Indonesia event spotlights plastic recycling technology

The Asia Plastics Processing Technology and Innovative Materials Summit, which took place in Jakarta, Indonesia Sept. 6-7, featured technical presentations in the areas of injection molding, process cooling, automation, packaging design, high performance materials, bioplastics, waste management and recycling and other topics pertinent to the plastics industry.

Organized by Ringier Events, the Asia Plastics Processing Technology event was designed to present developments and future trends in the application of plastics for growing sectors in Indonesia such as automotive, packaging, consumer electronics and infrastructure. With the Indonesian government’s pronouncement of implementing the “Making Indonesia 4.0” roadmap to bring major innovations, many more manufacturing industries are being encouraged to explore advanced production processes. 

The Summit was organized in partnership with the Indonesian Packaging Federation (IPF) and Indonesia Plastic Recycling Association (ADUPI), and sponsored by Frigel Asia Pacific Co. Ltd., Trinseo, XSPROJECT, Fomtec Plastic Machinery (Guangzhou) Co. Ltd, Ever Polymer, L.K. Machinery International Limited and Dongguan Hejin Plastic Machinery Co. Ltd. It also included a mini-expo where sponsors and partner organizations showcased their products and services, as well as a buyer – supplier matchmaking service.

Billy Tjang, managing director of Jakarta-based PT Bilplast Grapindo, provided an overview of Indonesia’s plastics industry, including plastics consumption and production, and trends in the industry that affect the production process, such as emerging preferences for environment-friendly products. 

Henky Wibawa, executive director of the Indonesian Packaging Federation (IPF), started off the Summit commenting on the need to embrace a design-to-value process as an option to achieve greater brand awareness and higher margins by adding new elements to drive change in the packaging design.

Regarding waste management and recycling, Emenda Sembiring of the Institut Teknologi Bandung in Jawa Barat, Indonesia, shared the potential use of plastic scrap in pavement, and how the institute has been conducting studies to achieve the goal of using plastic as a construction material. Retno Hapsari, Manager of XSPROJECT, described a project through which consumer items are being designed and made out of discarded plastic.