• Ten printing and paper machinery manufacturers present themselves together in Shanghai under the label “Made in Germany”
• Joint presentation at the fair receives good feedback
• Increased numbers of visitors and exhibitors underline the importance of the All in Print China as supra-regional leading trade fair
Already the beginning was promising. On the day of the opening, more than 28,000 visitors came to the Shanghai New International Expo Center where about 1,000 exhibitors presented the latest printing and paper technology on 110,000 square metres. Ten percent more visitors than to the opening of the previous trade fair, a 40 percent increase of the number of exhibitors and a 34 percent increase of the exhibition space clearly show the dynamic growth of the “All in Print China“. According to the organizers, the number of visitors from 24 to 28 October totalled 100,933 (+ 31 percent) signifying a new record in visitor numbers for the “China International Exhibition for All Printing Technology & Equipment.
Ten machinery manufacturers at the German Pavilion
Being the leading trade fair in the largest print market on the world, the attractiveness of the All in Print China has been more than regional for a long time. The more so since the growth of the printing industry there continues. According to forecasts, the market volume will probably grow to more than 200 billion US dollars in the course of this decade already – and then keep on growing at annual rates of approximately six percent.
“In 2017, China was the second largest export market for the German printing and paper machinery manufacturers with an export volume of 565 million euros,” said Dr. Markus Heering, Managing Director of the VDMA Printing and Paper Technology Association and PrintPromotion GmbH, adding that a German Pavilion had been organised again in order to make it easier for the member companies to participate in the All in Print China and get access to this important export region.
Ten machinery manufacturers took advantage of this offer and presented themselves under the label “Made in Germany” in the German Pavilion. “We were pleased to welcome a consistently high number of visitors during the total fair,” stated Dr. Sven Breitung, who coordinated the stand on the part of the VDMA. Kenny Lam, Marketing Coordinator of KURZ Hong Kong Ltd., confirmed this impression: “We enjoyed a very impressive rush of visitors and many interesting contacts, probably also because of the good position and the elaborate design of the stand.” He noted as positive results the promising new contacts as well as the possibility to maintain existing customer relations and pointed out that this success was also due to the support given by the VDMA and PrintPromotion both in the run-up to the fair and during the fair.
Pleased exhibitors – good visitor feedback
For Trelleborg Printing Solutions, too, the expectations have been fully met according to the company's communication manager Alessandra Bungaro: “On all days of the fair we enjoyed a constant stream of Chinese and international visitors who were very interested in our solutions,” she explained, attributing the success of the trade fair to the participation in the joint pavilion and the professional support by the PrintPromotion team.
Maximilian Prinz, who represented Schobertechnologies GmbH at the All in Print China 2018, also gave a positive summary: “The fair itself pleasantly surprised us with numerous encounters and valuable contacts. Not least because of the attractive position of the stand at the fair,” he said.
“Our concept of joint participation at fairs with elaborate as well as strikingly deigned stands also enables small companies to present themselves and their solutions in important export markets,” said Dr. Markus Heering, explaining that a large portion of the organisational work is thus taken off their shoulders and that they are enabled to participate in fairs at top positions and on favourable terms. “As a result, they can concentrate fully on the content-related design of their presentation at the fairs. Specifically for the Chinese market, our members offer the right solutions,” he stressed.
There is a demand for modern, automated solutions in China
The turnover of the Chinese printing industry amounted to approximately 180 billion US dollars in 2017, of which packaging printing accounted for almost four fifth. Driven by the growing urban middle class with its increasing propensity to consume, consistently strong further growth can be expected in the future as well. In addition, the web-to-print business is seen as a driver of growth. In both market segments, the suppliers are dependent on highly flexible, largely automated solutions in order to be able to offer their customers convincing print quality despite the growing time and cost pressure. Especially global markets demand international quality standards – and do not accept any downscales in this respect.
The German manufacturers of printing and paper technology offer solutions that are essential for the suppliers active in packaging printing and the web-to-print business. They are the key to their lasting success. The export volume of 565 million euros in 2017 was based on a 44 percent surge in growth. This trend continued in the first half of the year 2018. Exports grew again by 30.8 percent and reached nearly 370 million euros within just six months. Now it remains to be seen which effects the numerous new contacts made at the All in Print China 2018 will have over the coming months and years.
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