Plastic and rubber trade fair opens in Singapore

Benget Simbolon, The Jakarta Post, Singapore

Singaporean Minister for Trade, Industry and Foreign Affairs Raymond Lim opened on Tuesday the Aseanplas 2002 trade show, Southeast Asia's leading trade fair for plastics and rubber.

He said that the four-day Aseanplas, which was hosting 345 companies from 22 countries, including one from Indonesia, would see the introduction of new products and innovations into the Asian market.

"Featuring the latest machinery, services and state of art technology this exhibition will be an excellent platform for suppliers, manufacturers, users and processors in the plastics and rubber industries to network," Lim said in his opening speech.

The event is expected to attract between 6,000 and 7,000 visitors.

Aseanplas is being organized by the Asean Federation of Plastic Industries (AFPI) and Messe Dusseldorf Asia, and supported by the Singapore Trade Development Board and European Committee of Machinery Manufacturers for Plastic and Rubber Industries.

Bambang Purnomo, marketing manager of PT Yanaprima Hastapersada, the only Indonesian company invited to the exhibition, told The Jakarta Post that he hoped his company's participation in the trade fair would help boost its sales and improve its competitive edge.

Yanaprima produces, among other things, various kinds of plastic bags and heavy-duty plastic pallets, which can be used for static and dynamic loads of 15 tons. It also produces work floors for heavy machines and rice storage.