AUSPACK 2017 held earlier this month was a record-breaking Sydney show.

The show featured the biggest display of exhibitors and brands (over 350) – including the largest contingent of international exhibitors.

It also drew the highest visitor numbers to the Sydney Showground (over 6,000) and occupied the largest space.

Anne-Marie Mina, Marketing Manager with Exhibition and Trade Fairs (ETF), the organisers of AUSPACK, said AUSPACK 2017 was also the biggest in terms of the amount and type of technology.

This also included the popular livestreaming videos on AUSPACK’s Facebook page, where suppliers showcased the benefits of their solutions.

“There were so many elements that went into making this show a resounding success,” Ms Mina said.

“From Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality and the customer-service robot AMY all creating interactive and engaging visitor experiences, to the product launches that happened right across the show floor, 2017 was one very memorable show.”

Mark Dingley, Chairman of the APPMA which owns AUSPACK, said: “The new awards and Processing Day, held as part of the growing Packaging & Processing Week, were excellent inclusions and added a lot of value for visitors to what was already Australasia’s most innovative event for the packaging and processing industry.

“The inaugural Packaging & Processing Innovation and Design Awards, or PIDAs, recognised companies and individuals who are making a significant difference in their field, and the winners were very warmly received at the gala night and afterwards.

Excellent business opportunities

“The highly successful Processing Day – which was a free half-day event – gave attendees the opportunity to hear the latest advanced technologies and developments in the meat-processing industry. Feedback showed attendees found the information valuable, as they also did with the existing and very popular National Technical Forums.”

Mr Dingley said anecdotal comments from exhibitors showed they felt visitor quality was high, providing excellent business opportunities post show, while visitors were very impressed with the products and solutions on offer.

Among the leading technologies was a world-first from Digital Ink Technologies, which showed its solution that helps growers, wholesalers and supermarkets identify fruit-pick dates and hence fruit freshness.

Using UV invisible ink and Digital Ink’s POLYtij printer, growers apply a code or logo, which the wholesaler or retailer can use to identify when the fruit was picked. CEO & Managing Director Michael Mahoney said the solution gave growers a means to prove freshness, removing the potential need to replace fruit, and lose profit, when freshness could not be proven.

Latest technology on show

Recopak showcased its latest development, a fully automatic case-over-product packer.

Typically suitable for the beverage industry and some food products in trays and packets, CEO Bill Dopper said the biggest advantage was the simple changeover.

The fully automatic machine erects a carton, packs the product and glues up the carton. Changeover is extremely simple and takes just five to 10 minutes because all the change parts are plug-in.

The machine can handle 20 cartons per minute, suiting it to a lot of industries and applications.

Also gathering a lot of interest was FP Propak’s new filler that extends shelf life.

Business development and project manager Bruce Morgan said the ESL filler has several features over and above normal fillers, including multi-stage rinsing options, non-contact filling heads, fully computer-controlled washing phases and a UV tube on the capping chute to sterilise caps. The whole machine is enclosed, giving a clean-room environment that helps manufacturers extend shelf life on products, such as in juice from 30 to 90 days. This can also open up new markets that are greater distances away, including export.

Excellent for networking

Le Mac Group showed one of its newest-developed products, optional gift-wrap sleeving for wine bottles. NSW/NZ Account Manager David Coppin said the shrink sleeve used papers or plastics in a range of designs, including matt and gloss finishes, and with window options.

The optional gift wrap sleeves give winemakers a stand-out alternative for wrapping bottles.

Mr Dingley thanked APPMA members, exhibitors, National Technical Forum attendees and visitors to AUSPACK 2017 for their support.

“Besides the opportunities to see the latest technical developments and solutions, the event is always excellent for networking,” he said.

Ms Mina added: “For three consecutive shows, we have continued to grow the event and continued breaking records. I am super excited that everything went so well and that visitors and exhibitors alike gained so much.”

AUSPACK 2019 will be held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.

For more information visit: www.auspack.com.au