Sustainable Plastics - October 2021 - 16

Fakuma
27th edition of Fakuma
is almost here
Fakuma, the international trade fair for industrial plastics processing, will this year
once again take place as an in-person event. As exhibitors return to fill the halls, the
show promises to take up where it left off in 2018 - almost without missing a beat.
Fakuma will take place in Friedrichshafen Exhibition Centre from 12 to 16 October
2021. By Karen Laird
M
id -Oc t ob er
will see Friedrichshafen,
a
picturesque city
located on the northern shore of
Lake Constance, or the Bodensee,
as it is called locally, transform
itself temporarily into an international
meeting point for the global
plastics industry. Here, at the
tripoint where Germany, Austria
and Switzerland meet, the first
major plastics event in Europe
since the start of the pandemic
will take place: the Fakuma international
trade fair for industrial
plastics processing.
The local government of
Baden-Württemberg has given
the green light for this year's Fakuma
to be held as an in-person, live
event, much to the relief of organisers,
exhibitors and visitors alike.
As Sandra Füllsack, managing director
of Motan Holding GmbH in
Konstanz and chairperson of the
Fakuma exhibitor advisory committee
noted in a recent interview:
" Personal contact is irreplaceable.
Personal contact with customers,
partners and other interested parties
at trade fairs can't be replaced
by digital media. "
So, does this mean that it will
be business as usual? Not quite.
As one of the first major plastics
events to take place following
the lifting of the restrictions
imposed by the coronavirus lockdowns,
this edition of Fakuma will
be surrounded by precautionary
safety and hygiene measures
specifically designed to protect
visitors and exhibitors and to
keep them safe.
A Protection and Hygiene Concept
has been drafted that details
the measures that apply and to
which Messe Friedrichshafen
must adhere. Any measures that
do not come under the purview
of the Messe will be treated and
16
October 2021
this has caused to global supply
chains across almost every
industry has shifted the focus to
the importance of digitalisation
for everything from remote work
to supply chain efficiencies. It has
also highlighted the need for -
and accelerated the adoption of -
technologies such as 3D printing.
This means that the continued
automation of manufacturing
processes and the technologies
to support this will be a key element
of the offerings on display
at the show this year.
Meanwhile, the more estabimplemented
as minimum requirements
by the organisers of
the Fakuma trade show.
All exhibitors at and visitors
to the show must bring and
wear a medical mask except
when outside or when using the
catering facilities. Also, along
with a valid identity card, the
following certificates must be
submitted for entry:
* Vaccination certificate or
* Certificate showing a negative
test result from a licensed
testing centre or
* For former patients who have
recovered, a doctor's certificate
or positive PCR test (with date).
As well, among other things,
the organisers will monitor the
number of visitors and provide extra
wide walking areas, wide aisles
or one-way traffic, if appropriate.
Prevailing social distancing rules
will also continue to apply.
Themes
One of the many strengths of
the Fakuma trade show is the
fact that it brings together the entire
value chain in one place. The
product categories on display run
from auxiliary equipment, materials,
plastic processing machinery
and recycling systems to tooling,
thermal shaping technology, additive
manufacturing, additives and
automation solutions. A support
programme with seminars, lectures
and workshops will run in
parallel to the fair. Usually, around
47,000 trade visitors visit the show.
The main theme of the upcoming
edition is 'Digital Transformation
and a Circular Economy. The
topic is a highly relevant one, and
not only because of the increased
focus on sustainability in manufacturing
processes. The global
pandemic, and the disruption
lished technologies that are the
mainstay of the plastics industry
also continue to evolve to keep
pace with the times. Injection
moulding, extrusion processes,
thermoforming, recycling - here,
too, new developments will be
on show, from smart features
and new machines promising
increased performance to improved
simulation technologies,
and FEA (Finite Element Analysis)
for blow moulding.
Recycling technologies, which
represent the backbone of the
circular economy for plastics,
have also become more sophisticated,
with innovative blockchain-based
tracking systems
allowing new, transparent chains
to emerge that were not feasible
just 3 short years ago. Recycling
is not a buzzword - it's
a full-fledged industry generating
opportunities and markets
worldwide. For processors, the
use of recycled content as well
as recyclability, including design
for recyclability have become
important issues, in light of the
new regulations, legislation and
targets implemented by the EU.
Attendees at the show have
just five short days to absorb it all.
A tiny selection of what's on offer
is provided in the following pages.
Sustainable Plastics - October 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Sustainable Plastics - October 2021
