What were your primary objectives for attending this trade show?

As part of the Green Feather Innovation (GFI) team, my primary objective for attending Chinaplas 2024 was to look for new trends and technologies in the plastics and rubber industry, focusing on innovative materials or products that could inspire GFI innovation, and identifying potential gaps within our product portfolio. It was interesting to see an increasing emphasis on sustainability, with a particular focus on bio-based and renewable products and raw materials, as well as the efforts of many companies to achieve a circular economy.

How does this event fit in with your role at Thomas Swan?

As a New Product Development Manager for Performance Polymer Solutions, Chinaplas provides a great opportunity to connect with a wide range of—primarily but not only—Asian companies that supply different levels of products and services for the plastics and rubber industry. These include equipment, raw materials, additives and chemicals, and semi-finished products. This aligns with the main applications of the Thomas Swan Polymer Performance Solutions product portfolio and the GFI team’s efforts to innovate and expand into the broader plastics market.

On one side of my role, knowing what is happening in this field in a large part of the world is a big inspiration for developing new ideas and collaborations. Additionally, it is crucial for the part of my job that involves supporting the commercial team with information on gaps in the current TSCL portfolio, potential new suppliers, and opportunities to expand the business.

Which Thomas Swan products are the best fit for this trade show?

Thinking about future participation as an exhibitor at Chinaplas, the Polymer Performance Solutions portfolio is a perfect fit. A few examples are:

• Pepton® for rubber mastication, Asia is a fast-growing market for tyre production and the energy savings this product provides aligns with Thomas Swans drive for improved productivity and increased sustainability.
• Molecular Rebar, Nano based materials to support the fast-evolving demands of the polymer market in Asia.
• Robinson Brothers unique nitrosamine free accelerators to meet higher regulatory demands seen across Asia and globally.
• Black Swan Graphene GraphCore™ – graphene enhanced polymer masterbatch for easy incorporation into polymer compounds, delivering improved mechanical properties.

I also believe that activity within GFI would be of great interest to this kind of audience. I am referring to some innovative products we are currently developing that can be promoted to spark interest in the industry and address customers’ unmet needs. These new products fit well in the “additives and chemicals” section of the exhibition, particularly because they align with the sustainability trend, being derived from renewable bio sources. This would be a great opportunity to introduce our new products to a broader audience and potentially find applications we had not previously considered.

What makes Thomas Swan GFI new products unique?

In line with Thomas Swans commitment to sustainability, with the ambitious target to reach carbon neutrality by 2030, GFI is driving this effort, ensuring that an innovative idea is not pursued if it is detrimental to the environment. In this sense, the portfolio of new products we are developing for the plastics industry is unique because it is a set of bio-based additives derived from renewable raw materials, designed to replace existing oil-derived products while maintaining comparable technical performance.

Was attending ChinaPlas 2024 a success for you?

For me, attending Chinaplas 2024 was a very successful opportunity. It is always valuable to talk with people in the same market who have different perspectives—they can often highlight issues or needs you had not considered, which is incredibly useful for generating new ideas. These insights play a vital role in driving innovation in our product development strategy.

Is Thomas Swan exhibiting at any upcoming tradeshows?

Yes, you can find Thomas Swan at the following tradeshows:

• KT German Rubber conference in Nuremberg, Germany from the 1st-4th July 2024, in Hall 9, stand 319.
• IEC International Elastomer Conference in Pittsburgh, USA from 9th-12th September 2024, Booth number is 928.

Contact: apagliarulo@thomas-swan.co.uk