Print & Beyond 2026: Packaging in a world that is moving closer to home

As global trade patterns recalibrate and supply chains grow shorter, packaging businesses are being forced to rethink where and how they operate. That will be the focus of the talk by Pulkit Chhaparia, managing director of Cambay Foodservices Packaging, at the Print & Beyond 2026 seminar hosted by the Kerala Master Printers Association in Kochi, which kicks off tomorrow, 28 February 2026.

Chhaparia’s presentation, titled Packaging in a de-globalised world, will explore how foodservice and FMCG packaging players are adapting to regional sourcing pressures, evolving compliance norms and greater scrutiny of supply chain risk

“De-globalisation is not about shrinking opportunity,” Chhaparia said ahead of the event. “It is about strategic realignment. Companies must rethink risk, proximity and responsiveness.”

He is expected to address how shorter supply chains are influencing procurement strategies and production models. “Proximity to customers and suppliers is becoming a competitive advantage,” he noted. “It reduces vulnerability and improves agility.”

Chhaparia will also examine the need for operational flexibility in materials planning, inventory management and client collaboration. “In this environment, resilience and adaptability matter more than scale alone,” he said.

For printers and converters attending Print & Beyond, his session will provide an application-led perspective on how packaging can remain stable and competitive in a fragmented global economy.

The other speakers at Print & Beyond 2026 are: Prof Rajendrakumar Anayath, vice chancellor at Maharshi Valmiki Sanskrit University, Haryana, who will talk on Digital disruption and its impact, and Preeti Mishra, director and head of business development at Holosafe Security Label.

P Sajith, managing director at Impel Services (Bindwel-Stelda Group) will deliver the keynote; Shamim Rafeek, corporate trainer, will add the motivational angle before Ramu Ramanathan, editor of PrintWeek/WhatPackaging? rounds off the day with a panel discussion featuring the Young Turks of the Kerala printing industry.

PrintWeek/WhatPackaging? is the media partner for the Print & Beyond 2026 seminar.