K – The World's No.1 Trade Fair for Plastics and Rubber

Our July K Newsletter is out. 📬 From solar power on the rooftops of Messe Düsseldorf and what summer heat does to outdoor plastics, to a major new materials partnership in electric mobility and how plastics are improving everyday life for wheelchair users — this edition covers what matters to the global plastics and rubber community right now. 👉 Read the full newsletter here.

Minimally invasive procedures in cardiovascular and neurovascular medicine depend on components that are engineered to perform under the most demanding conditions. 🔬 The Lubrizol Corporation and Polyhose India Pvt Ltd have inaugurated a new medical manufacturing facility in Chennai, Tamil Nadu - dedicated to the production of precision extruded tubing for exactly these applications. The ISO 13485-certified site operates to the same rigorous quality standards applied across Lubrizol's global manufacturing network, giving customers in India and international markets a reliable local source for high-quality medical tubing. Materials produced at the site include polyamides, nylon, Pebax®, polypropylene, polyethylene and Lubrizol's medical-grade thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) - a portfolio covering the performance requirements of advanced minimally invasive device development. The investment supports India's growing ambition to build domestic medical device manufacturing capabilities, reduce dependence on imports and improve patient access to safe, high-quality medical products. For the plastics and rubber industry, this is a strong signal: high-performance materials are playing an increasingly central role in the future of healthcare - and local manufacturing partnerships are key to delivering them at scale. 🌍

A prosthetic limb that truly works is one you stop thinking about. 🔬 For people relying on prosthetics every day - walking, working, living - the material in contact with their body makes all the difference. It needs to feel natural, move naturally and hold up over time. Not just technically. But for the person wearing it. KRAIBURG TPE's Medical Grade TPE compounds are designed with exactly that in mind. Soft enough to mimic natural tissue. Flexible enough to adapt to movement without resistance. Light enough to reduce fatigue during a full day of wear. And durable enough to maintain that performance consistently - not just on day one. The result is prosthetic components that work with the user's body rather than against it - improving comfort, mobility and ultimately quality of life for the people who depend on them most. This is where material science becomes deeply human. And it is a compelling reminder of what the plastics and rubber industry makes possible - far beyond the applications we typically see. 🌍

Raw material prices are rising. Skilled operators are harder to find. And brands are pushing hard for zero production waste. ♻️ Manfred Dobersberger, who leads new application development at the EREMA Group - world market leader for plastic recycling systems with 43 years of industry experience - explains how in-house recycling is becoming one of the most strategic priorities across manufacturing today. The answer from EREMA is the ISEC with DynaShape® technology: a self-optimising recycling machine designed for exactly this reality. It accepts production waste in any form, size or shape - no pre-sorting, no skilled operator required. AI-driven optimisation ensures the machine runs at peak capacity and quality, regardless of who is feeding it. Because as Manfred puts it: the best people in production are running production machines - not the recycling line. The market signal is global. From major supermarket chains to textile brands, the pressure to eliminate production waste is accelerating. Yet in markets like North America, a significant share of production scrap still ends up in landfill - a gap that EREMA sees as both a challenge and an opportunity. 🌍 In-house recycling is no longer a sustainability add-on. It is becoming a core part of efficient, responsible manufacturing. ▶️ Watch the full interview with Manfred to learn how EREMA is helping manufacturers close the loop - from scrap back to production.

India's manufacturing transformation is creating new opportunities for high-performance plastics - and Toray is moving quickly to meet them. 🌏 Toray Industries, Inc. has announced that its Indian subsidiary will build a new production facility for TORELINA™ - its high-performance polyphenylene sulphide (PPS) resin - at Sri City, Andhra Pradesh. With an annual capacity of around 3,000 metric tons, this will be Toray's first in-house PPS compound production line in India. Operations are expected to start in early 2027. The strategic rationale is clear. With real GDP growth of around 7%, expanding domestic demand for automotive, appliance and high-value manufactured goods, and strong policy momentum through the Make in India initiative and the Production-Linked Incentive scheme, India's demand for locally produced resin materials is surging - particularly as manufacturers shift away from imported alternatives. The new facility will complement Toray's existing nylon and PBT resin compound operations in India, creating an integrated engineering plastics production system optimised for automotive electrical components and engine parts. A new office in Pune, Maharashtra, opening in July 2026, will further strengthen sales and technical support across the country. Supply chain resilience, localised production and frontline capabilities - this investment is a clear signal of where high-performance materials manufacturing is heading. ⚙️

Southeast Asia's plastics and rubber industry is growing fast - and German expertise has a strong seat at the table.🇩🇪🇮🇩 From 17 to 20 November 2026, Plastics & Rubber Indonesia returns to Jakarta - one of Southeast Asia's most important industry events. Last year's edition impressively demonstrated the region's momentum: 750 exhibiting companies from 26 countries and 18,284 trade visitors from across the region and beyond. German companies now have the opportunity to be part of it through the German Pavilion - organised by the Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie (BMWE) in partnership with AUMA – Verband der deutschen Messewirtschaft. A joint "Made in Germany" presence offering: ✅ A high-quality collective appearance under one strong brand ✅ Maximum visibility within a professional trade fair presentation ✅ Direct access to relevant decision-makers and new business partners ✅ Full support with organisation and execution ✅ An ideal platform for market entry and network building in Southeast Asia Whether you are looking to expand your presence in the region or build your first contacts in Southeast Asia's fast-growing plastics and rubber market - the German Pavilion is your entry point. ⚙️ Questions? Reach out to Thorsten Henke from our K Team, who is happy to support you. 👉 Registration is now open: https://bit.ly/4yorUKr

The relationship between material producers and manufacturers is changing - and this partnership is a clear example of where it is heading. 🔬 Covestro and BYD have signed a Memorandum of Understanding establishing a long-term strategic partnership - moving well beyond a conventional supplier-customer model toward joint innovation across the entire value chain. The scope is broad. In electric vehicles, the collaboration covers materials for lighting, interior and exterior components and electronic systems. In batteries and energy storage, the focus shifts to lightweight, high-performance solutions targeting safety, thermal management and cost efficiency - for both electric vehicles and residential applications. And across all areas, low-carbon and circular material solutions will be a core pillar, with Covestro's CQ material portfolio - incorporating at least 25% alternative raw materials - expected to play a central role. What makes this partnership structurally significant is the integration model: BYD will involve Covestro earlier in new projects and technology planning - embedding materials expertise directly into the innovation process rather than at the end of it. For the plastics and rubber industry, this signals a broader shift: the future of mobility, energy and intelligent systems will be shaped by deeper cross-industry collaboration - and materials science is at the centre of it. 🌍

A 3mm polypropylene tape, just a few grams in weight, can hold more than 5 kilograms. ⚙️ Weave thousands of them together - and you get a bag with a load factor of 1:1000. Harald Neumüller, Head of Sales at Starlinger & Co, explains how the unique properties of stretched PP tape and the even distribution of forces across the woven structure make this possible. Polypropylene woven bags are found everywhere - from rice and grain to cement, fertilizers and chemicals. One of the most widely used packaging solutions in the world, quietly engineered to perform at extraordinary scale. What makes Starlinger's approach stand out goes beyond production. With more than 30 years of recycling expertise, the company covers the full circle - from raw material to packaging to food-grade recycled product. The power of circular packaging, as they call it. And when it comes to K? Harald expects the next edition to bring more solutions for process automation, operator support and cost-efficient production - for both packaging and recycling. 🌍 ▶️ Watch the full interview to hear Harald explain the technology behind one of the world's most versatile packaging materials.

What does the end of a vehicle's life look like in a truly circular economy? ♻️ BMW Group has announced the development of a new Competence Center Circularity (CCC) at its Wackersdorf site - a significant expansion of the group's existing Recycling and Dismantling Center, which has been developing and testing recycling processes for over 30 years.  The new facility is set to open in early 2029. The scope goes well beyond what the current center delivers. New areas include the recycling of hydrogen vehicles, automation of dismantling processes and the development of expertise in innovative shredding and sorting technologies. Process, material and technology development will be more closely integrated with operational vehicle recycling than ever before. The strategic logic is clear. As Joerg Lederbauer, Vice President Circular Economy at BMW Group, puts it: keeping materials in the cycle as long as possible reduces dependency on primary raw materials and significantly lowers the CO₂ footprint of future vehicles. The impact already extends far beyond BMW's own operations - around 3,000 businesses in 32 countries use a shared recycling database developed through the Recycling and Dismantling Center, helping the wider industry improve dismantling efficiency and material recovery. For the Wackersdorf site, this is a strong signal for the future. Stephan Betz, Head of the Wackersdorf site, sees the CCC as broadening the foundation of a location that has demonstrated flexibility across cockpit manufacturing, battery testing and international supply for decades. André Mandl, Works Council Chair for BMW Group Regensburg and Wackersdorf, highlights the importance of this decision for employees - a future-oriented field that the works council actively supported. Circular economy is no longer a strategic goal sitting on a roadmap.  At BMW Group, it is becoming operational infrastructure. ⚙️

What if packaging could dry your food during transport - naturally? 🔬 Rolf Minkwitz, R&D expert for polyamide at BASF, introduces Ultramid® H - a world first that combines the mechanical strength of polyamides with high water permeability. Thinner than collagen, stronger than cellulose, and fully recyclable. Already used in sausage casings, the material allows smoke and moisture to pass through during processing. And looking ahead: imagine wet grapes packaged in Chile, arriving in Europe naturally dried and oxygen-protected - no additional processing required. Intelligent material design that goes beyond protection - and actively contributes to product quality across the supply chain. 🌍 ▶️ Watch the full interview to hear Rolf explain how Ultramid® H is shaping the future of food packaging.