Spain is Portugal's main trading partner, being Portugal’s main supplier and the first destination of Portuguese exports. The mold industry does not escape this reality and in 2017 the Portuguese neighbouring country was the destination of 22% of the Portuguese mold exports.
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It is because of the proximity and importance of this market for the molds, special tools and plastics industry that Pool-Net: Portuguese Tooling & Plastics Network is organizing the participation in the fair Made From Plastics, which will take place in Valencia from 26th to 28th February. This fair, of medium size, has about 40 exhibitors, mainly from the plastics industry, in a total exhibition area of 8,000m2, expecting about 5,000 visitors. In the context of the fair are organized several professional breakfasts, B2B meetings, 8 professional conferences and the "Annual Plastic Summit" that brings together professionals in the plastics sector, and associated areas, in an annual event.
The participation of Pool-Net: Portuguese Tooling & Plastics Network has the main objective of promoting the Engineering & Tooling from Portugal brand and the skills of the Portuguese industry of molds, special tools and plastics, namely the know-how, quality, technology and innovation, social sustainability, networking and reliability.
This participation is part of the project HIGHSPOT, promoted by Pool-Net, which aims to promote at the international markets the collective brand "Enginnering & Tooling from Portugal", contributing to the reinforcement of the positioning of the portuguese companies of the Engineering & Tooling cluster in supply & strategic markets. The HIGHSPOT project is funded by Portugal 2020, under the Operational Competitiveness and Internationalization Program, in the amount of 411,116 € from FEDER (European Regional Development Fund).
In addition to participating in the fair Made from Plastics, Pool-Net is organizing a Corporate Mission that will take place on 26 and 27 February. This action is being organized in partnership with AVEP - Asociasion Valenciana de Empresarios de Plasticos. It will include a breakfast of presentation of Portuguese companies to local buyers, participation in B2B meetings, presence in professional seminars organized during the fair and the visit to companies, suppliers of Ford, RHENUS AUTOMOTIVE and PLASTIC OMNIUM.
The portuguese Engineering & Tooling cluster is coordinated by Pool-Net: Portuguese Tooling & Plastics Network, association created in October 2008, being responsible for bringing together the engineering and tooling industry in Portugal, promoting the integration of this industrial, technological and scientific community, whose stakeholders are mainly based in Marinha Grande and Oliveira de Azemeis, two towns located jus 130 kms and 270 kms north of Lisbon, respectively. Providing global solutions for important customers, acting on a global scale, namely OEMs such as Renault, Volvo, VW, Audi, Nissan, Toyota, Porsche, Honda, Mercedes, GM, Mitsubishi, FIAT, BMW, the portuguese cluster intents to establish strong partnerships with Interplastica visitors.
We can affirm that Portugal has clearly taken on a role as “One-Stop-Shop”, offering renowned expertise across a broad value chain, ranging from Design, Product Engineering, and Prototyping to Mould Making and Product Manufacturing, all supported by the cooperation, innovation and internationalization of its stakeholders, adopting a philosophy of solutions providers for its global customers.
The “Engineering & Tooling from Portugal” brand sets its strengths on accumulated know-how, innovation and technology, quality and reliability, networking, competitiveness and social sustainability, all of them core competencies of Portuguese Engineering and tooling industry.
Portugal is the world's eighth-largest mould making country and currently exports over 85 percent of production to 86 countries. In 2017, tooling exports reached a value of 675 million euros. Exports as well as employment have doubled in the last ten years. Europe is the main export zone, although exports to North America and Mexico have grown.
This is an industry highly internationalized and technological up-dated that has made significant investments during the recent years on innovative technologies and processes, namely in new five-axis machines, software, paperless production, lean management and automation equipment. Some companies have also heavily invested in new, modern buildings and work environments which are sure to attract the best talent.
In addition to the recent efforts and investements, the cluster companies are working to accomplish challenges in the other fields such as the Industry 4.0, the Internet of Things and the Zero-defects manufacturing.
The accumulated know-how of the portuguese industry in several moulding technologies and in plastic injection solutions, as well as the quality of products provided, has contributed to its leadership in the European mould making and plastic injection industry.
