Packaging and printing events open today

Presenting 400 firms, this year's Gulf Pack and Gulf Print trade fairs are set to break all records with one exhibitor, SAPIN of Saudi Arabia, already predicting multi-million dollar deals.

According to Ms Virginia Kern, Chairman of F&E, organisers of Gulf Pack and Gulf Print, visitors will have never seen anything like this before in Dubai. 'We have spent more than a week transforming the Airport Expo into a huge packaging and printing complex spanning three halls and featuring countless machines. More than 400 tonnes of equipment has been set up at the show.'

Many exhibitors will be featuring large machinery such as German print giants Heidelberg Drukmashinen AG, with no less than 5 machines on their vast 500 square metre stand including, for the first time, an 8-colour printing press.
Other major exhibitors from the print and graphics sector include Agfa, Giffin, Canon, Dynagraph, HP and Xerox. Visitors will get the chance to experience numerous launches, including Kodak's Nexpress 2500 Digital Production Color Press.

Ms Kern said that the event is all about business. 'The events have more than doubled in size as both industries are booming due to many factors. Apart from increasing local demand, Dubai is one of the world's largest distribution hubs. The 5,500 companies located in Jebel Ali Free Zone are just one example of this trend, all of whom are major buyers of packaging and printing materials.'

Market surveys bear this out. Dubai based management consultants IMES suggest that growth figures for the UAE are as much as 15-20 per cent for packaging categories such as dairy, soft drinks and flexible packaging.
No wonder therefore that so many blue-chip packaging firms such as Crown Bevcan, Bobst and Esko Graphics have chosen to take part. They join many local companies in introducing new innovations, such as Al Thika Packaging with the latest newspaper bundling system from Mosca.
The flexible packaging category is fully represented with numerous solutions on offer including the new thermal transfer printer from Markam. This sector has become so important that Gulf Pack now features a dedicated label zone.
This year's Gulf Pack witnesses the largest group attending from Saudi Arabia featuring Al Wataniya Plastics, Banawi, Raffia and Obeikan Investment Group. Obeikan have one of the largest stands at the show, presenting international partners Elopak, Bosch, SIG Combibloc and Krones.

Another leading exhibitor is container making specialist SAPIN. They are tipped to sign a multi-million-dollar deal during Gulf Pack with a multinational food giant. According to Frederic Colombier, SAPIN's Business Development Manager, 'we are attending Gulf Pack this year to explore new business opportunities and to conclude some major deals with our existing clients. We're confident that Gulf Pack will be the platform for us to sign some massive contracts.'

Apart from business, Gulf Pack and Gulf Print offers trade visitors a unique learning opportunity with a comprehensive 4-day seminar programme. Featuring 30 sessions, key themes include developments in product decoration, wide-format printing applications, digital workflow techniques, the topical issue of RFID, and the latest advice on packaging design.