Extrusion International 6-2025

10 Extrusion International 6/2025 INDUSTRY NEWS New wire & Cable FORUM to Become a Hotspot for Innovation and Exchange The international wire and cable industry can look forward to anoth- er highlight in 2026: the new wire & Cable FORUM will be presented for the rst time in hall 13 at Düssel - dorf Fairgrounds. Under the motto come & connect, Messe Düsseldorf will bring together leading minds, thought leaders and decision-mak- ers from the industry here from 13 to 17 April 2026. Following the success of the Tube FORUM 2024, wire is thus sending another strong signal for knowl- edge transfer and networking. The new wire & Cable FORUM will be a central meeting place for everyone who wants to actively shape the fu- ture of the wire and cable industry. International industry experts will give exciting presentations provid- ing insights into current develop- ments – from digitalisation and au- tomation to sustainability and new materials and production processes. The programme will be comple- mented by panel discussions and a wide range of networking opportu- nities that promote direct exchange between speakers, exhibitors and trade visitors. Admission to the fo- rum is free for all trade fair visitors. “With the new wire & Cable FO- RUM, we are creating a place where innovation and networking come together in a unique way,” says Daniel Ry sch, Director wire & Tube at Messe Düsseldorf. "Our goal is to offer the global wire and cable industry an even stronger platform for knowledge transfer and part- nership-based exchange – right in the middle of the lively trade fair ac- tion. For exhibitors and visitors, this means even more visibility and busi- ness potential." www.wire.de Royal Visit Reinforces Strategic Partnership in the Middle East His Royal Highness Prince Saud Turki Al-Faisal Al Saud, Chairman of the Riyadh Exhibitions Company (REC), together with Wolfram N. Diener, Chairman of the Manage- ment Board of Messe Düsseldorf, set another milestone in the close cooperation between the two part- ners. At K 2025, the World's Leading Trade Fair for Plastics & Rubber, both sides con rmed their strategic coop - eration with an of cial handshake. The handshake marks another milestone in the international ex- pansion of the world's leading trade fairs K, interpack and drupa into Saudi Arabia. There, the dynamic and multifaceted development of the Middle East economy can cur- rently be observed in an impressive manner. The Riyadh Exhibitions Company is organising the Saudi Plastics & Petrochem and Saudi Print & Pack trade fairs there from 12 to 15 April 2026, with over 500 exhibit- ing companies from the petrochem- ical, plastics, printing and packag- ing industries. This rapidly growing quartet of trade fairs, whose num- ber of exhibitors has risen by around 70 per cent since 2018, offers ideal opportunities for Messe Düsseldorf. The new presence in Riyadh per- fectly complements Messe Düssel- dorf's existing international portfo - lio – in the plastics and rubber sector with ‘K Alliance’, in the processing and packaging segment with ‘in- terpack alliance’ and in the print technologies sector with ‘drupa alli- ance’. The aim of the partnership is to actively participate in the growing economic momentum in the Middle East. Both partners had already of- cially documented their strategic cooperation in a memorandum of understanding in spring 2025. Wolfram N. Diener emphasises the signi cance of this decision: ‘We are in the right place at the right time. With our commitment to the world's fastest-growing trade fair market, we are strengthening our position as one of the most success- ful international trade fair compa- nies. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are diversifying their economies, which opens up numer- ous points of contact for our broad trade fair portfolio and new poten- tial for our customers.’ The fact that the economic transformation of the region is attracting increasing inter- national attention was also demon- strated by a high-ranking visitor: His (Picture: Messe Düsseldorf GmbH)