IPACK-IMA is the industry’s first in-person trade show in quite some time, a return that is a permanent fixture for the industry. Taking place in Milan from May 3rd to 6th, IPACK-IMA is an exhibition specializing in processing and packaging technologies for the food and non-food sectors.
Interview with Rossano Bozzi, CEO of Ipack Ima srl.
Easy Engineering: What are the main product sectors represented?
Rossano Bozzi: Food & beverage remains a primary market. Four Business Communities are dedicated to this sector, from pasta and milling – the “core” industry for the show – to liquid food and beverage – to which we will devote an entire pavilion – to fresh food and ready meals technologies to meet the needs of the entire confectionary sector. IPACK-IMA will also focus stronger than in the past on the non-food sector, covering pharmaceuticals and nutrition, beauty & personal care, chemicals & home care, and industrial & durable goods.
E.E: What’s the news of this edition?
R.B: One of the new features is the focus on greater synergy between machinery and packaging materials. The topic of sustainability is very important, and this is where IPACK-IMA will express relevant content with more than 200 exhibitors offering solutions in packaging material, primary, secondary and tertiary, and applications that integrate different types of materials with packaging technologies; all enriched by a rich program of conferences and seminars already available on the exhibition websites. We will also have an entire pavilion dedicated to liquid food & beverage, a first for IPACK-IMA. Finally, food processing solutions, from raw materials’ sorting to product processing, the event always offers the best of innovation in the industry thanks to its exhibitors.
Furthermore, Ipack Ima announced an innovative collaboration that will see the 2022 edition of Pharmintech Exhibition organized in conjunction with IPACK-IMA in Milan. A collaboration which we consider strategic to better answer to the needs of the sector and its related industries with a single exhibition moment specifically built on the demand for processing & packaging technologies and which integrates perfectly in the development strategy of IPACK-IMA.
E.E: What are the ranges of products?
R.B: IPACK-IMA has a longstanding leadership position in solutions for processing and packaging, but it covers also other related sectors such as labelling, coding and marking together with end of the line solutions and automation.
IPACK-IMA 2022 is therefore an appointment that represents the only landing point for all production chains.
E.E: What can you tell us about market trends?
R.B: 2021 was a year of major changes for all industries. The unprecedented increase in commodity prices and the shortage of components have created unexpected challenges. However, it was also a year of opportunities.
The ability of packaging to preserve the taste, flavor and integrity of food products even for long periods has been rediscovered. Above all, the safety that the packaging guarantees in avoiding possible contamination during product handling has been appreciated. Developments related to sustainability are also becoming of primary importance for the industry and above all for material producers who have invested heavily in research and development, responding to the commitments of the brand owners in terms of circular economy. These issues have become essential and will be widely developed at IPACK-IMA.
E.E: What estimations do you have for 2022 IPACK-IMA Edition?
R.B: In a time of uncertainty there are few certainties, but among the certainties is IPACK-IMA. The industry identifies with and believes in the project, is present at the fair, is part of it. Here is the key to the 2022 edition: an industry that wants to be there, to participate and to return in person with product and process innovation that for too long has not met market demand.
An added value is represented by the sectors in which IPACK-IMA is developing a growing exhibition presence compared to the previous year: in the chemical-pharmaceutical sector, but also in the liquid food & beverage sector, and, last but not least, in the food processing sector, which has historically been an area of excellence at IPACK-IMA.
This will be an edition with probably less quantity but a higher quality of buyers which will safely meet their suppliers and partners thanks to all safety protocols that have been already tested during the resumption of trade fair activities in 2020 and 2021. In Italy, and at Fiera Milano in particular, it is now standard practice to ensure the safety of exhibitors, journalists and buyers who crowd the pavilions of the exhibition center.
