Dubai Statistics Centre: Dubai imported USD 3.6 billion of plastics and rubbers in 2015; Exported USD 1.3 billion and re-exported nearly USD 1 billion
According to latest Dubai Statistics Centre figures, Dubai has imported USD 3,662,398,000 and exported USD 1,327,520,000 of plastics and rubbers in 2015. The Emirate has also re-exported USD 1,008,174,000 of plastics and rubbers in the same period.
These trade figures were revealed today (Wednesday, 11th May, 2016) during a press briefing held by the German trade fair organizer Messe Dusseldorf GmbH while announcing the GCC’s response to ‘K 2016’, the largest international trade fair for the plastics and rubber industry, taking place from 19-26 October 2016 in Dusseldorf, Germany.
The German company said that the UAE is succeeding in diversifying its economy by investing heavily in the industrial sector including the plastics industry as it is taking early steps in its bid to say farewell to the last drop of oil.
The company said the UAE plastics industry growth is fueled by industrial diversifying initiatives spearheaded by the UAE government.
“K 2016 has been fully booked for months. More than 3,000 exhibitors from more than 50 nations will take part. As usual, the largest group of exhibitors comes from Europe, particularly from Germany, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, France and Turkey. At the same time, the K trade fair is a clear indicator of changes in the global market,” said Erhard Wienkamp, Division Director, Messe Düsseldorf GmbH. “Over the past few years, the number of Asian companies and the exhibition area that they booked has been rising steadily. This year, particularly China, India, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan will be impressing visitors with their strong presence. As the K trade fair features a wide abundance of companies from all over the world, the spotlight is not only on the major issues that concern the industry – such as energy, resource and material efficiency – but also on niche segments.”
“The presence of the exhibitors from the UAE is comparable to K 2013: 4 companies will present their,” Wienkamp pointed out.
K 2016 will spread across the entire exhibition area at Düsseldorf and exhibitors will present their products and services in all of the venue’s 19 halls with a total area of almost 170,000 m2.
The impressive number of exhibitors and the quality of the presented products is a testament to the importance of K Show. In October 2013, a total number of 218,000 visitors from more than 100 countries came to Düsseldorf, and organisers expect similar numbers this year. 59 per cent of the visitors were of non-German origin, among them about 1,000 experts from the UAE.
As a key player in the plastics and rubber industry in the Gulf region, Dubai is an essential stop for K Show organisers to announce the trade fair and discuss potential opportunities.
“Since 1952, the K trade fair in Düsseldorf has been presenting tangible evidence of the plastics and rubber industry’s global success,” added Dr. Rainer Bueschl, Deputy Chairman of the K 2016 Exhibitors’ Council.
“The enormous economic growth experienced by China and many countries from Southeast Asia has turned the Asian-Pacific economic region into the world’s largest growth region – with positive repercussions for the global plastics industry. Meanwhile, Asia represents 49% of all plastics products manufactured in the world,” added Dr. Bueschl.
“Today, China has become the most important nation for all segments of the polymer industry. It also represents the largest individual proportion of the global plastics processing segment,” added Dr. Bueschl.
“The Gulf region is also reducing its dependence on imports to plastics by enhancing local manufacturing, and is heading towards the direction of self sufficiency in the near future,” added Satish Khanna, General Manager of Al Fajer Information & Services, the regional partner of Messe Dusseldorf.
Khanna underscored the significance of the plastics sector saying that the proof of the growth of this sector is the large UAE participation in K 2016.
At the Dusseldorf exhibition grounds, the leading suppliers will be presenting their products and solutions in many areas including raw materials, auxiliaries, semi-finished products, technical parts, reinforced plastics products, and machinery as well as equipment for the plastics and rubber industry.
K 2016 Dusseldorf is the world’s most important contact forum, not just for the entire plastics and rubber industry, but also for visitors from the major user segments.
“No other trade fair offers such opportunities for experts in the automotive, packaging, electrical engineering, electronics and communications industries, the construction sector, medical technology and aerospace to learn about the latest plastics and rubber applications and experience the technical innovations of a dynamic sector,”
