Business & Money | Thursday 1 January, 2015 2:23 pm |

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) maintains 70 per cent share of the GCC’s total packaging industry as per recent industry studies, with local business posting a 15 per cent annual growth. Due to a widespread use of plastic as a raw packaging material over glass and metal, packaging has emerged as one of the most active industries of the country, with demand continuing to rise for both flexible and solid packaging.

The current surge in demand for safe and sustainable packaging solutions alongside food packaging requirements comes at a time when food consumption is expected to grow at an annual rate of 4.6 per cent between 2011 and 2015 to eventually reach 51.1 million tons.

New challenges and opportunities have emerged in the packaging industry due to advancement in technology, new machineries, and innovative products. To throw the spotlight on fresher concepts of packaging, Riyadh Exhibitions Company is organizing Saudi Print and Pack 2015 – the 12th International Trade Exhibition for Printing and Packaging Technologies for the first time in Jeddah, the major urban centre of the KSA’s Western Region and one of the country’s most important commercial centres.

Accredited by UFI, The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, the event will be held concurrently with Saudi Plastics and Petrochem – the 12th International Plastics and Petrochemicals Trade Fair, from March 1 to 3, 2015 at the Jeddah Centre for Forums and Events. Saudi PPPP 2015 will be held under the patronage of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry with the participation of Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (Sabic) as the Diamond sponsor along with Rabigh Refining & Petrochemical Co. (Petro Rabigh) as the Gold Sponsor.

Saudi Print and Pack 2015 will offer an ideal platform for exhibitors to display their latest packaging technologies and innovative products to an audience comprising distributors and suppliers, retailers, manufacturers, and traders and wholesalers. They will also get an opportunity to network with KSA’s leading industry players, learn about recent market developments from regional and international manufacturers and suppliers, and explore new business opportunities.