Printing and packaging machinery makers to tap foreign mkts

IPAMA joins hands with Expo Centre Sharjah to conceptualise and co-host Print Pact Arabia 2014

Indian printing, packaging and allied machinery manufacturers are gearing up to establish their presence in overseas markets. Taking a step ahead in this direction, IPAMA (the Indian Printing Packaging and Allied Machinery Manufacturers Association) has joined hands with Expo Centre Sharjah to conceptualise and co-host Print Pact Arabia 2014, one of the biggest shows in UAE on this sector.

This is the first time that IPAMA has entered into any overseas business tie-up. The tie-up is expected to provide opportunities to IPAMA members to explore possibilities of entering into joint ventures, direct contacts with buyers and business collaborations in the UAE.

About 90 per cent of IPAMA members are SMEs, mainly concentrated in Punjab, Haryana, the National Capital Region of Delhi, and in Coimbatore and Bangalore.

K S Khurana, the president of IPAMA, told Business Standard, "The tie-up with Expo Centre Sharjah will provide us with a gateway to enter the Gulf market, which is growing rapidly. Through Print Pack Arabia, we will be able to replicate the success achieved in India and share our decades of experience and expertise." IPAMA also organises Print Pack India, the fourth largest exhibition of its kind in the world and the biggest in India.

Print Pack Arabia will be held from April 7 to 10 in Sharjah and will provide an opportunity for Indian entrepreneurs to exchange technologies and give them worldwide exposure to the latest innovations in printing and packaging.

Khurana added, "This is the first time in the history of IPAMA that any overseas business tie-up has been done and we expect that more than 100 IPAMA members will participate in the expo. The expo will provide a platform to our members to explore possibilities of entering into joint ventures and business collaborations with UAE countries." Manufacturers are of the view that the tie-up will boost Indian machinery exports to other countries.

Prashant Vats, executive secretary of IPAMA, said, "The printing and publishing industry in the UAE region is expected to grow to $7 billion by 2015. Further, 80 per cent of the UAE's printing and packaging industry is based in Sharjah and Ajman. UAE has emerged as the centre of the paper and printing industry in the Arab World. This will be a new window for Indian manufacturers to scout for business in the Gulf Countries, especially Sharjah."

He added that the packaging industry in UAE too is on the upswing, and is expected to be worth $2.3 billion by 2016, owing to increased consumption resulting from the growing demand for consumer goods, driving the need for more sophisticated packaging.

The UAE and the Gulf region are large consumers of ready-made packaged foods. This has stimulated demand for products like integrated graphics, structural design, packaging equipment and packaging materials and supplies.