The clock is ticking for Interpack 2014, which kicks off on May 8 and will run through the 14th at the Düsseldorf Exhibition Centre (Messe Düsseldorf) in Germany. The show again promises to maintain its claim as the world’s most important trade fair for the packaging sector, as exhibitors from 60 countries will be in attendance taking up 174,000 square meters of net space in 19 halls.
Packaging and equipment suppliers serving the frozen food industry will be in high profile, among them end-of-line case packing specialists Blueprint Automation (BPA) and Case Packing Systems (CPS) of The Netherlands; Ishida Europe; Kramer AG; a raft of companies from Germany including Heinen Freezing, Ernst Karemen& Söhne GmbH, Multipond, Paul Craemer GmbH, and the Robert Bosch GmbH Packaging Technologies Division; JBT FoodTech of Sweden; Pattyn Packing Lines of Belgium; Heat & Control; and American companies including Bradman Lake Inc., R.A. Jones & Co. Inc., PakTech, Nineo Corp., New England Machinery, Inc, and Thiel Technologties.
Interpack organizers will be offering visitors innovative special topics alongside the extensive range of products and services provided by exhibitors.
Components for Processing and Packaging is an event being staged for the first time in 2014 as an additional exhibition for suppliers to the packaging industry. Companies who are engaged in drive, control and sensor technology, products for industrial image processing, handling technology, industrial software and communication, and complete automation systems for packaging machinery, will be exhibiting in the Düsseldorf “Stadthalle” in Congress Center South (CCD Süd).
Additionally, manufacturers of machine parts, components, accessories and peripherals as well as those who build components and auxiliaries for packaging processes, will be in the spotlight. About 75 companies are taking part overall. The event is accompanied by a daily lecture forum. Visitors can find the current program at www.packaging-components.de.
On May 7, one day before Interpack opens its doors, the Save Food Congress will commence in the Congress Center South (CCD Süd) on the fairgrounds. This two-day event is directed at both non-profit organizations and the industry.
The initiative is a co-operative effort between the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and Messe Düsseldorf. It was originally launched in 2011 with a very successful congress staged parallel to Interpack, and is now being supported by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP). Among other things, the 2014 edition will present the result of FAO studies conducted in developing and emerging countries to investigate local food losses. In addition, companies from the entire food value chain will be presenting their best practices procedures.
Now a regular feature at Interpack, the special show InnovationParc (IPP) will also be staged under the “Save Food” theme. Over 20 participating Save Food members, companies and associations from all links of the value chain will showcase solutions for avoiding food loss and waste. The special event aims to present practical approaches from areas such as food processing, packaging design, packaging materials and machine construction to fight the problem in concrete ways.
The IPP will be staged in an area of around 2,500 square meters on the outdoor space between Halls 2 and 3. Throughout the fair, a program of lectures will be held on an integrated stage. In the catering zone, the foods provided have been selected in cooperation with Tristam Stuart. He is the initiator of the “Feeding the 5,000” project, which has made a name for itself by organizing several public and free feeding events for several thousand people using food that would otherwise be disposed of. Visitors can find the Innovationsparc lecture program and a stand plan at www.interpack.de.
Interpack will be open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. from May 8-14. A one-day admission ticket costs €49 (€60 at the gate). School children, college students and apprentices/trainees pay a reduced rate of €13 at the door. A three-day ticket can be purchased via online presales for €99 (€120 at the gate).
