Asia's largest exhibitions on plastic, packaging and printing underway

The opening ceremony of T-PLAS and Pack Print International 2019 exhibitions

Themed “Shaping the future of packaging and printing in Asia”, Pack Print International – driven by the sectors’ leading trade fairs drupa and interpack – introduces the leading global packaging and printing innovators, with a start-studded line-up featuring HP, Heidelberg, Koenig & Bauer, Konica Minolta, Riso, Fujifilm, Fuji Xerox, Ricoh, Bobst, KURZ, Zund, Duplo, and more.

“With this region’s largest packaging and printing exhibition, we look forward to welcoming visiting international delegations from the printing, packaging, publishing, paper and pulp sectors - from Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Vietnam, and the Philippines,” Gernot Ringling, managing director, Messe Düsseldorf Asia, the organiser of the events said.

According to Ringling, Pack Print International 2019 will put the spotlight on four thematic zones, including One-Stop Pack & Print Pavilion, Labelling Zone, Logistics & Automation Zone, and a dedicated Prototype Showcase, alongside a series of industry-focused conferences and forums of the Asian Packaging Federation's General Assembly, Seminar, and AsiaStar Awards, Asean Printing Forum 2019, and Asian Print Awards.

“The four-day exhibition will also zoom in to areas such as package printing, corrugated printing and packaging, digital printing, electronic printing, large format printing, flexible packaging, and robotics,” Ringling added.

New machines and technologies are introduced at the Pack Print International 2019 exhibition

Meanwhile, the T-PLAS 2019 offers a wide range of machinery and equipment, raw materials, as well as solutions and services for the region’s plastics and rubber industries. Along with the exhibitions, T-PLAS 2019 also includes the inaugural Medical Plastics Engineering Symposium, Specialty Plastics Conference, and association-led seminars.

“By organising the two exhibitions at the same time, we want to showcase the importance of cross-trade partnerships as well as the synergistic businesses between the packaging, printing, plastics, and the rubber sectors,” Ringling shared. “I am confident that Pack Print International and T-PLAS 2019 will be valuable industry platforms providing opportunities to nurture mutually beneficial collaborations between exhibitors and trade visitors.”

Visitors at Duong's booth at the T-PLAS 2019 exhibition

As the only company from Vietnam participating in T_PLAS 2019, Stone Base Vietnam wishes to expand their market to Thailand.

“Thailand continues to develop and nurture its position as a regional manufacturing hub, further spurred by the momentum of Thailand 4.0. This is a market with great potential for us. On the first day, 10 out of 20 visitors to our booth were from Thailand. They showed particular interest in our plastic grains,” Mai Hong Duong, CEO of Stone Base Vietnam JSC, told VIR.

According to Duong, T-PLAS is a wonderful platform for his and hundreds of other companies in the field of plastics to learn more about the world’s development trends and demand.

“This is very important for us. By understanding demand, we can adjust and invest in technology to create suitable products,” Duong added.

As a visitor, Miguel Monleon Herrera, managing director of Coexpan & Emsur, a Spanish group of rigid and flexible packaging, also expressed optimism about the exhibition. “I’m looking for partners here. Although I haven’t visited many booths here, I can see new technologies displayed. I believe I can find suitable solutions for our firm’s development,” he said.

Lasting for four days from September 18 to 21, the exhibitions promise to welcome dozens of thousands of visitors.