TecPart Annual Conference: ‘Trends in Plastics Processing’

Portrait photo of Michael Weigelt, Managing Director of TecPart

The TecPart Annual Conference, which will take place on 9 and 10 September 2026 in Erfurt, will focus on the sector’s competitiveness.


Under the motto “Setting the Course, Shaping the Future”, according to a press release from the TecPart Association for Engineering Plastics, around 150 decision-makers from the plastics processing, plastics recycling and key customer sectors will discuss concrete solutions for competitive production in Germany. According to the information provided, the topics range from regulatory frameworks and the circular economy, through risk minimisation, economic and digital prevention, to the potential for process optimisation in administration and production. The sector continues to face a weak economy, high location costs, geopolitical uncertainties, additional regulatory requirements and growing pressure to transform. Michael Weigelt, Managing Director of TecPart, explains: “The economic situation remains challenging, but it is no reason to stand still. Plastics processors and recyclers can continue to tap into potential – in material cycles, risk management, digitalisation and production. For this to lead to investment and value creation, small and medium-sized enterprises need reliable operating conditions. We are bridging this gap in Erfurt: in a practical and industry-relevant way.“
 
The TecPart Annual Conference 2026 offers an expanded programme and a new structure for the presentations, featuring technical sessions and a plenary day. The conference will begin on 9 September 2026 with parallel technical sessions for the relevant processor groups: ‘injection moulders’, ‘thermoformers’, ‘compounders’ and ‘recyclers’. The technical sessions are designed to provide practical insights into new developments, material issues, applications and process solutions for the respective processing methods. According to Weigelt, the regulatory, economic and political outlook remains in place and is scheduled for the joint plenary day on 10 September 2026, which will cover cross-sector topics. To kick off the event, Prof. Dr Florian Puch from the Technical University of Ilmenau will present innovations in plastics technology. Carina Barbara Antonin from Hirschmann Automotive will speak about the challenges arising from the End-of-Life Vehicles Regulation (ELVR) for automotive suppliers in implementing closed-loop material cycles. This will be followed by presentations from Dominik Bredel of PwC on operational resilience in the context of regulation, AI and threats, and from restructuring specialist and banker Holger Perrey on how companies can take early countermeasures in uncertain times and which figures are key. In the afternoon, the focus shifts to digital production and efficiency – with presentations by Dr Stephan Dörfler of Auguris GmbH and Dr Axel Tome of Concept AG. To round off the industrial policy segment, Prof. Dr Joachim Ragnitz, Deputy Director of the ifo Institute in Dresden, will examine economic development and the opportunities presented by the necessary structural change in Germany. Thuringia’s Minister for Economic Affairs, Colette Boos-John, will provide the concluding political impetus for the panel discussion featuring panellists from politics, academia and industry on the topic: “Using the right levers for successful structural change and a highly competitive plastics processing sector in Germany”.
 
Further information: programme leaflet and registraion (in German)
 
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