The NSW minister for fair trading, Anthony Roberts, has paid tribute to the strength of the packaging industry as he joined the chairman of the Australian Packaging and Processing Machinery Association (APPMA), Mark Dingley, this morning at Sydney Olympic Park to officially open AUSPACK PLUS 2013.
"The NSW packaging and processing industry is a cornerstone and foundation of the manufacturing supply chain in this state. The industry in this state consists of over 1500 businesses employing around 10,000 people; 30 per cent of the national industry is based in NSW,” Roberts said.
"This is especially important during a period of a high Australian dollar and instability in overseas markets which presents major challenges for overseas manufacturers."
He pointed to the value of the packaging industry in the handling, transportation and protection of goods, noting that many other industry sectors have a touchpoint with those exhibiting at AUSPACK PLUS, regardless of where they sit in the supply chain.
He commended the industry for constantly innovating, by responding to intelligent business process trends, focusing on supply chain management, packaging for convenience and packaging for the ageing population.
He said the NSW government is committed to encouraging a strong and innovative packaging and processing sector.
Dingley thanked the minister for the government's strong support of the packaging industry in general and the AUSPACK PLUS event in particular.
“As the owner of AUSPACK PLUS, the APPMA is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year and we should be proud that we continued to grow the exhibition over the last three decades,” he said.
“The APPMA welcomes everyone to the show and we hope that over the next four days exhibitors and visitors will have the opportunity to meet, learn, network and gain insight in to some innovative products and solutions.”
AUSPACK PLUS 2013 runs till Friday, and will feature 307 exhibitors – some 76 from overseas and 231 Australian companies – and over 1200 brands.
