochemical industry will continue to serve as a feedstock provider for the downstream industry,” said Nikhil Dhruva, president of Uniplas International.

Uniplas, an international player for innovative plastic raw materials, will be the Silver Sponsor along with Borouge as Platinum Sponsor of Plastivision Arabia.

Plastivision Arabia is being jointly organized by Expo Centre Sharjah and the All India Plastics Manufacturers' Association (AIPMA), the oldest and the largest apex body for the plastic industry in India.

Visitors can look forward to meeting and dealing with exhibitors who are major industry players in India, UAE, Germany, Singapore, UK, Italy, Taiwan, China, Japan, Korea, Portugal, Turkey, Egypt, Russia and France.

Of the 125 exhibitors, nearly 70 are from India alone, displaying the importance of the show for Indian machinery suppliers for tapping into the fast-expanding plastics and petrochemicals sector in the UAE and the region.

Expo Centre Sharjah is also holding a concurrent show – ArabiaMold – along with Plastivision Arabia, in association with Demat, the organizer of world-renowned EuroMold trade show.

It will showcase molding equipment and services such as mold-making tools, filtration instruments, welding equipment, cooling systems and other related industrial machines and accessories.

The Plastivision Arabia business presentation series will present a diverse range of content, tailored specifically to the needs of the regional plastic industry. The topics to be taken up by highly experienced speakers from around the world include ‘Plastic Raw Materials: New Applications & Advances’; ‘How To Hedge & Protect From Price Fluctuations’; ‘Requirements & Trends of Major End Users’; ‘Machines & Molds’ and ‘How To Be Profitable Processor (Productivity)’.

“The Business Opportunity Pavilion will help converters meet industry giants and facilitate purchase of products, while the expert consultation counters will host experienced industry players who will act as consultants,” said Lilian Segundo, group project manager, Expo Centre Sharjah. – TradeArabia News Service