Expoplast 2008 “a solid success”

Against a backdrop of global financial meltdown and a plastics industry under stress, last week’s Expoplast trade show in Montreal was a “solid success”, according to the Canadian Plastics Industry Association.

While the number of companies exhibiting was slightly less than at the previous event in 2005 and the number of attendees were slightly reduced, the overall value of Expoplast to the industry and the community it serves was very high, CPIA said.

The exact attendance figures have not yet been tallied, according to the CPIA’s Tom Sockett, Expoplast show manager.

In addition to the show itself, the 11th edition of the Galea awards marked Expoplast. Awards were presented to Felix Composites, a Montreal-based company specializing in elastomer compounds; Kingsey Falls, Que.-based Cascades Specialized Products Group; and IPEX, which specializes in the manufacturing of pipe and fitting systems made of PVC, ABS, PP and composites.

Composites also took centre stage at this year’s Expoplast. “This was the first attempt to build a composites presence at Expoplast, and despite a difficult environment, it went very well,” said Duncan Cross, director of the CPIA’s Composites Council. Five companies and seven not-for-profit associations participated in the first ever Composites Pavilion.

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