Messe Dusseldorf Asia, in partnership with the Thai Printing Association, the Thai Packaging Association, the Thai Corrugated Packaging Association and the Federation of Thai Industries, is hosting “Pack Print International 2022 and Corrutec Asia 2022” , the largest regional trade fair for the packaging industry. It will bring to the fore the strength of these three industries in Thailand, and
Messe Dusseldorf Asia, in partnership with the Thai Printing Association, the Thai Packaging Association, the Thai Corrugated Packaging Association and the Federation of Thai Industries, is hosting “Pack Print International 2022 and Corrutec Asia 2022” , the largest regional trade fair for the packaging industry.
It will bring to the fore the strength of these three industries in Thailand, and it is a space for showcasing cutting-edge innovations from over 200 companies around the world. The printing, packaging and corrugated card industries have a strong growth trend in every region, with a strong emphasis on innovating for the environment. The packaging sector is giving a high priority to environmentally-friendly packaging, which grew by over 6.2% last year, or 9 trillion THB. There is also a stress on promoting design which is functional with a wide range of use cases. The printing industry is focused on tech such as digital printing, 3D printing, and safe printing for health and the environment.
Mr Gernot Ringling, Managing Director, Messe Düsseldorf Asia said that the recovery of purchasing power, manufacturing capacity, marketing and advertising has been a crucial advantage for the printing and packaging industries. Industries which rely on this sector have to find new ways to compete. As preparation for entrepreneurs being able to deploy more of these innovations, “Pack Print International 2022 and Corrutec Asia 2022” will be hosted at the end of this year, a stage to showcase world-class smart tech which will benefit a wide variety of industries. It is also a space to level up the packaging, printing and corrugated card industries to grow in the new economy, while highlighting Thailand as a hub for all three industries.
Pack Print International 2022 and Corrutec Asia 2022 is a festival of innovation in printing, packaging and corrugated card, and the largest event of its kind in Asia. It is intended as a hub to bring together distributors, buyers, and domain experts to promote business opportunities, exchange know-how and boost the capabilities of Thai manufacturing to make it competitive in regional markets. The last edition of the event was held in 2019, which generated a good response from both Thai and foreign visitors. Total footfall was almost 20,000 people from 62 countries. This year, there is strong confidence that the event will attract interest, particularly for parties currently seeking commercial printing solutions, packaging and materials manufacturers, and equipment to support manufacturing and trade in a new context. There is also preparation for operators in the supply chain to be able to deal with competition in 2023.
Mr Kriengkrai Thiennukul, Chairman, The Federation of Thai Industries, said that in the current era of rapid change, developing new technologies and digital media has come to have an increasingly critical role, with an impact on consumer behavior. Whereas previously they preferred printed media, now they consume more digital media. Operators in the printing industry were unavoidably disrupted by digital tech replacing printed matter. However at a time of crisis, new business opportunities emerged from the growth of E-Commerce. In 2021 this trade was worth 4.01 trillion THB, an increase of 6.11% on 2020. This generated greatly increased demand for packaging. Entrepreneurs in the printing industry had to adapt to the packaging business by applying innovation and technology to develop packaging which met user needs. Such packaging has to be durable and must use material that is friendly to the environment by being biodegradable. Creative ideas have been applied to design new kinds of packaging which is attractive and can add value to a product. Thus the printing and packaging industries are key to driving the economy, and have a crucial role in supporting the current trend of e-commerce business operations.
The Federation of Thai Industries, which represents industrial operators has therefore been focused on support for printing and packaging companies, both by coordination with government policy to develop entrepreneurs, and pushing through the key knowledge and technology for manufacturers to adapt to world trends. The Federation is also dedicated to building business networks and providing important forums such as the Pack Print International and Corrutec Asia events. They connect industries by keeping them up to date and providing access to new tech, while stimulating the development of new kinds of packaging which will meet users’ needs in the future.
Mr Prasert Loryuenyong, President, The Thai Packaging Association said that over the last two quarters, packaging has adapted well, and the most important part has come from user needs in various sectors such as food, beverages, consumer goods and the expansion of e-commerce. Another important part is the adaptation of manufacturers to keep up with global trends, who have turned to innovating by design, while managing costs in conditions of inflation and fluctuating fuel prices. In Q1 of 2022, the packaging sector was responsible for export volumes of 18,162 MB, a very high year-on-year increase of 18.34%. In the second quarter, export volumes of packaging were worth 19,026 MB, an increase year-on-year of 22.03%, which was considered to be a very high level. In Q3/Q4, the forecast is for manufacturing and distribution volumes to keep expanding, from vendors’ economies and Thailand’s improved control of COVID-19 infections. With full reopening in other regions, confidence in spending power is a key advantage to expanding the trade in manufactured packaging, both domestically and overseas.
“Despite Thailand being the largest exporter of printing and packaging in ASEAN, it still needs to improve its responsiveness to global trends. Most particularly, the issues of global warming, natural disasters and the COVID-19 pandemic have been directly involved in the manufacturing of packaging. Manufacturers have to be stricter with these policies. The operations of the Association are focused on businesses and networks giving priority to recycling, packaging replaced with natural materials and printing ink which is friendly to the environment. The value of the environmental packaging industry last year showed a growth rate of 6.2% on 9 trillion THB. We are also promoting packaging design such as reducing materials to make the packaging lighter, to reduce both packaging and transportation costs. Useful functions of packaging have been added over and above mere wrapping products. Research and development has been promoted to upgrade durability. All of these new factors come together in the Pack Print International and Corrutec Asia events, for other entrepreneurs to learn and apply to their own businesses.”
Mr Pongthira Pathanapiradej, President, The Thai Printing Association commented that the printing industry had a part in stimulating interesting economic activity in the market, and in advertising. In particular, the use of digital printing technology developed and applied in the printing industry, is currently undergoing major expansion. This is because the printed pieces are of high quality, high resolution and are highly durable. A large number of pieces can be printed rapidly to keep up with a wide range of demand for products from consumers. This also includes printing materials to reduce various impacts, such as ink which is friendly to the environment and ink which is safe for health. It is forecast that the trend to compete on global markets is Artificial Intelligence. Introducing AI tech to the process increases speed, enables retrospective monitoring, and reduces the risk of using human workers. The 5G trend is applying modern telecom systems to transmit data and see images of every manufacturing process in real time. The trend of printing and premium design reflects a desire for premium manufacturing which can create new experiences when using products. There is also a trend of 3D printing, such as for machinery and automotives, product design and medical uses. The safety trend has come about from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and other health issues, with manufacturers giving greater priority to safety. Finally, the trend of sustainability is for consumers concerned about the environment, for which manufacturers must have a clear policy.
Mr Chusak Deetrakunwattanapoen, President, Thai Corrugated Packaging Association noted that inflation, oil prices and volatility in the price of paper have given Thai corrugated card manufacturers the problem of managing increased costs. It is one of many challenges requiring adjustment, particularly in controlling production to be consistent with the fluctuating prices of raw materials. Developing the properties of pulp to be stronger and more durable, while developing services in tandem with manufacturing increase convenience for entrepreneurs who need corrugated card to package their products. However, despite this volatility in the Thai corrugated card industry, there are also opportunities for growth, particularly from the effects of the growth of online business, and the purchasing power of e-commerce channels. The recovery of the export sector has required the use of increased volumes of corrugated card. Now the trend of using packaging made from paper is still growing with the environmental trend, and is also being driven by the BCG Economy Model of government policy.
“To build resilience into the corrugated card industry this year, the Association is participating in the Pack Print International and Corrutec Asia events. Our key objective is to demonstrate the Association’s dedication to the environment with brand new innovations, and its readiness to adapt to the printing and packaging industries. The crucial role of corrugation manufacturers, whether with folding boxes, hard boxes or honeycomb, is for packaging designers to drive e-commerce. We are confident these strategies will stimulate investment, and showcase Thailand as a manufacturer with potential and credibility at the regional level.”
“Pack Print International 2022 and Corrutec Asia 2022” is to be held between 19 and 22 October 2022 at Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Centre, better known as BITEC Bangna. The event will feature innovations and technology which will meet the needs of manufacturing in the future from over 250 leading companies from all over the world. These include Bobst, Heidelberg, Konica Minolta, Tsukatani and Zund, as well as leading domestic brands such as Comprint, Cyber SM and Nationwide. For more information see the websites www.pack-print.de and www.corrutec-asia.com .
