We declared Axion Polymers’ attendance at Interplas 2017 a ‘great success’, having collected more than 100 leads, including two firm invitations to quote from potential plastic clients, over the show’s three days.
“Interplas is a key show for us, so having put a lot of planning effort into our stand, we were very pleased to be rewarded with a high level of knowledgeable and interested visitors,” said Axion Director Keith Freegard. “We were really busy and are now following up more than 100 leads.”
He said that a ‘high point’ from the show was at least two visitors, impressed with the company’s high-quality 100% recycled polymer range, had emailed them the next day inviting quotations against specified polymers.
“In the normal selling process, it would take three months to get to that stage. So for us, the show has proved its worth. I feel confident that we’ll gain between five and 10 new orders from the number of leads we got,” continued Keith, who also spoke at the show on why product designers should ‘think circular’ and use sustainable recycled plastics in new goods.
Axion Polymers produces three types of recycled polymer from its advanced re-processing plants for Automotive Shredder Residue (ASR) derived from End of Life Vehicles (ELV) and WEEE. These are Axpoly® PP (polypropylene), ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) and HIPS (high impact polystyrene).
All three recycled polymers have a significantly lower carbon footprint than oil-based virgin plastics – up to 89% for ABS, 82.5% for recycled (HIPS) and 73% for recycled (PP), according to Axion’s 2017 Axpoly® Carbon Footprint Analysis.
Speaking after the show, Axion’s Product Development Technologist Mark Keenan said: “Not only was the show a great opportunity to look for new leads and potential to grow Axion Polymers, it also enabled us to meet with much of our existing customer base, which would normally not be possible due to time constraints and busy workloads.
“Many of our customers visited our stand to talk about not just how the existing business relationship together was going, but also how it could be developed to our mutual benefit.”
Laura Smith, Commercial Operations Manager at Axion’s Salford processing facility commented: “Having received a high level of enquiries over the three days, we are confident that we should gain some new customers as a result of attending Interplas.”
Keith concluded: “Based on our 2017 experience, I’d be happy if Interplas was held every year if we got a similar quality of visitors and amount of footfall. For us, the show fills the right gap in the market and it’s in the right location.”