IndiaCorr Expo enters in its third edition

Amardeep Singh of PrintWeek India speaks to Vineet Mahajan, managing director, Reed Manch Exhibition, about the Indian version of the world’s leading trade show SinoCorrugated, which takes place in China every year with an objective to cater to the manufacturers, buyers and users of corrugated packaging.

 

Amardeep Singh (AS): IndiaCorr is a part of the Chinese show SinoCorr. How does it work?

Vineet Mahajan (VM): IndiaCorr is the Indian edition of SinoCorrugated. Reed Manch Exhibition is organisng the show in partnership with Reed China. The show is in its third edition and has been able to bring exhibitors from all over the world. The show attracts Indian manufacturers and dealers of different kinds of machinery, raw materials, ancillary equipments, paper and other solutions for the corrugation industry.

 

AS: Does this mean that the Indian edition of the show will have predominately Chinese exhibitors?

VM: IndiaCorr Expo is able to draw exhibitors from various countries like India, Taiwan, USA, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and China. It showcases the world’s leading technologies for corrugated packaging industry.

 

AS: India has a love-hate relationship with Chinese machines. Recently, a number of local corrugation machine manufacturers complained how their business has been taken over by cheap Chinese machines. Your take on the issue? How have the local machine manufacturers responded to the show in the last three years?  

VM: IndiaCor Expo showcases all kinds of machineries and solutions from all over world. IndiaCorr Expo is catering to the Indian market and does like to maintain the interest of Indian exhibitors. IndiaCorr Expo provides a special platform for Indian exhibitors and provides extensive promotions and a great networking opportunity to boost their sales and giving both branding and sales opportunities.

 

The organisers have been able to bring international visitors which in turn help in boosting sales of Indian exhibitors as well. In the previous edition, the exhibitors were able to get visitors from UAE, delegation from Sri Lanka and visitors from countries like Bangladesh. This year going forward, the show has been able to develop interest in visitors from Jordan, UAE, Nigeria, Srilanka and Myanmar.

 

AS: The general consensus is that the packaging market in India is on a growth path. In this, how do you see the growth of the corrugation segment? What about the ratio of market share between mono carton and big corrugation boxes and how is the mono carton business picking up?

VM: The corrugation industry has been growing at a rapid rate of 15%. Some of the driving factors for the growth has been, growth in e-commerce industry in India, global companies setting up their manufacturing bases in India to meet the growing demand for consumer and white goods, the need for high quality boxes is appearing evident. These factors have, in turn, affected the market demand for duplex and mono boxes as well. Progressive corrugators are setting up automatic board/box making plants to increase production and enhance performance of boxes.

 

AS: What are the new trends in the corrugation industry? How does the exhibition plan to highlight these trends?

VM: The corrugation industry in India has been shifting slowly but at a continuous pace from manual to automatic and from semi-automatic to automatic machines. The move has also been from offset/flexo printing to digital printing. The show shall showcase solutions for various progressive corrugators moving from manual, semi-automatic and automatic corrugated box making solutions, also all kinds of printing solutions for the industry will be on display.

 

AS: If I am not wrong, last year, the show was held in Mumbai. This year, it is being held in Greater Noida. Was it a conscious decision to make it a travelling show?

VM: Yes, moving the show was a conscious decision. It was based on the industry suggestions. Moving the show helps in bringing local and medium level buyers as well. Though the show has audience from all over India but the local impact is evident.

 

AS: Tell us about the ICCMA congress? Why did you decide to include this as part of the exhibition?

VM: ICCMA congress is the conference organised by the Indian Corrugated Case Manufacturers Association. ICCMA has industry leaders in corrugated box manufacturing as its members. The ICCMA congress is a conscious effort to educate the industry about the latest trends in the corrugation industry, and to help corrugators who face problems with the technology or want to upgrade themselves. This year’s conference agenda is ‘A SWOT Prospective on the Corrugated Packaging Industry: Are we creating value for our business or destroying it?’

 

AS: With the development of internet technology, information distribution channels in the paper carton industry have become increasingly diverse. What will Reed Exhibitions do to meet the need of its customers/ visitors and enhance the values and international influence of its exhibitions?

VM: The organisers have been providing various promotional platforms to its exhibitors free of cost, which in turn draws a lot of industry interest. The exhibitors get to meet the industry leaders at both formal and informal networks during the show. RMX has been taking constant feedback from exhibitors and visitors and has been working on their feedback constantly to make the show better for both.

 

AS: What initiatives has Reed Exhibitions taken to make this year's show a success?

VM: Reed Manch Exhibitions has been dedicated to work towards the best interest of its exhibitors and to draw the maximum audience and decision makers to the show. The organisers have been promoting the show at various national and international platforms. The organisers are in touch with industry leaders and associations and have been working towards drawing quality visitors and serious buyers to the show.

 

AS: Tell us something about the number of exhibitor participation at last year’s show and their feedback? How much footfall you are expecting this year? How many exhibitors have registered until now for the expo and what kind of product they will be showcasing?

VM: Last edition brought over 5347 visitors from India and abroad. The visitors were happy with the show and most of the exhibitors who showcased their machines were able to sell them on showfloor. The 2015 edition has already over 136 exhibitors which is more than last year and is expecting over 7000 business visitors from all over India and abroad.