Innovation driver for the global plastics and rubber industry
Numerous concrete solutions, machines and products for the transformation to a circular economy

The joy of the plastics and rubber industry at finally being able to exchange ideas in person at a global level again after three years characterised the course of K 2022 Düsseldorf and created an excellent mood among the 3,037 exhibitors. The companies reported extraordinarily good contacts and a clear willingness to invest on the part of the trade visitors, the establishment of promising new customer relationships and numerous business deals, some of them spontaneous.
"K in Düsseldorf once again fulfilled the highest expectations. It remains the most international, complete and innovative trade fair for the global plastics and rubber industry", says Erhard Wienkamp, Managing Director of Messe Düsseldorf, delighted with the good result and adds: "The fair has impressively demonstrated how valuable personal networking, chance encounters and physical brand and product experiences are. We are very pleased that K 2022 was able to send strong signals as an innovation driver for the industry and that our exhibitors did business with numerous international customers of high decision-making authority."
176,000 trade visitors from all continents travelled to Düsseldorf for their most important industry event. The proportion of international guests at K 2022 was consistently high at over 70 percent.
Ulrich Reifenhäuser, Chairman of the Exhibitor Advisory Board of K 2022, is also very positive: "After hardly any trade fairs were able to take place worldwide, even at national level, in the last three years, K 2022 as the world's leading trade fair was all the more eagerly awaited by the plastics and rubber industry and was able to provide new impulses in all areas of our industry. The many, in some cases unexpected, concrete contract negotiations held at the fair speak for themselves!"
The current unpredictability and unpredictability of events makes for a tense overall situation in the industry, but this did not detract at all from the commitment of the exhibitors and the interest of the visitors, quite the contrary: "K 2022 was the ideal place, especially now - in stormy times and where the plastics industry is in the midst of the transformation process towards a circular economy - to actively set the course for the future together," says Ulrich Reifenhäuser.
The trade visitors were particularly enthusiastic about the wealth of new technological developments presented by raw material producers, machine manufacturers and plastics processors for the realisation of the circular economy, resource conservation and climate protection. Ulrich Reifenhäuser commented: "It is clearly noticeable that the necessity to face up to social responsibility and to think about plastics sustainably from the beginning of the process chain has reached all companies. The variety of solutions, machines and products on display at K 2022 for the transformation to a circular economy was incredible."
Trade visitors to this year's K came to the Rhine from 157 nations. Besides Germany, the nations strongly represented on the visitor side from Europe were the Netherlands, Italy, Turkey, France, Belgium, Poland and Spain. With a share of 42 percent from overseas, the K's reach among international trade visitors is as strong as usual. While visitors from the East Asian region in particular were less strongly represented than at K three years ago due to the currently more difficult conditions in these countries due to quarantine regulations, numerous visitors from the USA, Brazil and India were welcomed at K 2022.
The machinery and plant construction sector was the main focus of interest for around two thirds of all visitors surveyed. Fifty-seven percent, five percent more than at K 2019, said they were interested in raw materials and auxiliaries, with recycled materials and bioplastics being particularly popular. For 28 percent, semi-finished products and technical parts made of plastic and rubber were the main reason for coming (multiple answers possible). More than 70 percent of all visitors belonged to top and middle management.
Top marks were awarded by visitors to K 2022 for the completeness of the range of products and services and the mapping of the entire supply chain. 98 percent of all professionals stated that they had fully achieved the goals associated with their visit.
During the eight days of the fair, it became clear that this year's K was right on target with the selection of its hot topics, circular economy, climate protection and digitalisation. In terms of investment intentions, machinery and equipment for processing and recycling stood out with 43 percent. The focus was particularly on sustainability, but also on the circular economy and energy/resource efficiency in production. Around 40 percent of the decision-makers said they were looking into the topic of decarbonisation.
The K specials, which also focused on the three hot topics, were also very well received. The official special show, Plastics shape the future, focused on the economic, social and ecological challenges and approaches to solutions around the K key themes in top-class discussions and lectures and was consistently well-filled. The Circular Economy Forum, in which the VDMA and 13 of its member companies impressively illustrated the importance of technology in the implementation of the circular economy in the plastics industry, scored points with the international audience with live demonstrations and a great deal of well-founded knowledge and detailed information on the subject.
Also much discussed at this year's K in Düsseldorf was the world language of production, OPC UA, with which the processing parameters of the machines and equipment involved can be coordinated more precisely and in a more targeted manner. This in turn is considered an important prerequisite for optimised cycle management. 40 companies from eight countries participated in an OPC UA demonstration project at the fair.
In the Science Campus, both exhibitors and visitors to K 2022 were given a concentrated overview of scientific activities and results in the plastics and rubber sector. Numerous universities, institutes and funding organisations offered the opportunity for direct dialogue here.
Numerous pupils, trainees and students took advantage of the offer of the Plastics Training Initiative (KAI) to find out about jobs and career opportunities in the plastics industry.
The next K in Düsseldorf will take place from 08 to 15 October 2025.

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