Mirroring the growth of Thailand as a regional hub for the processing and packaging industries, ProPak Asia, the numero uno processing and packaging event in Asia and a must attend event for all international machinery and equipment manufacturers and suppliers that seek to penetrate the Asian markets, is unveiling its 23rd edition this year.

ProPak Asia 2015 will be the biggest-ever edition of Asia’s largest and most international food, drink and pharmaceutical processing and packaging trade event showcasing the latest innovative technologies and machineries and over 4,500 machines from over 1,600 exhibitors across the world.

Since the launch of the first ProPak Asia in 1984, growing approximately 12 per cent in size year-on-year, the show has developed into one of the most effective vehicles for buyers and sellers to meet in one location.

This mega international food, drink and pharmaceutical processing, filling and packaging technology event will be taking place from June 17-20, 2015 at Bangkok International Trade and Exhibition Centre (BITEC), Bangkok, Thailand.

It will provide large and small businesses, entrepreneurs and potential investors from diverse industries an unusual opportunity to experience the latest in processing, filling and packaging technology. ProPak Asia incorporates PharmaTech Asia, DrinkTech Asia, PlasTech Asia, CanTech Asia, SeafoodTech Asia and Lab & Test Asia. The exhibition will be having a comprehensive conference and seminar programme on packaging developments with focus on environmental trends.

 ProPak Asia keeps on growing showing the industry more machines, technology, solutions and services that can support and improve manufacturers and suppliers production efficiency, quality, variety and output.

ProPak Asia 2015 will present exhibitors from 44 countries, 14 international pavilions from mainland China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, United Kingdom and the USA. It will showcase more than 4,500 machines from across the world in over 45,000 sqm at BITEC and connect an estimated 38,000 industry professionals over its four-day show. It will feature six industry zones including DrinkTechAsia, FoodTechAsia, Lab&TestAsia, PackagingMaterialsAsia, PharmaTechAsia and PrintTechAsia.

ProPak Asia 2015 will once again feature a long list of supporting industry events including Food Innovation Asia Conference 2015, Food Innovation Contest 2015, Asia Drink Conference 2015, PharmaTech Seminar 2015, Thai Packaging Centre and TISTR Conference 2015, The Department of Industrial Promotion Seminar 2015, The FoSTAT-Nestle Bowl Quiz, The 7th Plastics in Packaging Conference, Asia Food Beverage Thailand Conference and The Thai Star and Asia Star Packaging Award 2014.

For Thailand, food and drink processing and manufacturing is an important component of the economy growing at approximately 15 per cent. With continuous development and growth, it can contribute significantly to Thailand’s overall GDP, which is forecast at 3.7 per cent this year, and 4.1 per cent next year. Events like ProPak Asia , which are a regular feature at Bangkok aids this growth.

Speaking about the event, Justin Pau, general manager, Bangkok Exhibition Services (BES) Ltd, says "ProPak Asia 2015 is our biggest-ever show. It has increased both in size and the number of exhibitors vis-a-vis last year. The growth of the show every year is attributable to the strong growth and potential of the industry in Thailand and the region."

 "Again, the event will cover an area of over 45,000 sq m (i.e. all six halls of BITEC) and is expected to be the top international trade event for manufacturers in Thailand and the region to discover new machines, technologies and innovations by globally-renowned companies. We are expecting over 38,000 trade visitors from across Asia", he added,

ProPak Asia 2015 will present 14 pavilions from 11 countries, including China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The exhibitor profile include aseptic processing and packaging; automation and robotics; bottling technology; brewing and beverage technology; canning and can making; coding, marking, labelling, printing materials and technology; confectionery equipment; cosmetic and personal care processing and packaging; dairy and liquid processing technology; facilities, equipment, systems and supplies; fish and seafood processing technology; flexible packaging technology; food ingredients, additives and flavourings; food processing machinery; food safety and hygiene technology; laboratory, testing and measurement equipment; logistics and production facility equipment; machinery controls and components; material handling; logistics and storage equipment; meat processing and packaging technology; measurement and weighing packaging accessories; packaging machinery; packaging (cardboard, glass, metal, plastic, paper and wood); palletising and conveying equipment; paper and corrugated box making technology; PET and plastic packaging technologies and materials; pharmaceutical processing and packaging; quality control; production machinery; raw materials and consumables; refrigeration, cold storage and air conditioning systems; service companies; solids and bulk handling; trade publications and waste management & environmental technology.

The visitor profile include:agro industries; beverage producers; bottlers; brewers; canners; chemical producers; confectionery manufacturers; consultants; consumer goods manufacturers; contract packers; cosmetics and personal care manufacturers; dairy product manufacturers; dehydrated food manufacturers; fish and seafood processors; food exporters; food retailers, distributors and wholesalers; food scientists; frozen food manufacturers; the government, academia and associations; machinery importers and distributors; packaging material manufacturers; pharmaceutical manufacturers; preserved food manufacturers; processed food manufacturers; quality controllers; refrigeration and cold storage engineers; retail packagers; snack food manufacturers and water treatment and environmental engineers.

Commenting on the highlights of the event, Pau said, "The food, drink and pharmaceutical industry is growing constantly. We create six industrial zones to make it easier for suppliers and buyers to meet and do business."

The zones

• DrinkTechAsia 2015: This is the 14th essay of the international beverage and brewing processing and packaging technology exhibition;
• Lab&TestAsia 2015: This is the ninth essay of the international laboratory equipment, instrumentation, test and measurement and quality control exhibition;
• PharmaTechAsia 2015: This is the 22nd essay of the international pharmaceutical and cosmetic packaging and processing technology exhibition;
• PrintTechAsia 2015: This is the fourth essay of the international printing for processing and packaging technology exhibition;
• FoodTechAsia 2015: This is the second essay of the international food processing and packaging technology exhibition; and
• PackagingMaterialsAsia 2015: This is the second essay of the international packaging material exhibition.
• DrinkTechAsia 2015, which is going to have its 14th edition, will showcase the latest beverage processing and packaging technology and solutions from world leading companies. Held alongside DrinkTechAsia 2015 will be the third edition of the Asia Drink Conference 2015, Asia’s industry conference for beverage manufacturing.

The conference provides an opportunity to meet and share experiences, as well as strengthen networking among international food scientists and scientists in related fields from academia, the government and food industries. The objective is to highlight significant developments in research and innovation in food science and technology with an emphasis on innovative Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) food research towards the world. The conference will feature a series of presentations and discussions in plenary, concurrent and poster sessions, informal gatherings, competitions and exhibitions.