P show

P is for packaging production

8 March 2005



Messe Stuttgart plans for 12,000 visitors at its June show


Latest exhibition company to enter the packaging production/converting calendar is Messe Stuttgart. And it is predicting a solid start for its P show scheduled for June 15-18 (Wednesday to Saturday) this year.

Speaking during a recent international press conference held at the newly founded International Packaging Institute (IPI) in Schaffhausen, Switzerland, project manager of P, Silvia Blumenschein said: "2005 is the start-up for this process oriented packaging production event. It will be a signal for the 2007 exhibition, by which time the new Stuttgart fair ground adjacent to the airport will be open." Messe Stuttgart claims to be situated at the heart of the European packaging industry. "Baden-Württemberg is bordered by Switzerland, France, Austria, Northern Italy and Eastern Europe. It is the key to markets," she said.

"Many companies have told us that they regret that the Düsseldorf based PacPro/PaPro was discontinued. There is no comprehensive show for all packaging production," she said. "We are not competitive with drupa or interpack. The objective of P is to be a complete overview of the production of packaging. It will take into consideration the significant area of packaging printing and all relevant print processes (flexo, gravure, offset, silkscreen and digital). It will cover all machinery and processes for packaging production from all materials (paper, board, plastics, metal and glass)." Packaging types include boxes, flexibles, cans and bottles. Questioned on other converting events being held this year she said. "We have something in common with other shows, but no-one is in direct competition with us. At ICE, for example, print is excluded. And CMM is not competitive as the US market is very different from Europe."

Targets

A total of 200 exhibitors have been targeted for the first show. 80 were on the books at the beginning of this year. "We expect some 15,000m2 to be sold and we are aware with this first show we will be acquiring customers right up to the fair," she added. Targets for 2007 are 300 exhibitors, rising to 450 by 2009 and 650 by 2011.

Exhibitor target groups include machinery, auxiliary materials and raw materials for the production of packaging, machinery for printing packaging materials and packaging, in-line machines for cutting and creasing, integrated printing, finishing equipment, conveying, warehousing and loading equipment, recycling, testing equipment, design and packaging development providers and reproduction companies. "Baden-Württemberg is home to approximately 1,000 companies that can be regarded as prospective exhibitors for P," added Silvia Blumenschein.

Forums

Stand areas are being allocated to reflect the packaging chain with halls divided into areas for raw materials, printing and finishing and packaging production. The supporting programme will include user-oriented presentations with four different daily focal points (labels, folding cartons, films and printing and finishing). These hall forums will be free for visitors. Another congress on container printing, sponsored by printing ink producer Zeller + Gmelin, will have a global attendance. And a theme park on the same topic will be presented by Zeller +Gmelin and its partner companies within the show.

Twelve thousand visitors are predicted for the first show, rising to 18,000 in 2007; 18,000 in 2009 and 35,000 by 2011. "Visitors will be from businesses that produce packaging and auxiliary packaging products, manufacturers of branded goods, printers, agencies, consultants and designers," she explained.

As part of its partnership with P, The IPI is organizing a major symposium. Topics include Packaging Converting Workflows, Smart Packaging Systems and Advanced Converting Technologies. To be chaired by Prof Dr Ingo Büren, professor for Packaging Technology at the University of Applied Sciences in Stuttgart, the symposium will feature contributions from major companies such as Siemens, DuPont, Alcan and Henkel Liofol. Each of the three days can be attended separately, but the IPI says it will make sense for expert visitors to come to two or all three days.

Topics on the first day include the simulation of processes, which is increasingly becoming a standard procedure in the packaging industry. "Savings in time (time-to-market) and resources (equipment, personnel, tools) and the rapid acquisition of experience are also turning simulation more and more into a tool for packaging development," said Prof Büren. In his opinion, problems associated with changing small to large batch sizes have not yet been resolved. These are being examined in a KTI project at Aargau Technical College that will be presented during P.

Nanotechnology

Day two will cover smart packaging systems. "People are talking a great deal about intelligent packaging, but that talk should be more about "intelligent" solutions, concepts and systems," said Prof Dr Büren. "They are also being formulated for packaging materials. Packaging design now means combining art, marketing, technology and science more than ever before. So-called nanos are also an issue, but great things are expected of nanotechnology in future."

'How will it benefit packaging?' will be one of the questions raised during the symposium. Also planned is 'A world full of transponders – the dream of engineers or technocrats (or a nightmare?)'.

Day three will cover Advanced Converting Technologies. The symposium will include a look at radiation curing processes as well as the use of UV for flexo print. Other areas to be covered include coating and laminating, adhesives and inks.



Contacts

P, Messe Stuttgart Tel: +49 711 2589580 International Packaging Institute (IPI) Tel. +41 52 675515




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International Packaging Institute (IPI)
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Stuttgart show venue Stuttgart show venue
Silvia Blumenschein: “The objective of P is a complete overview ... Silvia Blumenschein: “The objective of P is a complete overview ...


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