12th International Packaging and Printing exhibition was held from 14 to 17 February 2006 in Tehran's permanent fairground. 350 Iranian and 105 foreign companies from 30 countries spent four days of intense activities in the show, which covered 13500 square meters of exhibition space. The number of foreign companies increased 20% with respect to the last year and 50% comparing to the 2004 event. On the other hand Iran's tense political situation due to nuclear stand off with the West and possibility of Security Council referral clouded the business activities of the show. However suppliers as well as business men and agents of major manufacturers of printing and packaging industries showed a huge interest in the show and its commercial outcome.
The participation of the major European prepress, press and postpress vendors in the show was encouraging however the majority of foreign companies came from Taiwan, China, Korea and other Asian countries. Iran Rotative, Heidelberg's sole agent in Iran occupied a huge space and show Cased Printmasters 52 and 74 and an all new Fidia packaging and gluing machine for packet wallet. Italy had one of the biggest pavilions within the show and Italian trade associations such as ACIMGA and UCIMA with the support of Italian commercial attaché in Iran promoted Italian companies.
Bobst has become a regular exhibitor of the show and this year was no exception. During recent years the Swiss group has implemented various turn key packaging projects in Iran including one of the biggest corrugated board production centers in suburb of city of Qazvin commissioned by Alamoot. One of the major trends in this year's show was the huge presence of packaging and packaging converters, which clearly overshadowed the attendance of commercial offset sector. Iranian Ink manufacturers are now a strong force in Iranian consumable market and foreign brands find it more and more difficult to compete with them. This trend was also evident in the exhibition floor. The number of printing equipment displayed in different stands was disappointing however there was no lack of accessories and parts for the printers. Major flexo and gravure printers took huge stands in the show which remind us that package printing is a booming industry in Iran and enjoys double digit growth.
The implementation of new BOPP production lines has played a major role in rapid growth of flexible package printers. During last three months the price of packaging films has decreased considerably. The production of PVC, PS and PE has been growing thanks to the increase in capacity of our petrochemical industry, which also boosted other downstream industries such as plastic containers and bags. Suppliers of these important markets were abundant in the show floor.
Farsegal Plast is an Iranian company that recently implemented 3 in mold labeling lines. The company showcased its products in exhibition.