PFFC - October 2007 - (Page 18)

PACKAGE CONVERTING C By Stanley Sacharow Contributing Editor China & India: Flex-Pack Leaders? hina’s been in news lately, and it India is a different story. I’ve also visited hasn’t been about Ming antiques! It many converters in India and observed a seems China has become a hotbed of variance of plant quality, but unlike China, shoddy products. From formaldehyde India is generally unhampered by linguistic in blankets to lead toys to diethylene glycol in problems and is more western leaning than toothpaste, there has been universal outrage China. Its f lex-pack converters are more over the seemingly poor quality control of international in their outlook and often Chinese products. maintain worldwide offices. They frequently This is in direct contrast to what I’ve been win packaging awards, and their record of hearing at worldwide packaging conferences I’ve quality defects is about the same as that of attended over the past several years. Packaging converters worldwide—even though there is a pundits have praised China’s quality and significant amount of air and water pollution. predicted that both China and India are exerting One problem hampering flex-pack growth an influence over the flexible packaging industry in both India and China is the overall lack of that is growing by at least 5% annually. PCI Films supermarket structure. Stores tend to be small, Consulting predicts that between now and 2010, and there is a fairly large “black” economy with half the world’s growth in flexible packaging will unreported statistics and poor packaging. be in China and India. The key to Obvious reasons for both China’s and this rapid growth include India’s growth is The key to China’s middle-class domestic the building of a growth, strong exports, complex supermarket and India’s growth and competitive prices. infrastructure coupled But how will this shake out with strategic plans for is the of a if China’s quality control pollution control. issues follow into the Personally, I think complex supermarket flex-pack industry? flex-pack converters My personal should look toward infrastructure coupled experience in the Chinese other areas for flex-pack industry is opportunities. Chile with plans for based on more than ten and Argentina produce visits to various converters superb materials that in the past decade. At rarely enter worldwide a converter in Guongmarkets. Nations as Zou, (a short flight from diverse as Mexico, El Hong Kong), I observed etched gravure cylinders Salvador, Peru, and Costa Rica have converters stacked vertically in a random manner, complex that equal the best in the world. With a strong laminators on upper floors without elevators, sales plan and somewhat better communication overall plant disorder, excessive staffing, and infrastructure, these nations can export and grow. rudimentary quality control. The air outside Last but by no means least is Turkey. Blessed was thick with pollution, and plant hygiene was with an envious geographical position straddling questionable. At another converter in the north, both Europe and Asia, Turkey has many excellent I saw a lack of quality control records and poor converters and plastic film suppliers. Turkey’s recordkeeping. Yet these companies were staffed OPP and PE industries are strongly developed. by skilled people fully conversant and experienced Already supplying a strong domestic market and in the industry. many Eastern/Central European nations, the Perhaps these firms are not the norm; perhaps Turkish flexible packaging industry needs a strong many others follow the strict standards that international campaign to let the world know of international converting demands. But as China its capabilities. roars ahead and pollution reaches deadly extremes, It is also important to note that both Turkey and I wonder: Can and will there be a fallout in overall Latin America have fully developed supermarkets flex-pack quality? that stock a wide variety of packages. building pollution control. Flexible packaging expert and conference organizer Stanley Sacharow, executive director of The Packaging Group, has 35+ years of experience in the converting industry. Contact him at 732/636-0885; univpac@aol.com; www.packaginggroup.com. 18 | OCTOBER 2007 http://www.packaginggroup.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of PFFC - October 2007

PFFC - October 2007 Contents First Glance From the Editor Calendar of Events Web Lines Process Management Package Converting News Clips Narrow Web & Label Reporter Narrow Web & Label What’s New Products Bagmaking Slitting/Rewinding Digital Printing EB Flexo Web Handling Paperboard Packaging Security Packaging Business Transactions What’s New Products Focus: Unwinds & Rewinds Trade Show in Print Services Directory Classified Marketplace Equipment Buyers & Sellers Advertisers Index thePLACE Experience Speaks

PFFC - October 2007

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