After five successful editions in Hyderabad, PackPlus South, the largest packaging, processing & supply chain event in India has moved to Bengaluru this year with an aim to increasing and diversifying its focus within South India.

PackPlus South India edition 2015 will be bringing together the worldwide manufactures and providers of machinery materials and services from packaging,printing, processing and supply chain industry. PackPlus South will be a complete showcase of winning technologies from the industry.

Print-Packaging.com (P) Ltd. (PPCPL) is organising PackPlus South 2015 from April 1 to 4, 2015 at Bangalore International Exhibition Centre( BIEC). It is the enthusiasm shown by the Karnataka govt to promote the packaging industry which has led the organizers to consider Bengaluru as the venue for this year’s PackPlus South 2015.

The show aims to bring together the worldwide manufacturers and providers of machinery, materials and services for food, pharma and packaging industry from India and neighbouring countries.

The event is a unique platform for suppliers of packaging machines, materials & finished products to users of packaging from various industry sectors. Converters & Package printing suppliers will also be present in very large numbers.          

The event according to the organizers will feature more than 250 exhibitors, and more than 50 product launches and 100 plus running machines. It will be showcasing the latest developments from leading companies like Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd., Hilda Automation, IMA-PG India Private Limited, Control Print Ltd, Ishida India (P) Ltd., Parle Agro (P) Ltd., Schaefer Systems International (P) Ltd., Sealers India Agencies, Skypack Packaging Machines (P) Ltd., Uflex Industries (Engg Div) and Videojet Technologies (India) (P) Ltd.

PackPlus will have companies from all over the world displaying a wide range of packaging machines and equipment and services. The products displayed in this show will be classified into three zones – Packaging Zone, Processing Zone & Supply Chain Zone.

 The Packaging Zone will feature products like counting, weighing, forming, filling, closing, bottling, sealing machines, wrapping, packaging machines, reading, checking and inspection, coding and online printing machines.

The products incorporated under the Processing Zone will feature providers of process automation, instrumentation and controls, robotics, motion drive automation, bus and wireless technology, building automation, pumps and valves, hydraulic and pneumatic, facility management, service and maintenance, automation in machine tools, software and enterprise solutions.

Supply Chain Zone which is separated from the PackPlus South banner will be coming up as a separate show SupplyPlus South. Launching it as a separate event will give it a more focused approach for supply industry adding more to the technology, efficiency and profits

The exhibiting segments include process Automation, Instrumentation and Controls, Robotics, Motion Drive Automation, Bus and Wireless Technology, Building Automation, Pumps and Valves, Hydraulic and Pneumatics, Facility Management, Service and Maintenance, Automation in Machine Tools, Software and Enterprise Solutions.

Technologies, equipment, materials and services for food production and processing, brewing and distilling, baking, freezing, refrigeration and climate engineering, garbage disposal and sanitation, testing and measuring, restaurant and catering, vending, packaging and storage, conveyance and distribution.

Pharmaceutical and parapahrmaceutical product process and packaging machinery, raw materials, services, quality control, environmental control, handling and storage systems.

The exhibiting segments include rigid packaging, rigid intermediate bulk containers, flexible intermediate containers, woven sacks, flexitanks and materials

• Bulk filling machines, circular looms, filling, dosing, weighing, end of line packaging solutions, industrial sewing machines, extrusion lamination / coating machines
• Accessories & finished packaging
• Barcodes, RFID, card technologies, biometrics, security solutions and Real Time Location Systems (RTLS)
• Supply chain system designers & integrators, cold chain, sorting, grading, cleaning, warehousing systems, material handling, weighing, testing equipment, software and other services

The event will bring together decision- makers and specifiers from top and middle management from various industries including pharmaceuticals & chemicals, food & beverage, dairy & meat, engineering, garments & textiles. personal care products and logistics. Printers, converters, packaging professionals and packaging end users as well as the providers of materials, equipment and services will also visit in large numbers, said Ritesh R Naik of Print Packaging.com P Ltd.

The accompanying Packaging and Supply Chain Conclave will bring industry experts together to present an interactive knowledge platform of talks and discussions, he added.

According to the organizers, southern states including Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu now lead the  country in a number of indices, including packaging. The region has also emerged as the largest consumer of ‘poly ethylene terephthalate’ (PET) material for packaging mineral water, besides food and beverages.

The southern part of India also has the largest dairy industry represented by leading players like the Karnataka Milk Federation, Hatsun Agro Private Ltd, Heritage Foods, Creamline Dairy Products, Niligris to name a few .This makes packaging for milk a viable business opportunity for many companies. In fact, dairy product packaging constitutes a large portion of the South India Packaging industry. This industry is on the lookout for aesthetically appeal, easy for handling and cost-effective concepts.

”The current packaging ideas for the dairy sector are plastic pouches, plastic bottles, tetra packs and glass bottles. The dairy sector is now increasingly looking for visibility of product, stability to light, ultra violet rays quality retention, filling productivity and consumer convenience,” said Chetan L Hachette, CEO, Centre for Food Processing.

The southern states of India representing Tamil Nadu and Kerala are known for its abundant tea production which brings opportunities in paper bag packaging industry. Further, southern India is also known for its coffee and spice output offering newer opportunities for various packaging segments.

With an upswing on retail sales of packaged food is growing at a rate of 12 per cent in South India. While major components such as cartons, cans and laminates, which are Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) certified, are of global standards, the glass bottles and outer cartons are areas that need to be upgraded.

Karnataka is one of the most progressive and industrialised states in the country. The state offers a variety of investment opportunities throughout the value chain, across industry verticals, especially in the manufacturing sector.

Its 10 agro climatic zones and nine distinct soil types have enabled significant expansion of the food and beverage manufacturing. With good access of fruits and vegetables, industry friendly policies and the manpower availability, the state is emerging as a food and beverage destination. It has four dedicated food parks, one food processing SEZ, six food parks and two spice park proposed. Further, the state is also the largest producer of coffee in the country, second largest producer of flowers, third largest producer of plantation crops and fourth largest producer of spices. In addition, it is the second largest milk producing state in the country.

The state government has also approved the establishment of two plastic parks in Bengaluru and and Dharwad to attract investment from both global and Indian companies and facilitate employment opportunities in the sector.

These efforts by the state to give a fillip to manufacturing will enable the packaging industry significant growth prospects. This led the Print-Packaging.com to consider Bengaluru as the venue for this year’s PackPlus.

The shows organized by the company so far have seen the coming together of the entire industry. These include printers and converters, suppliers and the packaging buyers on a single platform during the duration of the event. The accompanying conferences have also helped in bringing the focus on to the challenges and opportunities faced by the industry.

PackPlus South 2013 & 2014 had recorded a huge footfall from all over the country. In 2015, the show will come up with new additional features .

According to Chetan L Hanchate,CEO, Centre for Processed Foods, packaging is core to food and beverage processing. Novel packaging concepts ensure improving the quality, taste and safety of the product which is packed. There are bio-films, retort pouch packs in cups and tubs which come in with a peel layer. It is not just urban India which is being wooed with innovative packaging concepts, but the rural and semi urban area purchases are based on attractive container displays.

The multilayer barrier container packaging is now commercially used for Indian sweets and savouries like kheer, halwa, spreads, gulab jamun, rasgoola, rajbhog, sweet corn and an assortment of cooking pastes. Favourable response from consumers is evident through rapidly growing sales and feedback from delighted consumers. This advanced packaging format fulfils the consumer demand by offering long shelf life products assuring nutrition, hygiene and food safety at affordable price. Shelf appeal is achieved by using differentiated container design & shapes that showcase the product along with various decoration options. Additional consumer convenience is provided by easy peel lid, option of re-closable cap and folding spoon. These modern, portable packs are microwavable for quick heat and eat foods therefore offering ease for on the go or for at home use, said Hanchate.

The flexible and rigid packaging market of India is estimated about US$24.6 billion with an estimated growth of CAGR 15 per cent between 2013-2018.

Retort pouch manufacturing is available from Council for Scientific & Industrial Research- Central Food Technology Research Institute (CSIR CFTRI), Mysore . There are around six large companies, which successfully manufactures and market range of instant vegetables in retort pouches in domestic and export markets. CSIR-CFTRI has transferred the technology to many food processing companies. This kind of packaging has enhanced the acceptance of ready-to-serve meals not just in homes but for the Armed Forces located in the remote and inaccessible regions in the country. It was the Defence Food Research Laboratory and the CSIR, CFTRI which came in with packaging concepts. The technology was transferred to MTR Foods which is the pioneer for ready-to-eat south Indian menus.

In an age of dual income homes, the concept of cut and chilled fruits and vegetables are in vogue. Companies like Saladoo aims to introduce ready to eat salads at homes and offices. Therefore there is a huge transformation on the presentation of fresh fruits and vegetables that ensure retention of nutrition, pointed out Hanchate.

More over food ingredients like rice, pulses, cereals and spices now mandate high quality packs under the Food Safety Standards Association of India. This has led to the growth of companies like Manjushree Technologies and Printpack Packaging Supplies (India) Pvt Ltd. which are known for developing the latest concepts.