Interpack 2014 brings innovations and solution to global and Thai packaging industry.
The upcoming interpack 2014, the world’s leading trade fair held every three years in Dusseldorf, Germany, will once again present the dynamic global food and beverage industry with innovative solution of the packaging and all related processing technologies that will help industries overcome challenges and thrive to the success.
Interpack 2014, which takes place from May 8-14, 2014 in Düsseldorf, is the perfect platform to show entire value creation chains from the production and refinement of packaging products and packaging materials - over packaging and distribution - right up to quality assurance and consumer protection.
Mr. Bernd Jablonowski, interpack Director, Messe Düsseldorf GmbH, said the global spending on food and beverage will continue to rise with projection that around 2,715 billion euros are being spent on packaged food and beverages in 2013. The expenditure is expected to rise by 25% in 2017, according to British market research institute Euromonitor.
In term of quantity, some 748 million tons of processed and packaged foods are sold in 2013 with projection to grow 11% annually to reach 829 million tons in 2017. Emerging markets in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East/Africa has shown strong growth for packaged food with these three regions together command over 55% of the retail volume.
Mr. Richard Clemens, Managing Director / VDMA Food Processing and Packaging Machinery Association, said in modern society, products without packaging are hardly conceivable. Innovative packaging is therefore in demand worldwide while the packaging industry is considered as a major international economic factor with estimated global trade value in 2012 of exceeding 500 billion euros.
Mr Clemens also added that the global food industry is the largest consumer of packaging with 45% of packaging worldwide is sold into this industry and another 26% to beverage industry.
In line with the growth of finished products, the international demand for processing and packaging machinery for the food and beverage industry has been growing steadily for many years, except in 2009 due to the global financial and economic crisis.
In 2012, world trade reached 33 billion euros, a new record which was 8% higher than 2011. Europe was the strongest sales region in 2012, as 43% of processing and packaging machinery was shipped to European countries. However, the market has shifted to emerging and developing countries as the share in Europe has reduced from 55-60% a few years ago. Asia has emerged as the second most important sales region with a share of 22% in 2012. Latin America, with a share of 10%, and Africa with 8% are further important growth regions.
Mr. Chaivudhi Pungthong, President of Thai Packaging Association, said Thai packaging industry is a significant industry to Thailand with market value of over 300 billion baht, around half is from packaging industries and another half from printing industries.
The implementation of Asean Economic Community (AEC) in 2015 is expected to help spur the growth of Thai packaging and printing industries which now have the export value of 60-70 billion baht a year to over 100 billion baht. However, tough competitions are foreseeable from countries such as China, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore thus Thai industries should upgrade the production through innovations.
At interpack 2014, there is also the regular show of INNOVATIONPARC PACKAGING (IPP) 2014 and the SAVE FOOD Congress, which was kicked off in 2011 under the cooperation with the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO).
SAVE FOOD congress is a broad-based alliance that covers large stretches of the food value chain that aims to bring awareness and the attempts to reduce food loss and waste which each year, worldwide, a third of all food is thrown away or lost, while some 842 million people are suffering from hunger at the same time.
METAL PACKAGING PLAZA will also be featured as a special theme for international metal packaging communities and its supplier industry.
More than 2,700 exhibitors have already confirmed their participation for this interpack 2014 that expected to draw over 165,000 visitors. Twelve Thai manufactures will join the fair under the Thai pavilion.
