Page 30 from: January / February 2014

30 January/February 2014

Big
T r a d e s h o w By Martijn Reintjes

‘smaller’Pollutec
developments
highlighted at

A small trade show is not automatically a less important trade show. True, the Pol-
lutec event taking place every second year in

Lyon is four to five times larger than its Paris

counterpart, with three times the number of

exhibitors and visitors. But over the years, the

Pollutec Horizons show at the Paris Villepinte

exhibition grounds has proved to be a depend-

able magnet for the global recycling and waste

management industries.

The latest of these shows was held in early

December and drew nearly 27 000 visitors from

a total of 100 countries. Some 1200 exhibitors

gathered on 35 000 square metres of exhibition

floor, of which the majority were from France

while a further 31% comprised manufacturers

from 28 foreign countries, including Japan,

Germany, Italy, the UK and the Netherlands.

The most eye-catching presence from the inter-

national perspective, however, was South Korea

as ‘Country of the Year’. In less than three decades,

South Korea has risen to become the world’s 15th

largest economy and a major exporter of sophis-

ticated technologies such as robotics, semicon-

ductors and LED screens. A dozen Korean man-

ufacturers were brought together under one roof

in a centrally-located pavilion in Paris.

How to handle pilgrimage waste?
This ‘Country of the Year’ approach was hailed

as ‘a great success’ by Pollutec’s promotions

representative Marie Lalanne. Event organisers

are already busy searching for the country that

will adopt the same mantle at this year’s Pol-

lutec show in Lyon – and Saudi Arabia has been

identified as ‘a serious candidate’, she said.

In this connection, Lalanne confirmed to Recy-

cling International the presence at the Paris show

of a delegation from the municipality of the

Saudi holy city of Mecca where the authorities

have been struggling with a fast-growing waste

mountain caused by the Hajj pilgrimage – the

largest gathering of Muslims in the world with

some 2.5 million people attracted every year.

Together, they produce thousands of tonnes of

waste which has to be handled and recycled

properly. ‘The local authorities are now looking

for ways and techniques to tackle this major

challenge, and here at Pollutec they have the ideal

stage to find possible solutions,’ Lalanne noted.

Widespread optimism
Apart from offering solutions to a whole range

of major (and minor) challenges faced by

authorities and recyclers, Pollutec 2013 was

also notable for the optimism shown by equip-

ment suppliers when assessing global market

conditions.

‘Clearly, orders are on the rise,’ confirmed Barry

Carson, technical director of UK-based

machinery designer, manufacturer and sup-

plier Lyndex Recycling Systems. The company

is experiencing global growth, he said, and

expects ‘major and promising’ deals to come

from France and Germany – not to mention the

Netherlands, where Carson is currently looking

for an agent. ‘We absolutely need someone to

represent us in Holland,’ he stated.

At its futuristic stand, Italian shredder manu-

facturer Bano heralded the recent delivery of a

mobile shredder plus trailer to the French Car-

ibbean island of Saint Martin, while machines

are also on the way to Australia and Japan. ‘95%

of Bano’s business currently comes from for-

eign trade,’ revealed the company’s marketing

manager Laura Minotto. Asked about latest

equipment trends and customer requirements,

she pointed to increasing demand for mobile

shredders equipped with cameras. ‘We are now

able to follow how a machine is performing on

the other side of the world, 24/7, online and in

real time,’ Minotto explained.

Another ‘good news’ story was told by a repre-

sentative of German catalyst recycling giant

Duesmann & Hensel: the company has experi-

enced spectacular international growth over

recent years and is close to announcing ‘a major

expansion’ at its subsidiary in France.

The 2014 Pollutec exhibition will take place on
December 2-5 in Lyon, France.

For both recyclers and equipment suppliers looking for that French

connection, the Pollutec trade show is regarded as ‘a must’. Held in

Paris in early December, the event showcasing latest recycling inno-

vations and solutions attracted thousands of professionals from

around the world. And among them was a delegation from the holy

city of Mecca, Recycling International learned.

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