Although the event clashed with UK school holidays and the 'spring break' in the US, exhibitors reported that business had been good at the world’s third largest plastic trade show.
NPE organisers the Society of the Plastic Industry said more than 50,000 people had registered to attend the event, although it was too early to say whether all these had crossed the threshold of the convention centre.
Richard Brookes, marketing director at Boston Matthews, the Worcester-headquartered extrusion and recycling equipment firm, said NPE had met his expectations, boosted in part by a more positive mood among attendees.
“There is a sense that the economy in the US, where we do a lot of business through our New Jersey office, is getting gradually better.
“Certainly many of the conversations we have are having with people here at NPE supports that view,” he said.
In comments echoed by a number of exhibitors Brookes said the move to Orlando meant his company was fielding approaches from more Latin American businesses, particularly Mexico.
“We’ve been getting a lot of enquiries and we would expect to turn a fair proportion of them into business,” he said.
As with many exhibitors PRW spoke to – both from the US and the UK – Brookes said the build-up process and been “easier [than Chicago] and very well organised”.
Nigel Flowers, managing director of Sumitomo Demag in the UK, said the show was a key NPE for the injection moulding machinery group, its first US event as a “true joint brand including new machine sales and after sales”.
“From my perspective as a UK and Eire supplier, the show provided a unique opportunity to meet with senior staff from our US subsidiary customers, and great opportunity to start to build relationships.
“As always, the measurement of success will come once we have completed the show enquiry follow-up actions, but my feeling now is that it was a successful move,” he added.
The growing popularity of in-mould labelling (IML) in the US was helping Witney-based Meech International appeal to visitors at NPE, said David Rogers, the electro-static equipment group’s business unit director – static control.
“One-use products, like yoghurt pots, are using IML more and we’re getting approached by people who have clear needs and want us to help them solving the issues they have,” he said.
Rogers said many visitors to Meech’s stand had requested the company visit their facilities and members of the Meech USA team, which is headed by general manager Matt Fyffe, would meet such requests.
An NPE event might not be the obvious place to find a UK-based recruitment firm specialising in placing experts in polymer.
But Ryan Kirby, international projects director at Stratford on Avon-headquartered Listgrove, said his company was able to use the show to highlight what it can do for US-based firms.
“We’re here to help US companies either place staff in the domestic market or with their operations in international markets, particularly in Europe, the Middle East and the Far East,” he said.
Kirby said the majority of approaches had been from companies looking for staff rather than job candidates, while a quarter of the enquiries at his stand in the South Hall of the convention centre had concerned non-US projects.
“NPE is a gateway for US companies looking to get people for either their local operations or facilities overseas. Many US recruiters don’t have the necessary connections, but we do,” he said.
