Fakuma, an ongoing success story

Fakuma, the German plastics and rubber trade show organized every year except during "K" years, opened today in an optimistic mood. With some 1700 exhibitors from 37 countries, the show is completely sold out and, as Paul Schall CEO of show organizer P.E. Schall Gmbh, proudly announced, Fakuma 2012 "is well on the way to setting a new record".

Part of the Fakuma's success can surely be ascribed to location, location, location. Friedrichshafen, home of the Fakuma show, is cleverly situated at the junction of three countries: Germany, Switzerland and Austria, in the industrialized heart of Europe, giving the show an immediate international atmosphere.

Fakuma 2012

Over the years, Fakuma has grown to become a must-attend October event for established market leaders, ambitious young newcomers, and everyone in between, domestic and otherwise, in the plastics industry.

This year, the growth in number of exhibitors from Asia, the U.S. and Eastern Europe underscores the increasing importance of the show, as does the expected 45,000 visitors who are predicted to attend.

At the opening conference of the show, the main topic was efficiency. In fact, this year's edition of the Fakuma looks to be all about savings: savings in costs, in energy, in time and material. With the cost of energy and materials continuing to rise, this comes as no surprise.

The German association for manufacturers of plastics machinery VDMA, for example, has announced its backing for the sustainability initiative of the mechanical plant and engineering industry called Bluecompetence. Close to 40 of its members have already joined, including major injection molding machine makers Arburg, Engel, Sumitomo (SHI) Demag and KraussMaffei Technologies.

The goal is, among other things, to increase the energy efficiency overall of plastics machinery by 20% in the year 2020 - over and above the 30% reduction already achieved over the past 20 years and to achieve a more efficient use of raw materials.

An important theme emphasized in this respect was reducing the costs of plastics parts production. Choosing the right material and the right machine  - electric? hydraulic? hybrid? - is paramount to achieve this. New materials, biobased and otherwise, may be the way to a more efficient part production. But design, too, plays a considerable role, as does the willingness and drive to embrace new technologies, such as additive manufacturing and "Active Color Change" - color changes on the fly, during production, as it were.  

Exhibitors from all these areas are here this year in Friedrichshafen. As Paul Schall noted, the Fakuma plays an important, "catalyzing" part, promoting the "technology transfer between research and industry", and by providing the opportunity for those in the industry to become familiar with "the newest solutions and products."

The 22^nd edition of the Fakuma runs from 16 - 20 October 2012 in Friedrichshafen, Germany.