
The machinery and equipment manufacturers’ association will again present itself with a special area and extensive programme on the outdoor premises of K 2025
Only a few months to go until K 2025, the world’s leading trade fair of the plastics and rubber industry, will open its doors again from 8 to 15 October and welcome exhibitors and visitors from throughout the world. Machinery and equipment manufacturers traditionally account for the biggest group of exhibitors occupying two thirds of the exhibition area. Exhibitors showcase their innovative technologies in the halls as well as in six pavilions on the outdoor premises of K 2025. Thorsten Kühmann, Managing Director Plastics and Rubber Machinery at VDMA, one of the sponsoring associations of K, stresses: “Boasting an impressive 70% of international attendance among exhibitors and visitors K 2025 will be the most international plastics trade fair in the world. It is the guiding star of the plastics industry providing orientation for technology development, also in view of the highly dynamic sales markets worldwide.”
The Power of Plastics Forum: Green - Smart - Responsible
The Forum on the outdoor premises of K 2025 provides a good opportunity to hone in on the trade fair’s motto and guiding topics and to illustrate the key role technology providers play in implementing the circular economy and digitalisation by means of practical examples. Important aspects here include:
- Green: Saving resources and reducing the carbon footprint through circularity.
- Smart: Digitalisation, automation and AI increase efficiency and feasibility.
- Responsible: Man is centrestage - especially the young talents in the industry.
Kühmann: “The transformation towards a circular economy is in full swing, and machinery and equipment manufacturers play a pivotal role in it as enablers. They enable the production of recyclable products and the reuse of plastic waste to produce new, high-quality products. VDMA and its members zero in on the motto of K 2025 “The Power of Plastics! Green - Smart - Responsible” with absolute conviction and demonstrate the great potential of plastics that is unleashed by continuous technology and material developments. We need plastic products in nearly all application areas of our daily lives for people’s well-being. They make a significant contribution to maintaining supplies and prosperity in our world while becoming more and more sustainable at the same time.”
At the Forum amongst others plastic recycling and recyclate processing machines in operation will breathe life into “The Power of Plastics!”. The VDMA members will present their technology highlights in the pavilions. Visitors can watch live how high-quality re-granulate is made from plastic waste or how recyclates are processed into attractive, highly functional and circular-ready products by means of various processing methods. At the same time, they will see how digital solutions in manufacturing also pave the way for the circular economy. In addition, the VDMA pavilion will provide ample opportunities for networking and feature a daily, themed programme on circularity, digitalisation as well as young talents and careers.

Young Talents in machinery & equipment manufacturing
Trainees, students and career starters at plastics and rubber machinery manufacturers have joined forces and will jointly moderate the daily “Young Talents Time” in the VDMA Pavilion at K 2025. They will discuss with experts and project their image of the plastics industry of the future. The VDMA initiative EnSHEneer explicitly provides female mechanical engineering students with a platform for networking and making contact with technology producers. On Career Sunday over 50 women will get together at the VDMA Pavilion to exchange experiences, hold discussions and go on a tour of the trade fair.
Companies participating in the outdoor Forum:
- Arburg GmbH + Co KG
- Coperion GmbH
- EREMA Group GmbH
- Lindner-Recyclingtech GmbH
- Vecoplan AG
- Wittmann Battenfeld GmbH
- VDMA e.V. Kunststoff- und Gummimaschinen

For more information on the VDMA Forum go to: The Power of Plastics Forum