When it comes to invigorating the South African economy following the effects of the global pandemic, the return of live event trade shows and exhibitions will provide a much needed platform for buyers and sellers to connect face-to-face, business partnerships to develop, industries to come together and new products and services launched.

One such exhibition is Propak Africa which is taking place from 8-11 March 2022 at the Expo Centre Nasrec in Johannesburg, together with co-located shows The GAPP Print Expo, Pro-Plas Expo, FoodPro and Pro-Label Expo. Acknowledged as Africa’s most progressive packaging, food processing, plastics, printing and labelling trade exhibition, the show takes place every three years and attracts local and international exhibitors and visitors.  

Over 200 packaging and related industries’ suppliers will be showcasing the very best that these industries offer. “It’s four days of unparalleled access to fresh new thinking and ideas that could take your business to the next level,” says Mark Anderson, portfolio director at Specialised Exhibitions, organisers of the show.

“Industry front runners across these sectors will use this unique platform to introduce state-of-the-art technology, advanced equipment and new approaches to packaging,” says Anderson. “All the latest industry trends will be on view”.

According to Euromonitor’s November 2021 Packaging Industry in South Africa report, consumers are looking for value-for-money packs in home care, often choosing bulk sizes, and the beauty and personal care sector sees domestic production of sustainable packaging. Stand-up pouches continue to perform well in sauces, dressings and condiments, and flexible packaging’s affordability is a boon for hot drinks against a back-drop of price-sensitive customers.

Digital printing technologies continue on an upward trend as stated by the ResearchAndMarkets.com’s The Printing Industry in South Africa 2021 Report, and one of the biggest developments in printing has been the shift towards smaller runs with greater customisation. 3D printing is increasingly popular, smart labels are getting smarter, and QR codes are used for item identification, product tracking and providing information to consumers.

“It is trends such as these that visitors will be able to explore at the show,” says Anderson. “Efficiency improvements, cost containment and targeting new market segments are also top of mind for visitors, to drive improved profitability and better returns. Spending time at Propak Africa will enable visitors to find products and solutions to address these priorities.”

What exhibitors will be revealing at the show

Exhibiting at Propak Africa, Vannpax is excited to launch its 1002™ Manual Cartoner with Automatic gluing and closing. Visitors will be able to see this entry level machine in action. Also on display, a Vannpax 1003™ Self-Lock Tray Erector, an Ishida Multi-Head Weigher and a Labelpack label applicator.

Specialising in blister contract packaging and visual retail ready packaging, Berry Pack will be illustrating the different ways of packaging products in keeping with new global trends. Their stand will be a one stop shop experience showcasing raw materials, printing, corrugates, blisters and contract packaging.

Visitors to the show will also be introduced to Filkraft’s Rotary Piston Filler, a revolutionary design and the first of its kind in the world. Electronically driven pistons replaced the archaic cam system that opened up a plethora of new possibilities. The Filler is ideal for filling yoghurt, oils, sauces and any high viscosity product.

German based company Gneuss will be presenting its new MRSjump extruder that can increase or stabilise the polyester viscosity directly to the desired level. A downstream IV build-up is not necessary. For the first time, the processing of materials with low or highly fluctuating input viscosities is possible in a single extrusion step.

Innovative size reduction technology from Urschel, a global leader for food cutting technology will be on display at the Heat and Control stand at Propak Africa. The Urschel Sprint 2® Dicer can uniformly dice, strip cut, granulate, or slice a wide variety of meats, vegetables, fruits, and bakery goods.

As manufacturers and suppliers of a wide variety of products ranging from materials handling, retail, environmental, jumbo bins and agricultural products, Mpact Plastic Containers applies the circular economy model in everything they do. Visitors to their stand will learn how customers can return their end-of-life products to them in exchange for new products.

IJP Filling & Labelling will be exhibiting the state of the art locally manufactured fully synchronised double head self-adhesive labelling machine that is controlled with OMRON’s EtherCAT PLC as well as a variety of filling equipment that is suitable for most of the liquid products in the South African market.

Further, JK Services & Coding will be showcasing the latest 5000 series Citronix continuous ink jet printers for applying sell-by-dates and batch numbers. These systems provide high speed, reliable, non-contact printing onto almost any kind of material.

Featured on Rotocon’s stand will be live demonstrations of the Ecoline RSH machine for label inspection, slitting, and rewinding and the RDF 340 digital printed label converting and finishing machine.

Industry leaders sharing insights

The Seminar Theatre in Hall 5 will host industry leaders from packaging and related industries. Keynote speakers at the daily free-to-attend seminars will be sharing their insights about future developments of the industry and the challenges that these industries face.  

In addition to the seminars, the Institute of Packaging SA’s ‘Think Tank’ conference will run four important workshops on 8 and 9 March. The four workshop topics are ‘Print Processes in Packaging’, Packaging & Waste Management – the Law & the Facts; A Lean Six Sigma Approach to Quality Management; and Plastic Packaging Unpacked. Printing SA will also be hosting a conference on 10 March. Pre-booking and payment is required.

“Without compromising on the visitors’ ability to effectively interact with the exhibitors, a number of measures will be in place to ensure that the exhibition complies with the government’s regulations for safe social exchanges,” explains Anderson. “We are looking forward to the show!”