From September 25 until September 27, the PACK EXPO took place at the Las Vegas Convention center. The show had more than 2,000 exhibitors with over 600 exhibitors being focused on the Produce/Fresh segment. While what was displayed on the floors of this year’s expo was of interest, what may be more noteworthy was who attended this year’s show.
“We always get a good representation of customers from all over the U.S. as well as Canada and Mexico,” says John Kadinger of Walla Walla, Wa.-based Key Technology Inc., a processing technology company. “Several of the customers I talked to were higher level than I’d seen in the past. Overall the leads were very high quality—we had lots of people who had projects underway and were looking for solutions.”
Key Technology's PACK EXPO Booth
So agrees Gary Bach of Digital Design/A Matthews International Co., a coding company based in Cedar Grove, NJ. “You might think because it’s on the West Coast that it’d be more of a regionally attended show. But most of the states in the U.S. were represented and it had a pretty good international showing as well.”
Show on the grow
Bach was at the show in part to release a new product, the Evolution 4, which is a full one-inch print head from a single thermal inkjet cartridge—a product that possibly got in front of more people as well at this year’s three-day event which had more than 2,000 exhibitors. “The show seems to be growing every two years—it gets bigger and bigger,” he says. “The cost of doing a PACK Expo in Las Vegas is better than what it is in Chicago. It’s considerably more expensive on those years in Chicago because they do rotate back and forth. It is smaller than Chicago but it’s as well done.”
Digital Design's Evolution 4
Combining parts of the line
Kadinger notes PACK EXPO is a good show to attend because its focus brings processing and packaging together. “It’s a great place to go to find many of the equipment manufacturers from beginning to the end of the line all in one place,” says Kadinger, whose company was showing off its two new VERYX digital sorters, the belt-fed B140 and the chute-fit D70. And in doing so, he also noted that customers increasingly want more from the machinery they’re employing in the process.
“More and more people are trending towards what we call information analytics,” he says, noting the show also seemed to have quite a few new fresh cut processors. “They want to get more data about their processes and their products to improve their production efficiencies and product quality. Customers want more information—as in what information can your equipment provide? We’re seeing equipment suppliers stepping up to the plate and providing that.”
For more information:
John Kadinger
Key Technology Inc.
Tel: +1- (509) 529-2161
jkadinger@key.net
www.key.net
Gary Bach
Digital Design/A Matthews International Co.
Tel: +1- 973-666-2738
gbach@matw.com
www.evolutioninkjet.com