Great atmosphere and successful business at PACK PRINT INTERNATIONAL 2022 and CorruTec ASIA 2022

The long-anticipated 8^th edition of PACK PRINT INTERNATIONAL and the inaugural CorruTec ASIA ran for four exciting days from October 19-22, 2022 at BITEC, Bangkok, Thailand. 171 companies from 27 countries and regions connected with more than 10,000 trade visitors from 73 countries on a dynamic show floor that came alive with machine demonstrations, product presentations and business discussions.

Top visitor markets – hailing from Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Indonesia and India, among others – were more than satisfied with the connections and engagements made after a three-year hiatus caused by the pandemic. 100 local and international visiting groups covering sectors such as food and beverage, automotive and manufacturing, made their way to the exhibitions, with local groups coming from areas including Petchaburi and Samutprakarn, to the far eastern and northern regions of Bangkok.

Gernot Ringling, Managing Director, Messe Düsseldorf Asia, also expressed his enthusiasm and optimism as he took stock of the busy show floors, “There was definitely a lively energy in the air that dominated the trade fairs, and you could clearly feel how ready everyone was to do business and to meet again face-to-face.”

He added, “Overall, there was strong internationality on the exhibitor front and the diverse visitor groups that came from various application and vertical sectors, were very encouraging. This year’s performance and impressive attendance on the back of the pandemic gives the industry veritable stimuli and indication that next year will be a must attend for all those involved in the industry. We have received firm support and are heartened by the rebooking confirmations received for the 2023 edition.”

On the visitor side of things, there were also international visiting delegations coming from India, Indonesia, Mauritius, Philippines, Singapore and Sri Lanka. For Dr Roshan Rajadurai, Managing Director, Hayleys Plantations Sector of Kelani Valley Plantations PLC, part of a 20-member delegation from Sri Lanka, the visits to the exhibitions were an eye-opener and a “fantastic opportunity to get new ideas, gain business contacts and talk to packaging manufacturers in the industry here in Thailand.”

In addition, Nelson Chan, President, The Printers Association of Mauritius, together with a group of five executive members; having last visited PACK PRINT INTERNATIONAL in 2015, felt it was important to attend in-person this year to keep up to date with the latest in the industry after the long pause and to reconnect with key players. “We are also keen to learn best practices and see new machinery and technology – particularly digital printing solutions. We are pleasantly surprised by the strong visitor attendance and the brands on display,” he added.

Messe Düsseldorf Asia continues to work in close collaboration and partnership with Thailand’s leading industry associations and co-organisers for the trade fairs; The Thai Printing Association, The Thai Packaging Association and now the Thai Corrugated Packaging Association (for CorruTec ASIA). With a successful track record that has been gaining momentum since 2007, PACK PRINT INTERNATIONAL serves as a strategic launch pad into Thailand and the wider Southeast Asia region for international companies looking to expand their footprint or to strengthen their presence here.

For Swiss company Zünd, a world leader in modular cutting systems, and a long time exhibitor at PACK PRINT INTERNATIONAL, participating at this edition was especially significant to reconnect with clients and the industry in the region, and to strengthen overall brand presence. According to Aleksander Lazic, Segment Manager, Packaging, “Product differentiation is critical in a competitive landscape and as a premium product and a brand leader, this exhibition is important to strengthen our brand presence. With the co-located exhibition on corrugated packaging, we felt it was apt to focus our portfolio showcase this year in the packaging and POS display market.” Echoing the sentiment on the diverse visitor market at the exhibitions, Peter Schlegel, Managing Director, Zund Asia (Bangkok) Ltd. said: “We are pleasantly surprised with the participation and have seen visitors from Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines among others at our booth. We are very glad about the turnout which has been very satisfactory, and to show people we are here.”

Speed time-to-colour solutions and colour automation tools were also a strong feature this edition and putting this in the spotlight was HP PPS Asia Pacific with their HP Indigo Spot Master technology – an advanced solution based on a new, patented algorithm that saves time and eliminates errors through faster and more accurate colour matching when printing labels or packaging. “As the industry’s fastest time to colour technology – this has created a lot of excitement – on how we reach colours, maintain colours, and ensure colour consistency. We are happy to showcase this at PACK PRINT INTERNATIONAL and are very pleased with the better-than-expected turnout,” said James Yew, Business Manager, HP Indigo and PWP Industrial Print GTM. Sustainability was also high on the agenda at the exhibitions and bringing environmental sustainability centre stage was HP with their green technology. For this edition of PACK PRINT INTERNATIONAL one key area of focus was featuring their green technology portfolio by showcasing HP Latex – a water-based ink which is both flexible and ideal for corrugated packaging.

Also on ancillary finishing technology, innovative finishing specialist and global technology leader in hot stamping – KURZ (Thailand), had this to say: “We have been waiting for three years for this show to happen and to meet face-to-face again. This is the right platform for us to showcase our technology and sustainability initiatives in print finishing and transfer decorations,” according to Boonchai Laohateerapong, Head of Sales. KURZ is one of the first companies in their sector to bring de-inking, composting and now recycling together, for decorated print products.

Another first at PACK PRINT INTERNATIONAL came from imaging experts, Konica Minolta Business Solutions (Thailand), who featured their digital embellishment printing technology in recognition of the high demand for label printing products particularly on the back of the pandemic. Embellishment printing

with its tactile features can transform beyond just ink to paper, making it a truly unique experience. According to Masahi Miyamoto, Managing Director; “The exhibition has been an ideal platform to showcase our new technology and we are very happy to have received several orders.”

For German company CONPRINTA GmbH & Co. KG, experts in the flexographic and corrugated cardboard industry, as a specialist in corrugated preprint their patented servo-driven belt technology has gained worldwide recognition.  Commenting on their participation at CorruTec ASIA, Stefanie Picht, Head of

Administration & Marketing, said: “We joined the exhibition to introduce our belt technology in our IMD printing machines – it requires minimal preparation and short set-up times for fast order changeover, which saves times and money. We also wanted to understand more about the Southeast Asian market; we have had a very good experience and achieved our participation objectives.”

The corrugated packaging market has seen rapid growth helped by the explosion of e-commerce and developments in digital printing technologies. Thailand is currently the largest packaging exporter in ASEAN. Commenting on the first-time collaboration with Messe Düsseldorf Asia for CorruTec ASIA 2022, Chusak

Deetrakunwattanapoen, President, Thai Corrugated Packaging Association, said: “We are optimistic and positive about a successful partnership, and we look forward to growing and expanding CorruTec ASIA further in 2023. The corrugated packaging sector is one of the fastest growing, and with technology developments in digital printing technologies, growth in e-commerce and sustainability initiatives; the possibilities are endless. We are confident the industry needs a platform like CorruTec ASIA and look forward to growing the exhibition’s footprint in Thailand and the region.”

The next editions of PACK PRINT INTERNATIONAL and CorruTec ASIA will be held from September  20-23, 2023 at BITEC, Bangkok, and will co-locate with T PLAS, wire, Tube, GIFA and METEC Southeast Asia.