The event attracts more than 580 exhibitors from 18 countries and territories, including Austria, Australia, Belgium, China, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, the Republic of Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, the US and Vietnam.
They include extruder brands Everplast, Ming Jilee and Kim Minh; blow moulding machinery suppliers Chum Power, Quingdao Weier, Kim Cuong and OPEC; blown film equipment makers Polystar, Chyi Yang, Full Shine and Ye I; injection molding machinery producers E-Shine, Jing Day and Pan Stone; and plastic recycling machinery leaders Atlas, Changshu Shi Shouyu, LaiZhou Jinlida and Nanjing Tengda.
VietnamPlas also features raw materials such as masterbatches, PVC additives and engineering polymers and compounds.
Leading brands from around the world have brought high-calibre plastic processing machinery and cutting-edge advancements and applications to help local manufacturers upgrade their production lines.
A number of seminars, including “Intelligent and Sustainable: Guidelines for Industrial Upgrades”, "First step to Plastics 4.0, Technology and Future of Rubber” and “Circular Economy” will be held during the four-day exhibition, according to the organisers.
Speaking to the media, Nguyen Quoc Anh, Chairman of the HCMC Rubber-Plastic Manufacturers Association, said this year, export of natural rubber has fallen significantly but that of rubber tyres and technical rubber was up sharply.
Tyre exports were worth US$1 billion in the first half of the year, an increase of 30 per cent over the same period last year, he said.
Talking about the prospect for the rest of the year, he said: “Exports to the US and EU will be good, but shipments to the Republic of Korea and China will face difficulties.
“The Chinese and Korean currencies have depreciated by 3-4 percent and 6 percent against the US dollar, making Vietnamese products less competitive in the two markets.”
So the exhibition offers a good opportunity for local manufacturers to access new technologies to reduce costs and improve their competitiveness, he said.
Ho Duc Lan, Chairman of the Vietnam Plastics Association, said exports of plastic products grew by 5 percent year-on-year in the first nine months.
The industry has an opportunity to boost exports this year, he said, adding that with the current growth momentum, it would surely meet the target of US$3.2 billion.
Organised at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre by the Vietnam National Trade Fair and Advertising Company in cooperation with Yorkers Trade and Marketing Service Co., Ltd. and the Vietnam Plastics Association, VietnamPlas will run until October 6.
