‘Sri Lanka Plast 2016’ exhibition kicks off on Friday

Sri Lanka Plast 2016, the main exhibition with focus on plastics processing and Rubexpo  focused on manufacturing of rubber related products and services is scheduled to take place from 5 to 7 August at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) in Colombo. 

This would be the third edition of the event taking place in Sri Lanka which is organised by Enterprising Fairs (India) Ltd. The event will be organised together with The Plastics and Rubber Institute of Sri Lanka (PRISL) and supported by Ministry of Industry and Commerce Sri Lanka, Export Development Board (EDB), Industrial Development Board (IDB) and the Rubber Research Institute of Sri Lanka.

This year’s exhibition is set to feature four parallel events comprising of ‘Sri Lanka Plast’ focusing on the plastics segment, ‘Rubexpo’ held for the second year and with focus on rubber , ‘Compack’ featured for the first time focuses on packaging and ‘Enmach’ which is taking place for the second year highlights the scope of the manufacturing needs.

This year’s exhibition will feature 175 stalls from 10 countries which will also include China and Taiwan. Some of the highlights of the event over the course of three days will showcase live machine demos and the CEO Forum 2016 which has been outlined to take place on the inaugural date. The forum is set to feature speakers from Sri Lanka and Singapore and participants can look forward to take part in a draw with winnings of a free return ticket to attend the ‘Plastivision Expo’ which will take place in Mumbai or the ‘India Rubber Expo’ in Chennai during the month of January 2017. 

Day two will provide free entrance to a technical seminar with focus on the ‘Trends in Engineering Plastics and Innovations for Tomorrow’s Polymer Industry’. PRISL will offer free guidance in its booth for new and prospective entrepreneurs as well as guidance for exports through the EDB.

Enterprising Fairs (India) Ltd. President B. Swaminathan said, “This year’s exhibition would no doubt provide visitors and interested parties with a platform where local and international markets can meet and interact all under one roof. He further added, “As Sri Lanka’s rubber industry has been hailed as one of the main source of exports in Sri Lanka, the exhibition will help open doors for many small and medium rubber enterprises to meet up with people from the rubber industries and mingle with foreign representatives as well.”

Enterprising Fairs (India) Ltd. has vast experience in handling domestic and International Exhibitions. The prime focus of the company is to facilitate business convergence for categories such as plastics, rubber, packaging, and manufacturing, which are among the fastest growing economies in the world. EFIPL organises professional trade shows in the field of Plastics, Packaging, Rubber and Manufacturing especially in developing countries like India, Sri Lanka, East Africa, Myanmar and Vietnam and in the near future, would penetrate into South Africa. Enterprising Fairs members have vast experience in marketing and in the field of plastics, packaging, rubber and manufacturing.

Plastic Saves CEO Forum and Seminar on 10 August

By Shannine Daniel

Given the prevalent negative perception created on the use of plastics and the move to ban certain types of plastics in the country, The Plastic Industry Association of Sri Lanka will be holding a CEO Forum and Seminar on 10 August titled ‘Plastic Saves’.

The main objective behind this forum is to raise awareness among industry leaders on two main thrust areas – increasing the potential of the plastics industry in contributing significantly towards the national development effort and increasing the direct and indirect economic benefits for recycling post-consumer waste by efficient technology.

The keynote speaker for the event will be Tangram Technology Ltd. Managing Director Dr. Robin Kent, who is recognised as the leading authority on energy management in plastics processing. Kent was awarded the Plastics Industry Awards 2010 ‘Personal Contribution’ award for his work as “a Champion of energy efficiency and for helping numerous processors to make savings through better energy use”.

Since 1995 he has specialised in energy management for industry and as an independent consultant, he has carried out energy surveys and assessments on over 450 companies throughout the world. He has also been involved with polymer processing since 1971 and has worked as Technical Director for several of the major plastics processing and window systems companies in UK and Europe. He has published over 400 technical and management papers on plastics and windows and 6 books on plastics processing. His typical survey work identifies an average of 30% reduction in energy use and carbon footprint from targeted and cost-effective projects.

According to the Export Development Board, currently in Sri Lanka there are over 400 companies engaged in plastic processing and moreover plastic packaging plays a dynamic role particularly in the food and pharmaceutical industries due its functionality and versatility, therefore the plastic industry is an imperative part of the economy. A sum of Rs. 15 billion has been invested in plastics processing in Sri Lanka, and Foreign Direct Investments amount to almost 50% of the investments. 

Meanwhile, 66% of the total investment is exclusively for processing of plastic products for the export market. The capacity of local plastic processing industry at present is nearly 140,000 MT per annum with an annual average growth rate of around 10% to 12%.

Generally plastic exports can be divided into two forms; primary forms of plastic exports and finished products of exports. Some of the major export markets for Sri Lanka include the United States, United Kingdom, Japan, Bangladesh and India. The total export value recorded in 2011 was $ 55 million and the USA has been the dominant buyer of Sri Lankan plastic products over the last number of years. Nearly 40% of the total exports go to the USA market. 

Products such as sacks and bags, articles of apparel clothing accessories and cellulose are manufactured through plastic processing and exported directly and indirectly. Pipe and profile extrusions, cast film extrusion, injection moulding, EPS moulding, laminating, printing, weaving and thermoforming are some plastic processing technologies used by companies in the local industry in their craft. 

At present the industry produces nearly 120,000 MT per annum and other than the food and pharmaceutical industries, plastic has an important role in the water supply and sanitation, telecommunication, construction, automobile, electronics and consumer durables trades as well. 

The workshop to be held will cover energy and the whole of the sustainability agenda and what it means to the plastic processors in a positive way and the concerns, responsibilities and solutions of plastic waste management. This would cover an analysis on the present composition of municipal solid waste, plastics recycling, role of stakeholders in tackling the plastics waste management, legislation to combat environmental issues and bio-based plastics.

Furthermore, if the forum is successful in creating a positive mindset among key industry leaders on the use of plastic in their relevant industries this could minimise the release of post-consumer plastic waste in to the waste stream. Recycled plastics thus generated is hoped to be used as furniture, door and window panes and even as paving stones.