Propac Arabia - Multimillion deals at Jeddah's leading packaging show

"The tremendous success of this year’s event has reinforced its status as the Kingdom’s leading show for food, hotel, hospitality, processing and packaging industries, with a successful track record of more than 15 years," Zahoor Siddique, Vice President for Exhibitions, ACE, the show organisers, said. The event has established Jeddah as the hub of the food, hotel and hospitality sector, and the Kingdom as a national showcase and forum where worldwide suppliers present their products and services.

The dual event hosted an impressive list of national pavilions from China, Egypt, Indonesia, Taiwan, Turkey, USA and individual companies from Belgium, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Korea, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Morocco, Pakistan, Singapore, Tunisia and UAE; and Saudi companies representing international brands.

A turning point
For most of the exhibitors the show was a turning point in their businesses, as they struck many lucrative deals running into millions of riyals with local partners. Turkey had 20 companies exhibiting at the show. Ahmet Bakis, International Sales Director of Istanbul-based SENEXPO, said: "From the deals we have entered into or in the pipeline, I must say this is a market with huge potential. Most of the exhibitors are new, although the country has been sending its participants to this exhibition regularly over the years," he said. Food processing machinery represented by a few Turkish exhibitors received a number of inquiries. "This shows, local investors are keen to start food processing factories, which is a really good sign for the economy that depends mainly on crude oil and petroleum products," Mr. Bakis said.

"For me, it was the greatest success ever," said KAECHELE’s General Manager Dieter Fiebelkorn. The establishment based in Laichingen, Germany, specialises in manufacturing textiles - especially linen for hotels, restaurants and hospitals. "The number of inquiries I received from both hotels and the trading community is very, very encouraging," he said, adding the 100-year-old establishment already has a lion’s share of the European market and sees great potential in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere in the Arab world.

The prominent Indonesian pavilion at the exhibition showcased products and services from 15 of its leading companies dealing in Agarwood (Oud), a high quality incense since centuries, essential oils, coffee, tea, canned fish, palm sugar, coco, snacks, etc. Speaking on their behalf, Suwoto Gino Santalib, Deputy Director of Indonesian Trade Promotion Center (ITPC) at the Consulate General of Indonesia in Jeddah, said: "Most of our participants are new although we have been setting up pavilions at this show for many years. All of our participants feel hugely rewarded with not only the number of visitors inquiring about their products, but also multi-million riyals deals they are hopeful of transacting through this show."

The Mehran stand at the exhibition was a big draw during the four-day show. Mehran brand spices are manufactured at Gul Mohammed Memon Spice Factory at Al-Khurma in south Jeddah since 2007. "The variety of spices made at the factory are meant to meet Saudi market requirements only, whilst we do export them from our production centres in Dubai and Pakistan," Abdul Ghani Dawood Khan, National Sales Manager of Mehran, said.

Tawhid Al Saffy, Director at the Embassy of US Agricultural Trade Office in Riyadh, speaking on behalf of six American companies exhibiting at the show, said processed meat, canned foods and honey were amongst the items of the exhibiting companies who were satisfied with innumerable inquiries. "Local traders showed keen interest in these and other products at the US pavilion, including wheat, soybean, rice, fruit and vegetables," Al Saffy said, addnike