Labelexpo Asia Set to Double in Size

SHANGHAI—Labelexpo Asia 2005, taking place at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre on 7-9 December 2005, is set to be over twice the size of the last event in 2003. All the leading international suppliers who were at the last show will be there again, such as Avery Dennison, Esko-Graphics, Gallus, HP Indigo, Kocher + Beck, Labelmen, Mark Andy, Nilpeter, Omet, Purlux, Rotoflex, Rotometrics, Raflatac, Shanghai Auclean, and Yupo - plus there will be many new exhibitors such as H-Shine Printing Machine Company and Orthotec Wan Am (Concorde Precision Technology).

Package and label printing in China accounts for some 48% of the country's total printing sector - and the Chinese Government is ready to allow more investment in the package and label-printing sector than in other printing sectors. There are expected to be around 39,000 packaging printing, label and converting plants in China by the end of this year - and new businesses in these sectors are increasing by about 10% a year. The output value of China's printing industry was more than RMB260 million in 2004 - and by 2020 China's printing industry looks like it will be a world leading printing power, ranked amongst the world's most advanced nations.

Labelexpo in Asia, part of the Labelexpo Global Series, was launched two years ago in response to industry demand for an event in this high growth region. The first event was a resounding success with over 5000 visitors who came to see new technology in action. This year's event will attract visitors from right across the region - including Australia, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, and India.

With global brand owners and the retail sector continuing to achieve high growth in Asia the Chinese label producer is looking to achieve higher quality, higher performance label solutions that address the needs of brand marketing, retail display and supply chain logistics.

To address these needs the Labelexpo Asia seminar program will highlight the use and performance of UV flexo and combination process presses, look at new labelstock materials, examine the latest advances in artwork, reproduction and plate technology, assess the changing requirements for smart, smart active and intelligent labelling solutions and how they can be achieved, look into the future with digital printing opportunities, and have a key focus on how the label industry can meet the demands of the fastest growing auto-ID market in the world with seminar sessions and a Masterclass on RFID smart labels.

The only international labeling event in China, Labelexpo Asia is a must attend for Chinese printers and for all those wishing to penetrate this high growth market.

Roger Pellow, Labelexpo Managing Director, said, "The label industry in China is still in its early stages, but as the Chinese printing sector matures (which it will do, as has happened in Europe and the USA), so will the niche Chinese label industry. Labelexpo sees its mission to replicate what happened in the West, and to grow this dynamic market. With six months to go, Labelexpo Asia is already 50% bigger than the event was in 2003 and on track to be double the size it was - with all the leading global industry suppliers wanting, and needing, to get into China."