JPMA gets ready for Japan Pack 2019

THE food and beverage industry is the biggest consumer of packaging products and equipment. The Asian packaging market continues to grow alongside rising F&B consumption. In the region, Japan has been reaching out to ASEAN for more business growth.

At a briefing held at ProPak Asia (June 2018), The Japan Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Association (JPMA) announced preparations for JAPAN PACK 2019 scheduled to take place in Makuhari Messe in Chiba City from 29 October – 1 November 2019.

In his welcome speech to members of the F&B, pharmaceutical and other industries, JPMA vice president Yoshitake Kojo stressed the importance of building the Japan-ASEAN connection especially for information exchange.   

Dr. Nathdanai Harnkarnsujarit, a lecturer in the Department of Packaging and Materials Technology at Kasetsart University, strongly supported Mr. Kojo’s statement. Representing the Thai food industry at the JPMA briefing, he said that food companies continue to face issues and problems with packaging. He recommended the development of guidelines and regulations for the quality of packaging safety for SMEs and big companies. For this undertaking he said collaboration with experts from Japan would be beneficial.

For her part, Ms. K. Mathuvalee, Secretary of the Thai Beverage Industry Association, and representative of the beverage sector at this meeting, added another point to consider: facilitating trade and making relationships among stakeholders stronger.

Ms. Nuttanan Sinchaipanid, a professor of Mahidol University and president of The Pharmaceutical Association of Thailand under Royal Patronage, reiterated the importance of packaging for positioning and branding, and especially to use packaging that is environmentally friendly.

Some Japanese brands introduced their products as well at this briefing. Among them were Yamato Scale, Omori Machinery, and Furukawa Mfg Co. Ltd.

Currently JPMA has 137 regular members who produce more than 70% in value of Japan’s total packaging machinery output. As of 31 March 2018, the association has 110 supporting members who are suppliers of related equipment and packaging materials.

JAPAN PACK is held every two years for users and buyers of cutting-edge devices, technologies, and services in packaging and related industries from around the world.  This major event has a 54-year long history since the launch in November, 1964. According to JPMA, next year’s event will be its 32nd exhibition. 

New “formulas”

JAPAN PACK 2019 will generate new “formulas” for packaging by combining the various products and services offered by the exhibitors and presenting these to user industries.  According to JPMA, it will offer the perfect stage for exhibitors to effectively draw more attention from show visitors.  Moreover, the exhibition and its concurrent events, as well as aggressive PR activities, will promote business matching and provide immediate opportunities to advance customers’ business. 

JPMA is confident the packaging exhibition will create opportunities for exhibitors to acquire new customers and to grow their business globally. The association says JAPAN PACK is the largest packaging event in Asia.

Bigger every edition

In recent years, the scale of the exhibits has progressively expanded. The previous show held from 3-6 October 2017 attracted participation from 445 companies that set up a total of 2,342 booths within a 21,078sqm space – an increase of 30 companies and 58 booths from the previous exhibition – demonstrating the increasing significance of JAPAN PACK.

International participation

JPMA says it aims to make JAPAN PACK more international, so it welcomes foreign companies to join as exhibitor.  In the 2017 exhibition, there were 38 overseas exhibitors with ten companies from China, eight companies from Korea, seven companies from Taiwan, three companies from Malaysia, two companies from Hong Kong, and Singapore, and one company each from India, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Thailand. 

Exhibition categories

・Packaging and packing machines

・Packaging materials converting machines

・Packaging robot, Packaging-related equipment, Inspection / Detection machines

・Component, Environment-related equipment, Logistics-related equipment / service

・Food processing machines & related equipment

・Pharmaceuticals / Cosmetics-related machines

・Packaging materials

・Plant engineering systems

・Organisations, Media relations, Research institutes, Others

Visitor categories

・Food, Beverage

・Pharmaceutical, Chemical, Cosmetic

・Steel, Automotive, Transportation equipment

・Textiles, Household items, Stationery

・Distribution, Logistics, Services, Trading companies, Information devices, Software

・Packaging materials, Printing, Consignment packaging machinery,

・Equipment components, Robots

・Facilities, Buildings

・Public officers, Organizations, Schools

・General Public, Individuals, Others