Print China 2019 in the city of Advanced Manufacturing

Print China organisers invited PrintWeek India and WhatPackaging? magazines for a preview of the show on 9 January. Rahul Kumar and Sujith Ail report from Dongguan

17 Jan 2019 | By PrintWeek India

Representatives from over 20 countries attended the Print China International Media Week

Representatives of the print media, associations and delegates of Asia Print from 20 countries and regions plus guests from all over the world gathered in Dongguan to take a peek at the upcoming fourth edition of Print China also known as the International Printing Technology Exhibition of China (Guangdong). 

The show also known as the fourth International Printing Technology Exhibition of China (Guangdong), will be hosted from 9 to 13 April, 2019 at Guangdong Modern International Exhibition Centre. The total exhibition area of Print China 2019 will be over 1,40,000 sqm, and there will be more than 1,200 exhibitors and estimated 200,000 professional visitors.


(l-r) Representing India: Dayaker Reddy, Kamal Chopra, Ravi Joshi

During the Media Day, representatives from the 10 exhibitors including HP, Tianjin Masterwork, Heidelberg, Konica Minolta, Bobst, Komori, Koenig & Bauer, Zhongde Group, Dinga and Founder shared their plans and new product launches. 

According to the annual statistics collected by State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT), in 2016, there were approximately 101,000 printing enterprises; the gross output value of the industry reached USD 170 billion, which met a 2.7% annual increase.

Interestingly enough, India ranks second in the number of visitors to Print China.

On 10 January, the media representatives visited Guangdong Modern International Exhibition Center to experience the modifications in the exhibition hall, one of the biggest exhibition centre in Asia. Representatives also visited Guangdong Lishunyuan Intelligent Automation, Dongguan Shengtu Printing Equipment and Fu Lam (HK) greyboard manufacturing facility. 


Delegates at the Guangdong Modern International Exhibition Center

At the centre of the Guangzhou-Hong Kong-Shenzhen Economic Corridor Dongguan is an important hub in the Guangdong Province. It is renowned for manufacturing and being a market for print equipment procurement, as well as foreign trade.

Visit to Fu Lam (HK) 
Fu Lam, the manufacturer of greyboard has six lines of production in Dongguan and has been in operation since 10 years. It has an annual capacity of 350,000 tonnes for single-ply greyboard with gsm varying from 250-1650gsm.


Fu Lam has six lines of greyboard manufacturing

The plant has a recycling system approved by the Chinese government and assures 100% water recycling.

Along with the board manufacturing lines, Fu Lam has automatic lamination machines for rolls and sheets, microwave drying line, slitters and die-cutters.

Major product portfolios include 800-300gsm laminated greyboard, 560-2500gsm black cardboard, 560-2650gsm singe/double side greyback duplex board, laminated foam boards, and laminated speciality papers with greyboard.

Fu Lam also has two sets of Kolbus and four sets of Horauf case-making machines with a monthly maximum output of 500,000 pieces.

On the afternoon of January 10, representatives from the printing associations of 46 provinces and cities nationwide held a symposium for the printing associations of various provinces and cities. The annual meeting of 2018 working committee confabulated about how the exhibition can be “bettered and improved.”

Inside Lishun Yuan Intelligent Automation manufacturing facility
China’s Dongguan-based Lishun Yuan is a 17-year old company with expertise in rigid box manufacturing machines.

The company boasts of installations across the globe with presence in Europe, the United States, South-east Asia, South America, Middle-east, Africa and in 40 countries.
 


Lishun Yuan has its installations across 40 countries

Lishun Yuan began its post-press manufacturing machines from semi-automatic machines such as paperboard slitter machines, paper box moulding and folding machines and today it manufactures fully automated intelligent rigid-box making machines. Committed towards quality assurance, the company follows 6S principles.

Lishun Yuan has dedicated manufacturing lines for wine and liquor box-making, book style box-making and manufactures modular machines as per customer requirements.
One of the flagship models of Lishun Yuan is the LY-412CCD, an automatic high-speed rigid box making machine. It is the combination of visual positioning host, automatic corner pasting machine and high-speed rigid box forming machine. Applications of this kit are mobile phones, jewellery boxes, and gift boxes. Working at a rate of 25-35 pcs/min, has a maximum fold-in depth of 100mm.

Lishun Yuan is represented in India by Ample Graphics who have installed 16 fully automatic rigid box manufacturing machines in India. 

Dongguan Shengtu Printing Equipment 
Established in 1998, Dongguan Shengtu Printing Equipment is a dedicated manufacturer for case-makers for hardcover bookbinding along with rigid box making machines. 

It has a series of models such as ST036B/ST040PP (automatic hardcover production line); ST060H (automatic high-speed hardcover machine); ST036XL (automatic hardcover machine); and ST055PE (hot stamping machine). Shengtu believes in “trusting made in China, trusting made in ST”.  

The post-press equipment manufacturing company is bullish about the Indian market. So much so, it has hired an Indian engineer to understand the needs of an Indian printer, better.

In India, Shengtu has installed seven machines at Pragati Pack, SFA Print, and PK Pack among others.

Theme of the show
The theme of the exhibition is: ‘Intelligence guide, fusion and innovation, service transformation, green development’. The industry has realised it has to see green and digital and intelligent in an integrated way. Therefore the five-day exhibition has been divided into 10 segments. 

In addition, there are five thematic areas including internet + intelligent packaging, intelligent robot + printing, 3D printing, VOCs comprehensive management, and laser + printing are opened.

There will be overseas visitors from more than 140 countries and regions, accounting for 18%-20% of the total visitors. Hundred media groups will cover the exhibition. This includes 60 media houses from China and 40 overseas.

Over 60 events will be hosted during the exhibition period, which shall include forums and technological knowledge exchange, Forum-PT 2019, The 2nd Asia Pacific Day, Global Print Annual Meeting, Asia Print Conference 2019, China Print Summit and China Print Awards.


Dongguan - one of the most important printing industry bases in Guangdong province

Print China timeline

2007 – Area: 80,000 sqm, exhibitors: 1,047 from 15 countries, visitors: 104,204 from 72 countries

2011 – Area: 120,000 sqm, exhibitors: 1,261 from 22 countries, visitors: 171,256 from 112 countries 

2015 – Area: 140,000 sqm exhibitors: 1,328 from 28 countries, visitors: 206,154 from 146 countries