Extrusion International 1-2024

13 Extrusion International 1/2024 Success Stories from Cairo – Food Africa and pacprocess MEA 2023 End with a New Record  Food Africa and pacprocess MEA 2023 ended in Cairo with a significant increase in visitor numbers and strong international participation. The trade fairs thus con- firmed their position as leading platforms for the food and packaging industry in Africa and the Middle East. More visitors than ever before travelled to Egypt this year for Food Africa and pacprocess MEA. With over 900 exhibitors, 27,500 visitors and more than 500 invit- ed buyers, it met with an excellent response. Food Af- rica and pacprocess MEA, which took place from 12 to 14 December at the Egypt International Exhibition Cen- ter, offered a comprehensive marketplace for players in the food and packaging industry. Both trade fairs were jointly organised by IFP Egypt, Konzept Exhibitions & Events and Messe Düsseldorf GmbH under the umbrella of the interpack alliance. With nine national pavilions and Kuwait as the part- ner country, the event was characterised by remarkable international participation. The participating nations included Greece, Germany, India, Pakistan, Italy, Spain, Poland, Turkey, China, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates. In total, exhibitors came from 32 countries. "With inspiring ideas, genuine innovative strength, lots of energy and passion, everyone involved has set new standards," says interpack Director Thomas Dohse at the end of the three-day trade fair. "The event is a cat- alyst for trade and cooperation in a dynamically grow- ing region. We are proud of what we have achieved and look forward to continuing this success story next year." Looking to the future, Thomas Dohse announces that Food Africa and pacprocess MEA will be further strengthened as central platforms for the industry. In 2024, Food Africa and pacprocess MEA will take place from 3 to 5 December. www.pacprocess-mea.com www.foodafrica-expo.com Encouraging Preliminary Results  According to estimates by the Amaplast-MECS Statistical Study Center, in 2023 the Italian plastics and rubber machinery production could set a new all-time record for the sector of over 4.8 billion euros, racking up a gain of at least three points over 2022. This is mainly due to a positive trend in exports – which improved progressively over the nine months assessed by the Italian Institute of Statistics (ISTAT) – that have increased by 13% compared to January to September 2022. In the same period, imports have in- creased by 6% while the active trade balance has increased by six- teen points. Exports – accounting for more than 70% of national production for the sector – show robust growth with a positive trend in all main ma- chinery types for primary processing and those boasting the highest share of the total: moulds (24% share and +14% with respect to January-Sep- tember 2022); extruders (12% and +22%), injection moulding machines (5% and +2%), blow moulding ma- chines (4% and +17%), but also figuring prominently are machines for moulding and forming (4% and +22%), flexographic printers (4% and +18%), and machines for foamed products (4% and +40%). Geographically speaking, Europe confirms its status as primary desti - nation of products made in Italy for the sector, with an overall share of 56%. EU countries account for 45% and sales within this market show the most positive results: Germany (+7%), France (+23%), and Spain (+19%). Two EU countries have made it into the top ten commercial outlets after a significant increase in exports: Romania (+71%) and the Czech Republic (+38%). We have also seen a robust increase in deliv- eries to Russia, in spite of all the well known issues associated with this country: +61%. The export trend to the Ameri- cas is more than satisfying (+24%), thanks to a new surge in USMCA markets – Mexico in particular – and to the continuing ebullience of a number of South American mar- kets, with Brazil, Argentina, and Peru leading the pack. The Middle East has also shown a rather positive trend on average, driven principally by two markets: Saudi Arabia (+107%) and Israel (+47%). Exports to the Far East, on the oth- er hand, have witnessed a sudden deceleration (-12%), due essentially to the contraction of two principal markets – China (-15%) and India (-6%) – but also to a loss of momen- tum in other prominent destinations: South Korea (-61%), Japan (-47%), and Taiwan (-68%). The contempo- raneous surge in sales to Thailand (+140%) and Indonesia (+81%) was not sufficient to counterbalance this slump since these two destinations