Interpack is a huge success

Markus Kosak, Exhibition Director of drink technology India, is pleased about the event’s success: “These results take this event to an entirely new level. dti has developed into the number one event for the beverage and liquid food industry in India.” Kosak continues: “The success of this event will also benefit drinktec in Munich, where we now expect an increase in the number of exhibitors and visitors from India.”

“Our objective is to establish interpack alliance exhibitions as number one events on their respective markets. Fortunately, we have managed to significantly improve our leading position in India. Above all, the new FoodPex India and the PDIT conference, in which our SAVE FOOD initiative played a significant role, have helped us to achieve that objective,” commented Malte Seifert, Senior Project Manager at Messe Düsseldorf.

Richard Clemens, Managing Director of the VDMA Food Processing Machinery and Packaging Machinery Association, drew a positive conclusion about the event: “The increases in the amount of exhibition space and the number of exhibitors and visitors underscores how important this event is for India. It showcases solutions to the challenges currently facing the country and brings together supply and demand on the Indian market. It also demonstrates that this event is now an indispensible part of the Indian food, packaging and beverage market.”

This is the fourth time that drink technology India and PackTech India were held within the scope of a combined event. However, an additional element was added to the partnership in 2016: FoodPex India is a new exhibition that focuses on processing and packaging solid foods of all kinds. As a result, the three Indian exhibitions depict sectors that revolve around three main themes, i.e. packaging and related processes, beverage technology and liquid food, and food processing and packing—all under a single roof. The combination is a unique exhibition program for India and makes this event more attractive than ever. A fact verified by the numbers: A total of 298 exhibitors participated in the three-day event—146 in drink technology India, and 152 in International PackTech India/FoodPex India.

Economic growth in India also effects exhibition
The 2016 exhibition was larger than ever, occupying 14,000 square meters of space, a 40-percent increase over 2014. Bhupinder Singh, CEO of Messe München India, explains: “The driving force behind this growth is societal change and significant economic growth.” Thomas Schlitt, Managing Director of Messe Düsseldorf India, elaborates: “The growing middle class is increasing demand for hygienically processed foods, dairy products and packaged beverages. Producing these products calls for suitable plants and machinery that are on display here.

Above all, exhibitors praised the large number of visitors as well as their professionalism. VGS Babu, Head of Sales at Krones India Pvt.Ltd., agrees: “You always meet the right business contacts at drink technology India. Attendance at this year’s fair was very good and the quality of the visitors was extremely high.” Ravindra Kanetkar, General Manager at KHS Machinery Pvt.Ltd., was pleased: “We have been participating in drink technology India from the very beginning. The trade show helps us present our products to exactly the right audience. It is a platform that allows us to meet decision-makers and experts and to present or discuss solutions to the industry’s latest problems.” Rajat Kedia, Director of Manjushree Technopack Ltd., which was also an exhibitor from the very beginning, was also very satisfied: “We have been exhibiting at dti since it was founded, and the exhibition improved again in 2016. We meet with our existing customers here and recruit new customers, as well. The quality of the visitors improves from event to event. We have already entered the 2018 exhibition in our calendar.

First-rate supporting program
The Packaging Design, Innovation and Technology (PDIT) Conference that was organized together with partner IPPStar and held in conjunction with International PackTech India and FoodPex India for the first time ever, was very well received among visitors. The central theme of the conference, which was booked to capacity, was SAVE FOOD. Launched in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations during interpack 2011, the conference addresses the problem of food losses and food waste. Among other things, it focuses on ways that the packaging industry can use its know-how to improve the situation. For the first time ever, the results of a field study on food losses in India were presented at the conference. The objective of the scientific study was to find ways to avoid food losses in India and, in doing so, to allow companies with corresponding solutions to make sustainable investments to benefit everyone involved. The conference program was rounded out by topics such as improving efficiency, sustainability, traceability and intelligent packaging.

The first-rate program of events that accompanied the exhibition also allowed visitors attending drink technology India to gathering information about current and future trends in the food, beverage and liquid-food industry and about packaging and related processing technology in general. The roundtable talks, which were booked to capacity on both days, were extremely well received. Notable representatives of the beverage and liquid-food industry made presentations on the topic “Beverage manufacturing, food processing and product packaging in India: Lifestyle, trends, challenges and future concepts.” Dr. Keshab Nandy from Tilaknagar Industries Ltd. summed up the results on behalf of the other participants: “The roundtable talks at dti 2016 were extremely well organized. The experts’ professional presentations also verified that fact. I was particularly impressed by the quality of the audience members. They discussed important challenges and issues facing the food and beverage industry in India with great intensity and presented solutions.” Attendance at the drink technology India Exhibitor Forum was very high. Exhibitors presented their product solutions for the beverage and food market in India. Heidelberg publisher hbmedia and the trade journal PETplanet are responsible for organizing the Exhibitor Forum and the roundtable talks.

Other new items on the agenda included buyer-seller meetings that drink technology India organized for the first time to promote the exchange between exhibitors and the industry’s leading executives from companies such as AB-INBEV India, Coca Cola India Pvt. Ltd. and Diya Beverages, which were also very well received. That also applies to the MicroBrew Symposium India, which is organized by the Research and Teaching Institute for Brewing in Berlin. The MicroBrew Symposium India revolved around technological and quality-related aspects of brewing beer.

drink technology India is organized by Messe München India, a subsidiary of Messe München. International PackTech India and FoodPex India are organized by Messe Düsseldorf and its subsidiary Messe Düsseldorf India. Thanks to the VDMA Food Processing Machinery and Packaging Machinery Association, a proven partner to drinktec in Munich and to interpack in Düsseldorf was also involved in the three shows.

The next edition of the three Indian exhibitions will take place at the Bombay Convention & Exhibition Center in Mumbai from October 24 to 26, 2018—as a quartette together with IndiaPack, the leading trade fair for packaging materials and packaging-material production in India, which was previously organized by the Indian Institute of Packaging (IIP). In that quartette, International PackTech India will be replaced by its successor exhibition pacprocess India. In the future, IndiaPack and pacprocess will be developed, marketed and organized by Messe Düsseldorf and its Indian subsidiary. They will be held for the first time in New Delhi in October 2017.