The Printpack India exhibition at Greater Noida, in the Delhi/NCR, wound up on 6 February 2019 with a show of unity and a closing celebration in the evening. IPAMA ran a two-year campaign of unity across the various industry associations for this exhibition and the positive results of this effort were there for all to see and benefit from during the show.
The attempt to create segmented theme halls was also a success. Hall 14 was earlier also a web offset space and this time it was no different, although it also accommodated some converting equipment. This was partly because some of the Indian web offset manufacturers are venturing into packaging segments and to accommodate some late entries that could not fit into Hall 9 which was, this time, a really terrific and densely populated space housing many of the sheetfed offset press manufacturers, digital press manufacturers as well as converting equipment.
Label industry comes together
The creation of Hall 3 as a label industry hall was also a success with many running presses from the Indian manufacturers (Multitec, UV Technologies, Alliance, NBG, Webtech) and also at least one Italian manufacturer (Lombardi) with another Japanese manufacturer (Miyakoshi) in the adjacent Hall 1. Several global label press manufacturers (Mark Andy, Omet, Edale, MPS, Domino) were present in Hall 3 along with ancillary suppliers, coatings and labelstock such as Avery Dennison. Gallus was represented with a separate kiosk in the Heidelberg India stand in Hall 9.
The Association of Label Printers held a successful knowledge event in the main conference room at Printpack India 2019. Issues of sustainability were addressed. Overall, many of the exhibitors were conscious that this was a more general exhibition than one where label printers only congregate. Nevertheless, they were happy to reach out and test a larger audience since many offset printers are looking to diversify to labels and equally many label printers are contemplating additional diverse possibilities and revenue streams to add to their capabilities.
On the last day of the show we met with many of the organizing team and their overall attitude was of thanks to the industry stakeholders for their support and of seeking criticism and points for improvement. IPAMA president Dayaker Reddy also thanked the India Expo Centre for its cooperation and enhancement of the facility, which is now truly emerging as the premier structured and professional print and packaging exhibition site in the country.
The organizers were modest as far as the obvious accomplishments of this show. It seems that in spite of praise from all corners, they are now more aware of areas where the show can be improved. This was a welcome and new way of speaking. There is agreement that unity and modesty are the key to future success as well – that 600 exhibitors is an achievable target for the next event. “It’s the quality of visitors and the exhibits that matters,” said Reddy, as he announced the dates of the next show – “The Fifteen Printpack India will be held from 3 to 8 February 2021.”
