Useful tips on doing business in the African region

Hosted by the Institute of Packaging of Southern Africa (IPSA), Plastics SA and Printing SA (PIFSA), several conferences and workshops will run alongside Propak Africa 2016. The exhibition is scheduled to be held at the Expo Centre, Nasrec in Johannesburg, from 15-18 March 2016.

Propak Africa is the largest exhibition dedicated to packaging, food processing, printing, plastics and labelling in the African region where hundreds of local and international exhibitors showcase their latest products, equipment, machinery and services for the African market. The event offers visitors the opportunity to see state-of-the-art equipment, raw materials, auxiliary equipment, products and services from international exhibitors such as those from India, China, Belgium, Austria, Portugal, France, Turkey, Greece, the UAE and the United Kingdom.

Some of the exhibitors at the show include Acepak, Afripack, Afritrade, Bernd Triebiger Enterprises, Bidvest Afcom, Bosch Packaging Technology, Filmatic, Filtec Automation, Future Packaging, Golden Era Group, Graphix Supply World, Hestico, HG Molenaar, Inoxpa South Africa, JPak, MGSA, Multivac Southern Africa, Nissei ASB, Pakmatic, Pakmax, PMD Packaging, Polyoak, Pyrotechnical Marketing, Qualitechs, Rotocon, Trempack Trading, Relloy SA Ulma Packaging Systems SA, USS Pactech, and Yaskawa SA.  
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Conferences and workshops have also been confirmed and will be hosted by the Institute of Packaging of Southern Africa (IPSA), Plastics SA and Printing SA (PIFSA). In addition, Pavlo Phitidis, owner of Aurik, a business incubator company, and regular co-host on The 702 Money show, will be holding sessions aimed at c-suite executives from the industry.  Topics will include: how to grow your business from an SMME to a medium sized or large organisation, how to do business into Africa and how to tackle legislative requirements in SA, including BEE.

The IPSA Propak Africa Packaging Conference is scheduled on 17 March 2016 and will be devoted to bringing the African packaging industry together to share insights into new innovations, stimulate and motivate developments, and encourage knowledge sharing.  Delegates will be able to gain an in depth understanding on how brand owners, retailers, converters and suppliers all work together to foster a dynamic and innovative solution-based approach addressing current market demand focused on expansion into the African region.  

IPSA will also be hosting various specialized workshops alongside Propak Africa, developed specifically for the IPSA Advanced Packaging Programme. These workshops are structured as interactive knowledge-enhancing sessions facilitated by a leading specialist in the field concerned. Workshop topics being considered include: Packaging Supply Chain Management, Packaging Quality Control, Corrugated and Paper Board Packaging, Plastic Packaging – Rigid and Flexibles, Packaging and the Environment – the Law & The Facts, and an Overview of Statutory Requirements regarding Food Packaging.