The New Zealand food and beverage industry is buoyant: that was the impression of several of the equipment and services suppliers who headed to Auckland this week to spruik their wares.
The Foodtech Packtech show, which ran from Tuesday to Thursday, saw a strong Aussie contingent among the final tally of almost 200 exhibitors, the highest number in over a decade.
Zip Pak’s Glenn Woodworth, who spoke to Food & Drink Business at the show on Wednesday, said there had been a lot of interest for its latest Vector zip bag closure, a hermaphrodite “stealth” zip that can run on conventional machines.
“We’ve had ten sample requests already, and eight machines to quote” he said. “It’s been a big day.”
Peter Wilson from industrial automation components supplier SMC Pneumatics told Food & Drink Business that the show had demonstrated a high level of confidence in the New Zealand food and beverage industry.
“There are lots of machines to be built. Confidence is strong at the moment. New Zealand is on a high,” he said.
Other Australian exhibitors included A&D Australasia & A&D Weightec, ABB, AccuWeigh & AccuPak, Confoil, Fibre King, Heat and Control, HMPS, IFM Electronic, Integrated Packaging, JL Lennard, JMP Engineering, KHS, Multivac, Omron, Propac, Rhima, Rockwell Automation, Romheld, SICK, TNA, Tronics, Walls Machinery and Wedderburn.
The Australian Packaging and Processing Machinery Association (APPMA), which counts many of these companies as members, also exhibited at Foodtech Packtech, alongside the Australian Institute of Packaging (AIP).
AIP executive officer, Nerida Kelton, said this was the largest Foodteck Packtech she’d attended.
“We've been exhibiting here for over ten years. The show is growing every year, and this is the best one.”
A number of free seminars also took place at the show, and the APPMA hosted a panel discussion on understanding sustainable packaging innovation and trends featuring Confoil NZ’s national sales manager James Romhany, UPM Raflatac’s Carol Lawrence, and Greenchip director, Anthony Peyton.
For the full Foodtech Packtech wrap, see our November/December print edition.
