HCM City (VNA) -PROPAK Vietnam, a major annual processing and packaging technology exhibitionheld in HCM City this month, promises to provide an outstanding sourcingplatform for many industries.

To be held at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre from March 21 to 23,the expo will feature technologies for food and pharmaceutical processing andpackaging; bottling, beverage and canning; printing and labelling; food safetyand hygiene; and others.

It has attracted more than 380 exhibitors from 28 countries and territories,including 11 international group pavilions from China, India, Japan, theRepublic of Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Italy.

BT Tee, general manager of SES Vietnam Exhibition Services, one of the event’sorganisers, said this year’s exhibition would be over 40 percent larger thanlast year’s in terms of scale, a testament to the importance of the Vietnammarket.

More than 72 Vietnamese exhibitors, including distributors of internationalbrands as well as representative offices, will participate.

They include Altech, Bibus, Bosch Rexroth, Phu Loc Technologies, Song Song, TamDuong, and Rieckermann Vietnam.

Nguyen Bach Khoa, country sales manager, drive and control department, BoschVietnam, said Bosch Rexroth would showcase its electric drives and controls andmotion control automation systems.

Conferences and seminars will be held on the sidelines of the expo,including on water quality and management for food processing and onimproving the quality of rice and rice-based products.

Tran Viet Dung, vice director of VCCI Exhibition Service, another organiser,said Vietnam’s packaging industry continues to expand, driven by growing demandfrom consumer products like food and beverages, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, andpersonal care items.

But it faces challenges mainly due to insufficient technology, he said.

To keep up with the fast growing packaging industry, investing in flexibleproduct designs and manufacturing systems becomes a strategic advantage, headded.-VNA