NPE 2006: Chinese firms to exhibit in record numbers

A record number of Chinese companies will exhibit at the National Plastics Exhibition (NPE) 2006 taking place June 19 to 23 at Chicago’s McCormick Place.
China’s booming plastics industry is responsible for the large increase in the number of exhibitors from both Hong Kong and mainland China, according to the Society of Plastics Industry (SPI), NPE’s sponsor.
“Fully a third of the 2,000 exhibiting companies anticipated at NPE 2006 will come directly from outside the United States,” Tim Stojka, chairman of the show, said in a statement. “In addition, most of the leading multi-national suppliers of equipment and materials will exhibit, including those based in the U.S. and the American subsidiaries of multinational companies based elsewhere. Finally, as at every other NPE in the 60-year history of the show, visitors will also have access to the largest number of domestic U.S. companies that can be discovered at any of the world’s plastics events.”
While 27 Chinese firms exhibited at NPE in 2003, there will be 115 at NPE 2006, the SPI said. Only three of the 115 firms had participated at prior NPE.
The majority exhibitors from China are moldmakers with 50 companies, followed by machinery manufacturers at 30, 15 raw materials suppliers and 15 custom processors.
Additionally, four Chinese industry associations will be setting up shop, each in one of the China Pavilions. These include: China Shenzhen Machinery Assn.; China Engineering Plastics Industry Association.; China Plastic Machine Industry Association, and China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, Machinery Subcouncil.