Successful launch of Propak Philippines

Propak Philippines, the first-of-its-kind food, drink, and pharmaceutical processing and packaging focused trade exhibition in the country was held at the World Trade Center in Metro Manila, Philippines from January 24-26. The exhibition brought in 292 leading companies from 29 countries, 9 international pavilions from China, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and the UK together with a full programme of industry seminars.

 

The three-day business convention comes at a time of huge economic growth and exports in the Philippines, where business owners are now keen on adopting innovative packaging and processing solutions.

 

The opening ceremony was headed by Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, Senate Chairman for the Senate Committee on Trade, Commerce and Entrepreneurship, and Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Undersecretary Zenaida Cuison Maglaya. According to Justin Pau, general manager of UBM Asia (Thailand) and project head of ProPak Philippines, the launch of ProPak Philippines was timely as it was held against a backdrop of a very strong industry and strong government objectives and initiatives to drive it forward. The organisers were happy of the strong support for its first step into the Philippine market.  

 

Apart from the new technologies and countless business opportunities it brought to a thriving market, ProPak Philippines also included PackPinas —a series of sessions led by experts in the field that covered various topics, from food safety, standardisation and business expansion, to packaging design and sustainable practices in packaging. Specialised seminars covered various aspects of the packaging production including mandatory requirements for the Philippines, safety and quality requirements of packed food products, innovations in design and production technology and printing, digital packaging transformation, and many other interesting topics in the areas of sustainability and environment protection.  

 

ProPak Philippines gained the support of 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 Food Processors Inc., the Philippine Association of Food Technologists Inc., and other allied industries and associations.

 

The Philippines was ProPak’s first stop in a series of launches happening throughout Asia this year, namely: ProPak Vietnam 2019, from March 19-21 at the Saigon Exhibition & Convention Center, Ho Chi Minh City; Propak Asia 2019, to be held from June 12-15 at BITEC, Bangkok, Thailand; ProPak China 2019, from June 19 to 21 at the NECC in Shanghai; ProPak Myanmar 2019, from the 12th to 14th of September, Yangon Convention Center, Yangon, and Propak India 2019—from October 21 until 23 at the Bombay Exhibition Center in Mumbai.

 

Young but promising market

The robust packaging industry in the Philippines has attracted interests from various international companies. With Philippine government support, the industry has seen rapid development over the years. In 2017, the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) launched the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2017-2021 as part of the AmBisyon Natin 2040 socioeconomic agenda. The PDP cited export objectives, including increasing the growth and competitiveness of exporters through development, and the diversification of export products and markets, as priority areas. The Philippine foods and beverage packaging industry, in particular, has been considered an area where abundant opportunities are available for both local and foreign companies.  

 

One exhibitor was Hosokawa Alpine (www.hosokawa-alpine.com), represented by Senior Sales Manager Wolfgang Menzel. The company promoted its range of blown film lines. The lines are characterised in particular by their flexible, economical and reliable operation. “This is the first time we joined an exhibition in the Philippines but we have known Propak from Vietnam and Myanmar, and I think this exhibition is good chance to get an overview of the Philippine market and be in contact with new customers in this region,” Mr. Menzel explained. Mr. Menzel currently handles the sales of Hosokawa Alpine products in China, Taiwan, Philippines and Vietnam. For Propak Philippines, the company promoted its blown film line for packaging. “Hosokawa Alpine offers production lines for multi-layer films, even for 11-layers films – which are now in demand worldwide to protect foods. In the Philippine market, we see our 7-layer blown film lines being appropriate for domestic customers,” Mr. Menzel added. 

 

Victorious Team Provider Corporation (www.victorious-team.com) represents various brands in the production of packaging products such as cans, bottles, pouch and flow pack. According to Jerico Valdezco, Senior Service Technician, the company has been engaged in different types of turnkey projects and supplies leading food brands in the Philippines. “Aside from installing the machines from abroad, we also provide training and after-sales services. Sometimes, we also supply the necessary parts.”  

 

Cerutti Packaging Equipment SpA (www.cerutti.it) offers printing, converting, finishing and die-cutting equipment.  According to Fabrizio Imarisio, Vice President Sales, “The Asian market remains an important market for us and this is very much apparent in the presence of our machines in various Asian countries.” The Cerutti Group is a leading manufacturer of rotogravure presses for publication, packaging and specialties printing, converting equipment, and flexographic presses for newspaper printing. With its production sites in Italy, one R&D Centre and one Software Design Centre, as well as a capillary network of Service Centres, Cerutti has been known globally for many of its products are used in strategic industries. 

 

Mr. Fabrizio Imarisio, Vice President Sales, Cerutti Packaging Equipment SpA

 

“We were the first company on the world to produce presses that print the plastic banknotes used in United Kingdom, Australia, Mexico, Hong Kong, Brunei, Vietnam, Nigeria, Singapore, Canada. Bioriented polypropylene is the material used for this new type of banknote, and it's printed by a gravure press. Our machine can print on any material and we are the only one in the world that can print on polymer notes or currencies in which anti-counterfeiting holograms are applied to create a 3D effect,” Mr. Imarisio explained.  Cerutti is keen on developing new features for its machines on consultation with the customers.  

 

SACMI’s presence at Propak Philippines is a reflection of the Group’s strong focus on the Asian market. SACMI (www.sacmi.com) presented a comprehensive solutions range: from the compression technology that has made it the world leader in plastic cap manufacturing to the new SACMI CBF, a revolutionary solution for the container-making industry that incorporates the very best of alternative technologies in terms of flexibility, precision and low running costs. The fully integrated, all-round SACMI range also includes development and production of complete plants that handle everything, from cap and preform to blowing, bottling, filling and labelling. SACMI also offers a comprehensive range of inspection systems for all its machines to enhance efficiency and productivity while ensuring total quality control. A sharp focus on customer satisfaction, with full assistance before, during and after the sale, gives the SACMI range a clear edge on international markets thanks to the far-reaching Global Network – which includes nearby SACMI Thailand – and the new high-added-value services provided by the SACMI Customer Service Division.

 

According to Rafaella Ghetti, Closures Business Director of the Group’s Closures, Containers and PET Division: “Aside from China, we see other countries in Asia as exciting market prospects. Aside from Propak Philippines, we plan to participate Propak Bangkok, Propak Vietnam as well as other exhibitions in Korea and China. In particular, all the machines for manufacturing closures and for the production of various types of containers are being promoted at Asian exhibitions since these are highly suitable for this regional market.”  SACMI’s production systems also take into consideration the trends towards Industry 4.0. Kamal Djemil, Automation & Inspection Systems Sales Manager, explained that SACMI has been working on that approach for more than 20 years. “The connection of the machines where data can be accessed remotely has become a global phenomenon in various industries. Industry 4.0 has further pushed operations to get connected and become compliant,” Mr. Djemil stressed. For SACMI, Propak Philippines is an interesting event since many major players in the domestic packaging industry were present.  

 

The Italian Trade Agency (www.italtrade.com/singapore) is the agency that promotes bilateral trade between companies. At Propak Philippines, ITA arranged to have 11 companies to join the Italian Pavilion. “ITA brought Italian companies to join this exhibition as a way to enhance bilateral trade. The agency also organises trade missions – for example – for business delegations visiting Italy, and other activities in that area,” according to Khaizal Khamis, Trade Analyst at ITA.  

 

 

Mr. Khaizal Khamis, Trade Analyst, Italian Trade Agency

 

tna (www.tnasolutions.com) is a leading global supplier of integrated food processing and packaging solutions with over 35 years of industry experience and 14,000 systems installed across more than 120 countries. At Propak Philippines, the company promoted its comprehensive range of products including materials handling, processing, cooling and freezing, coating, distribution, seasoning, weighing, packaging, inserting and labelling, metal detection, verification and end of line solutions. tna also offers a variety of production line controls integration & SCADA reporting options, project management and training. The tna booth at Propak Philippines was manned by Shuntaro Yamasaki, General Manager-Japan and Chee Lee, Regional Sales Manager (Thailand). tna’s unique combination of innovative technologies, extensive project management experience and 24/7 global support ensures customers achieve faster, more reliable and flexible food products at the lowest cost of ownership, according to Mr. Yamasaki.  

 

Jacob White, a leading manufacturer of fill and seal machines worldwide, is represented in the Philippines by Automation & Systems Resources, Inc. whose Vice President/General Manager Norman Camungol was present to provide show visitors with an overview of the machines available from Jacob White. “Jacob White has been a well-accepted brand here in the Philippines and we supply services for all Jacob White machine installations. The machines available suit the requirements of the domestic food manufacturers. For example, we have both automatic and semi-automatic fill and seal machines depending on the volume of production and other requirements of the customers.”  

 

Mr. Norman Camungol, Vice President/General Manager, Automation & Systems Resources, Inc.