The Australian manufacturing and packaging industry will converge in Sydney over the next four days for an update on the latest packaging and processing trends.
Mark Dingley, chairman of show owner, the Australian Packaging and Processing Machinery Association (APPMA) officially opened the doors at 9am, welcoming visitors to the four day action-packed event. He said there are over 350 brands exhibiting their products and services, and visitors numbers are expected to reach over 7000, making this the biggest Sydney event in the show's history.
He noted that the inuagural processing day events kick off tomorrow, with a full program designed to provide education on processing indutry trends and technology, and create networking opportunities for brand owneers and the supply chain.
Taking a quick stroll around the showfloor at AUSPACK 2017 and it's clear to see that exhibitors have gone all out to present their solutions to meeting the exacting demands of modern manufacturing – flexibility, efficiency, connectivity, energy saving, sustainability, safety ... the list goes on.
Robotics are making a compelling visual statement, with an assortment of end-of-line automated solutions as well as collaborative robots strutting their stuff.
In the processing sector, Viking Food Solutions is promoting its barrier solutions for the meat and dairy sector. PKN spoke to Stuart Mead about the new Viking Shrink Bags which offer a high oxygen barrier for extended shelf life, high durability and excellent clarity and gloss for shelf display.
Mead said that Viking was expecting a number of customers from the meat and dairy sector to visit the stand. "We were able to send out VIP invitations through AUSPACK and we've had a great response as companies are really excited about the new technology."
In the packaging hall, Peter Pontikis of Nupac -- respresentative of Bosch Packaging Technology in the Australian market -- was talking to brand owners about the Bosch Doy Zip Continuous motion VFFS bagger that's new to this market.
"Bosch launched this equipment globally about 12 months ago, and it has had excellent uptake in the international market. Here in Australia we have one installation so far, with a second imminent," he said.
Offering top speed, high flexibility and small footprint all in one, the machine is sure to turn a few heads in the AUSPACK aisles.
These are just two examples of a host of new technology and innovation on show, and PKN will continue to file reports over the next week and in the March-April print issue.
