The trade show Pack Print International, which is organised by Messe Düsseldorf Asia, will be returning to the Bangkok Trade & Exhibition Centre for the sixth time from 20th to 23rd September. Koenig & Bauer AG can be found in Hall 100 (booth E01), where KBA-Sheetfed Solutions from Radebeul, subsidiary KBA Asia-Pacific from Singapore and the regional sales agencies will be providing information on their comprehensive product portfolio for packaging printers. The Italian subsidiary KBA-Flexotecnica, the group's specialist for the printing of flexible packaging, will also be presenting its solutions for this growth market.

A growth rate of 6.2 to 6.5 per cent is evidence that the print industry in Southeast Asia is developing very dynamically, though there are still considerable differences between the individual countries. Alongside the enormous Chinese market, Thailand is one of the strongest buyers of printing presses in the region. Thanks to buoyant exports and increasing domestic demand, there is significant interest in Rapida sheetfed offset presses, especially among the country's packaging printers. Many global brand manufacturers have their packaging printed in Thailand. This trend is set to continue into 2018, and print providers are investing with a particular awareness for cutting-edge technology and brand-name quality.

Highly automated offset technology for major packaging printers

Packaging companies such as T.C.P. Industry and VNT Interprint (both based in Bangkok) are focussing increasingly on highly automated presses such as the Rapida 106. At T.C.P. Industry, for example, a plinth-mounted Rapida 106 with six printing units, inline coater and extended delivery, as well as the QualiTronic Professional system for inline colour density control and sheet inspection, has been in production since last year. Another six-colour Rapida 106 coater press was installed at VNT Interprint just a few months ago, while Continental Packaging, similarly in Bangkok, operates a Rapida 105 PRO in an eight-colour version with additional coater and extended delivery for both conventional and UV inks and coatings.

The Vietnamese print market is also expanding. There are around 1,500 industrial packaging and print companies in the country. Goldsun Packaging & Printing, one of the leading packaging companies in Vietnam, received its first Rapida 105 coater press in 2015. A second press followed last year, and the delivery of a third press, a six-colour Rapida 105 with coater and extended delivery, is scheduled for the end of 2017. Further KBA presses will be installed in the Philippines and Indonesia, including a six-colour Rapida 105 with coater at CPS in Jakarta.

Growth market flexo

With an annual growth rate of 4 to 5 per cent, flexible packaging is the fastest growing segment. More and more such products are today being printed in Asia, and various companies in Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines are displaying an increased interest in the presses offered by KBA-Flexotecnica.