At the Düsseldorf International Plastics and Rubber Expo, which took place on October 8-15 local time, exhibitors and industry insiders from all over the world expressed concern about trade measures such as U.S. tariffs. They believe that trade barriers and geopolitical tensions are bringing new variables to the global rubber industry chain, undermining market confidence and disrupting the stable operation of the supply system.
As the world's largest and most influential rubber industry exhibition, Germany's Düsseldorf International Plastics and Rubber Expo is held every three years, and is seen in the industry as the "wind direction" of industrial development. During this year’s exhibition, “tariffs” and “trade barriers” will be the focus.。 The organizers expressed the hope to promote international cooperation through the exhibition platform, rather than creating barriers.
Dusseldorf Exhibition Group Chief Operating Officer:People gather here to do open trade.We think tariffs are not good wherever they come from.
Several European exhibitors pointed out that the tariff measures have caused significant impacts at the supply chain level, making market demand more volatile and also putting enterprise operations under greater pressure.
German exhibitor Monique Buch:We do feel the impact clearly in the supply chain. Demand has become unstable, with more peaks and troughs emerging, and companies 'backlog or digestion of inventories due to repeated announcements of various tariff policies. We see that some customers have been affected and tariffs are unfavorable to the entire industry. We very much hope to see some stability.
Many exhibitors believe that tariffs cause companies to "lose their sense of direction", which is even worse in the already complex supply and logistics system.
The French exhibitor Gierman:Tariffs bring uncertainty and lack of predictability, which obviously poses an obstacle to the development of enterprises. We already face supply chain and logistics difficulties, and I think the freer trade, the better it will be for everyone. We are very worried about the current trend of the trade war and hope that relevant parties can sit down and find solutions to allow business activities to proceed normally.
Judging from the feedback from the exhibition site, all parties are generally critical of trade protectionism, believing that openness and cooperation are still the keys to the continuous innovation and global layout of the rubber and plastic industry. Faced with the ever-changing international trade pattern, industry insiders call on policy makers to create a more predictable environment for the global industrial chain, so that innovation and sustainable development are no longer subject to political turmoil.