Taiwan machinery makers zoom in on Middle East

Taiwan’s plastics and packaging industries are zooming in on a premier regional event to expand their presence in the high-potential markets here.

Some of the leading manufacturers of plastics and packaging machineries from Taiwan have confirmed their participation for the upcoming 3rd Plastivision Arabia international plastics exhibition and conference in Sharjah.

“In the biggest participation by Taiwanese exhibitors since the inception of the show, 20 leading establishments have already confirmed their presence for Plastivision Arabia 2016. This clearly shows the potential of the show and the markets here,” said Mr. Saif Mohammed Al Midfa, CEO, Expo Centre Sharjah.

Some of the exhibitors who have confirmed their participation include Lung Meng, Matila, KWT, Seal Pack, Auger, Long Durable Machinery, Hao Yu, Polystar Machinery, Chum Power, San Tung, Pack Leader, Atlas, Kung Long Hong, Inora, Chuan Peng, Vpet, Wordly, Neilson, Yuh Feng, Chia Ming and Hemingstone, among others.

Moreover, the Taiwanese exhibitors will also hold live displays of their latest machines, which will be a great opportunity for regional industry to understand the new technology and decide on their requirements.

The impressive Taiwan participation is set to underscore the importance international machinery makers place on the regional markets, and will be a key highlight of Plastivision Arabia that gets under way at Expo Centre Sharjah fromFebruary 22 to 25, 2016.

The Taiwanese firms will be looking at supplying their machinery and other products to the regional industry, apart from exploring distribution and dealership opportunities that will help them cater to not just Middle East but also the African region.

The rising Taiwan participation is also a reinforcement of the increasing trade between the UAE and Taiwan, which expanded 7.4 per cent to US$7.2 billion in 2014 compared to US$6.7 billion in the previous year.

The Taiwanese companies will be part of the more than 250 international and regional exhibitors that will display their latest machinery and products at 14,000 square meters of exhibition space. The past edition of the biennial show attracted more than 7,250 visitors from 66 countries and made headlines when all live machines on display were fully sold out.

“We are expecting a bigger visitor turnout and industry response this time with the plastics industry evolving into a larger, more diverse and sustainable sector and demand for packaging products rising alongside a growing economy,” said Mr. Midfa.

Plastics producers are steadily increasing their production capacity, which resulted in a growth of 6% to 25.5 million tons in 2014 and is projected to increase 25% to 33.8 million tonnes by 2020, while manufacturers are set to increase their product portfolio from the current to 13.02 nearly billion tonnes in the coming years to cater to growing demand from sectors like aviation, transport and food packaging.

The flexible packaging industry in the region will also be counting on the show to help source latest machinery to meet the rising demand on the back of rising demand from processed and packaged food industry.

The 3rd Arabia Mold and 2nd Print Pack Arabia will be held concurrently with Plastivision Arabia, helping transform Sharjah into a mini hub of plastics, printing and packaging February 22 to 25, 2016.

Plastivision Arabia 2016 will also feature two new special focus areas this time – the Filling & Packaging section and the Plastics Finished Good Pavilion.