First Reflections of NPE2024

Over the next three or four months, we will get into the nitty-gritty of what was on display last month in Orlando at NPE2024. For now, suffice to say that trends such as sustainability, recycling, energy efficiency, automation, smart machinery/artificial intelligence and more will be coming to a processing plant near you in the future. 

By virtually every standard, NPE2024 was a success. After a six-year hiatus brought about by the cancellation of the 2021 show due to COVID-19, there was a palpable excitement on the show floor, with processors hustling from booth to booth looking for new technology to solve their problems. Early numbers from the Plastics Industry Association suggest the industry is getting younger. Of the more than 50,000 registrants, 63% said it was the first NPE they ever attended, with some 30% of attendees revealing they were under the age of 40.

Exhibiting at a trade show the size and scope of NPE is no inexpensive endeavor. In fact, quite a few exhibitors invested seven-figure sums to bring and operate machinery to the show. In injection and blow molding, it’s not unusual to see machines running during a trade fair. This year’s show also featured three Italian extrusion machinery suppliers running lines: Bandera and Macchi of the multilayer blown film variety, a Colines of the cast/stretch film type. Salute. This is a testament, I think, of the potential for growth in the North American processing market.

Speaking of international matters, this year’s show was also more global than ever. More than 15,000 registrants traveled from beyond the U.S. to attend, making the 2024 show the most international in NPE's history. Representatives from 133 countries — or 68.2% of nations worldwide — registered to attend the global plastics trade show. This represents a 9.9% increase of countries registered at NPE2018. 

We will begin our in-depth coverage of new technology from the show floor next month.