Processing and packaging show opens in Manila

ProPak Philippines, the first-of-its-kind food, drink, and pharmaceutical processing and packaging focused trade exhibition in the country opened today at the World Trade Center Metro Manila in Pasay City. The event showcases the latest innovative technologies from 292 companies across 29 countries. There are nine international pavilions from China, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and the UK, and a full program of industry seminars running from 24-26 January 2019.

The three-day business event comes at a time of high economic growth and exports in the country and emphasizes the need for local business owners to adopt innovative packaging and processing solutions. Opening the exhibition this morning were Senator Aquilino Pimentel III, the Chairman for the Senate Committee on Trade, Commerce and Entrepreneurship, as well as Department of Trade and Industry Undersecretary Zenaida Cuison-Maglaya.

“We are launching Propak Philippines to a backdrop of a very strong industry and strong government objectives and initiatives to drive it forward,” said Justin Pau, general manager of UBM Asia (Thailand) and project head of ProPak Philippines. “We are very pleased that we have all of this strong support to support this first step into the Philippines market.”

According to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Ramon Lopez, new manufacturing and packaging technologies will enable micro, small, and medium businesses (MSMEs) to grow and be globally competitive; established corporations, on the other hand will also benefit from exposure at ProPak.

In MSME development, the key is to make entrepreneurs smarter by exposing them to all new developments via networks like ProPak to solve the problem of minimum order quantity (MOQ) that has been really hampering the MSMEs and prompting them to upgrade their packaging requirements, said Mr Lopez.

According to Department of Science and Technology Secretary Fortunato dela Peña, packaging research and development is critical to extending the reach of products, especially that of MSMEs.

Hence, ProPak Philippines is very timely and relevant to the growing packaging requirements of the local industries, especially the MSMEs. He said this packaging exhibition will open opportunities for MSMEs to learn new trends and the latest technologies from across the world.

Knowledge sharing opportunities

At ProPak events, learning opportunities are abundant, and here in the Manila trade show, PackPinas sessions include topics on food safety, standardization and business expansion, packaging design, and sustainable practices in packaging:

Quality Control and Food Safety: Mandatory Label Requirements for the Philippines and the World; Safety & Quality Requirements of Packed Food Products; FDA Requirements for the Processed Food and Non-Food Industries; and Safety Quality Requirements of Packed Food Products.

Packaging design seminars: Packaging Technology & Innovations; Packaging Printing; Packaging Design that trends: How to Pack.

Business Expansion and export sessions: Packaging for business expansion 1 and 2; The Power of Digital Packaging Transformation; Value of Branding and Brand Identity; and Online Shopping: Disrupting Product Packaging.

Seminars for sustainability and the environment: Green & Eco-Friendly Packaging; Packaging Wastes and the Environment; PET Recycling & Its Developments.

In addition to these sessions, visitors can also attend the the DTI/PIP Seminar; Food Safety Trends Philippines; the Philippine Association of Food Technologists (PAFT) seminar, and the PROMAP Symposium.

ProPak Philippines is organised by UBM and supported by the DTI, the Packaging Institute of the Philippines, the Dairy Confederation of the Philippines, the Production Management Association of the Philippines, the Philippine Printing Technical Foundation, the Association of Laguna Processors Inc, the PAFT, and other allied industries and associations.