K 2016, the # 1 international Trade Fair for the plastics and rubber industry, received 230.000 high qualified visitors in Dusseldorf, between 19 to 26 October, 5% more than the previous K 2013.
Attendees, coming from over 160 countries, had the chance to contact in person leading companies in the plastic sector from a set of 3.285 international exhibitors, occupying 180.000 square meters of exhibition area.
The business climate couldn’t be better, as the global economical environment seems to be improving in United States and Europe.
Innovation was omnipresent all around the exhibition from machinery, automation and processing technologies to new polymers and composites, and obviously the 4.0 industry applications.
Energy, material and resource efficiency were the dominating topics at K 2016. Visitors were very interested in new materials, innovative recycling concepts, new application areas for organic plastics and additive manufacturing. Smart, quick and flexible lines and services was their main focus.
Industry 4.0 dominated not only lectures and discussions but was also demonstrated hands-on at many stands.
Ulrich Reifenhäuser commented: “The possibilities the Internet of Things brings stimulates strong, serious interest – especially among younger, IT-savvy customers from throughout the world. Industry 4.0 is a theme of the future that will keep us busy for years to come.” Machinery and plant manufacturing, which occupied the largest exhibit area at K 2016 with over 1,900 exhibitors, was also a main attraction.
We can say, with no hesitation, that K 2016 was the most disruptive industry event ever shown, demonstrating an extraordinary integration between processing and control, as well as the strongest collaboration environment we ever imagined.
However, despite the K 2016 is by far the main event in the plastics industry, it continues being an European event, with more than 70% of the foreign visitors coming from the EU and the rest of the European neighbor countries and with 30% of the total guests coming from Germany.
An interesting number is that 6% of the total foreign visitors were from United States and Canada, which is in some way a low participation, even considering that this percentage remains stable compared with previous K events.
This low participation of visitors coming from the main consumer market, is something that highlights, not only the high regionalization of events, but also the potential the media has, to continue delivering the event to the American public.
Overall, the percentage of executives among the trade visitors from all countries was extremely high. Some two thirds were from the top or middle management and almost 60% have final decision making authority or are decisively involved in their companies’ investment decisions.
In addition, K demonstrates playing an important role in relation to investment decisions: almost half the visitors stated that they waited for the trade fair before deciding on any purchasing projects.
The K 2016 visitors came from all important user industries – from the construction, automotive, packaging, electrical, medical device technology and agriculture sectors. They all gave K 2016 top ratings: 97% reached their goal and 96% were impressed with the products on display.
The next K staging will take place from October 16 – 23, 2019 in Düsseldorf, Germany.
For further information on visiting or exhibiting at K 2019, contact Messe Düsseldorf North America, 150 North Michigan Avenue, Suite 2920, Chicago, IL 60601. Telephone: (312) 781-5180; Fax: (312) 781-5188; E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; Visit our web site http://www.mdna.com; Subscribe to our blog at http://blog.mdna.com; Follow us on twitter at http://twitter.com/Plastics_MDNA
For hotel and travel information, contact TTI Travel, Inc. at (866) 674-3476; Fax: (212) 674-3477; E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; www.traveltradeint.com
