Röchling drives forward cooperation with customers

It was with an unusual stand in the form of a cottage garden that the Röchling Group presented itself at the world's biggest trade fair for the plastics industry, "K 2013 - International Trade Fair for Plastics + Rubber" in Düsseldorf, Germany.

It has become something of a tradition for the internationally focused plastics processor to surprise visitors with an unusual stand concept. This year's slogan, "Fruitful Cooperation", was brought to life in the style of a cottage garden. Visitors to the trade fair were particularly impressed by the fruit-bearing apple tree on the stand.

Fruitful cooperation

At the stand, Röchling presented selected exhibits demonstrating how the fruitful cooperation with customers has already led to new innovative products and ideas from plastic. Examples include cable clamps from the first flame-resistant extruded polyamide 6 (SUSTAMID 6 FR) for applications with high requirements on fire behaviour in the public transport sector, a completely new head support manufactured entirely from thermoplastics and composites from Röchling for open brain surgery and, simpler yet still very innovative, a sled whose runners are made from a specially extruded plastic profile.

Ludger Bartels, COO of the Röchling Group, Mannheim, said of the slogan: "In 'Fruitful Cooperation' we are placing the emphasis on cooperation with our customers and business partners. Close cooperation is the foundation for the development of innovative products and applications. Our breadth of knowledge and widely differing experiences form synergies for a common approach to complex and challenging problems and pave the way for new solutions."

A positive response

Visitors from all over the world responded overwhelmingly positively to the stand, which at more than 250 square metres in size ensured a pleasant atmosphere for conversation. Bartels was delighted with the response: "The environment at K 2013 has been characterised by a steadier development in demand. Conversations at the trade fair give us reason to be optimistic about future trends in our markets. Our key markets offer increasingly interesting growth potential. The many discussions our sales staff, marketing managers and product developers have had with the visitors have produced plenty of ideas for new projects."

Mega trends in focus

Röchling is focusing its plastic products on core themes that can be derived from mega trends. Bartels: "Energy efficiency, health, mobility, food, comfort and safety are our topics. This is where we expect to see further growth for our products. They also offer us significant potential for innovation. Only those who offer innovative products will be able to survive in the tough markets. We will drive the fruitful cooperation with our customers forward on a consistent basis."

With more than 3,200 exhibitors and over 218,000 visitors from 120 countries, the K 2013 plastics trade fair (16.-23.10.2013) is the world's biggest event for the plastics industry.