Expoplast trade show wraps up in Montreal
Canadian Plastics
Research & Development Plastics: Technology AdvancesIt never really went away, but the Expoplast plastics trade show was back last week.
It never really went away, but the Expoplast plastics trade show was back last week.
The Montreal show has a decades-old history as the dedicated resource to custom and captive molders in the region, featuring the top suppliers of processing machinery, auxiliary equipment, molds, molding components, materials, and services providers. Last staged in October 2008, the two-day Expoplast 2012 show opened on Wednesday, November 14 at Montreal’s Palais des congrès centre. The show was opened with an address from Minister of Industry Christian Paradis, who talked about Canadian manufacturing and global commercial opportunities.
Traditionally a tri-annual event, the three-year Expoplast cycle was broken after the show was purchased – along with Toronto’s Plast-Ex event – by Calif.-based trade show operator UBM Canon in 2009.
Expoplast 2012 was co-located with seven other manufacturing trade shows: PACKEX Montreal, Process Technology/Powder Bulk Solids (PTXlPBS) Montreal, Design & Manufacturing Montreal, Contract Manufacturing Expo, Automation Technology Expo (ATX) Montreal, AeroCon, and Sustainability in Manufacturing. Most exhibitors viewed the additional shows as a boon for Expoplast. “The co-location with the packaging show in particular brought an influx of visitors that we don’t normally see,” Kim Thiara, president of Mississauga, Ont.-based exhibitor AceTronic Industrial Controls, told Canadian Plastics. “It was a very busy show overall; we received a large number of leads, and while their true value will only come through afterwards, we’re excited by what we experienced.”
“After four years without a plastics trade show in Quebec, the industry seemed very enthusiastic about Expoplast 2012,” said Tom Sockett, UBM’s event manager in Canada. “It’s definitely not a market that’s been overworked, meaning there’s pent-up need for what we’re doing and a high level of interest among Quebec and other Canadian industry members.”
In addition to the new element of co-location with other events, Expoplast 2012 spotlighted one of the hottest segments in plastics processing: medical parts molding. “The show featured a medical manufacturing zone,” Sockett said. “It’s our way of helping attendees learn more about this fast-growing segment.”
The show wrapped up on Thursday, November 15.
