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(Plasteurope) -- The rise in both
visitor and exhibitor numbers at this year’s “Plast Eurasia” industry fair, held
in Istanbul / Turkey, illustrates the country’s ongoing plastics boom. The
injection moulding sector, especially, is posting high growth rates, not least
as a result of Turkey’s budding automotive sector, which numerous international
OEMs rely on. Even though Chinese plastics machinery still dominates in Turkey’s
plastics processing sector, there has been a marked increase in plastics
machinery made in Europe as well, says Abdulkadir Topucar, CEO of Engel
Enjeksiyon Makineleri, the Istanbul-based branch of Austrian injection moulding
machinery maker Engel.
Even though Chinese machinery remains the cheaper option, Engel’s
experience in Turkey shows that many plastics processors also opt for the
Austrian machinery because of its high integration and automation standards, its
low energy consumption and its highly developed processing technology. All these
factors increasingly play a role in automotive production, as weight
prerequisites are increasingly lowered and composites used to replace heavier
materials.
Topucar points out that Turkish processors are constantly feeling the
pressure of prices, largely since the country does not produce sufficient
feedstocks to meet domestic demand and therefore has to rely on imports. In
addition, many companies continue to moonlight their activities, evading the tax
authorities, which gives rise to an unfair competitive climate.
mrcplast.com
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