美国拉斯维加斯国际包装及技术展览会（PACK EXPO Las Vegas）是美国及北美区域本年度最大的包装材料及技术展，由美国包装机械制造协会（PMMI）主办，两年一届，在拉斯维加斯会议中心举办，从1995年第一届成功举办至今，PACK EXPO已经发展成为北美地区最大的包装展，该品牌展有芝加哥国际包装展及美国东部包装展，是国际包装展中最有影响的专业性展会之一。 从2014年开始，PACK EXPO展与美国国际医药健康包装展（PHARMA EXPO/Healthcare Packaging EXPO）联合组展。该展会是包装行业真正意义上的国际盛会，充分展示了当今世界加工与包装领域的科研和创新，是体现人类智慧和创造力的窗口。
PACK EXPO参展商将展示几乎所有零售商和消费品包装垂直市场的最新解决方案，包括：食品与饮料：烘焙和零食，饮料，谷物、早餐食品，糖果/糖果，乳制品，水果/蔬菜，谷物、种子、豆、面粉、坚果，肉类/家禽/海鲜，准备食物，生产/新鲜，葡萄酒/啤酒/烈酒；医药/医疗产品：生物/生物制药，医疗/牙科仪器或用品，医疗设备/诊断仪器，营养保健品、维生素、膳食补充剂，制药；其他包装商品：汽车，建筑/建筑/家居改造产品，化学，化妆品/洗浴用品，电子产品，家具/固定装置，硬件/工具，金属，纸张/打印，宠物食品，肥皂/家用化学品，纺织/服装，烟草，玩具/运动/工艺品，其他。
美国最大的贸易伙伴是加拿大，中国，墨西哥，日本紧随其后，每天大约有价值高达11亿美元的产品，美国经济高度发达，全球多个国家的货币与美元挂钩。目前包装设备生产增长最快的是在发展中的国家和地区，发达国家将从刺激国内需求中获利，并在发展中国家寻找当地合适的生产厂家，特别是在食品加工厂进行投资，提供包装机械设备。如果说在贴标机和装箱机等设备上，中国制造的机械还无法同德、意、日产品竞争，那么在一些技术含量较低的产品上已经可以满足美国市场的要求，并最有可能在短期内获得突破性进展。特别是一些通用型的包装设备，如热收缩包装机、裹包机等，中国制造的产品成本不到美国产品的一半，具有非常强的竞争力,低廉的价格是中国包装机械进入美国市场最好的敲门砖。事实上，目前已经有一些美国公司在中国进行贴牌生产，生产出来的部分产品出口美国市场。
展品范围(Show Products):
包装机械及配件：食品包装机械，真空包装机，糊盒机，制袋机，填充、灌装、封口、封箱、贴标机械，捆扎机，打包机，缠绕设备,喷码机，打码机，杯、盒、袋、桶、罐、瓶、盖、制造机械，日化用品包装机械，塑料软包装设备，药品包装机械，塑料机械，各种模切刀具配件等；
瓦楞蜂窝纸板设备：纸箱机械、纸盒、纸带、纸浆等；
包装材料：共挤复合、拉伸吹膜、发泡片材、纸板纸筒、铝箔铝材、胶粘带、热熔胶加工机械、塑料包装材料、金属装材料、食品包装材料、药品包装材料、绿色环保包装材料等；
包装容器：塑料包装容器、金属包装容器、玻璃包装容器、绿色环保包装技术、包装防伪科技、包装设计、包装工艺、包装出版媒体等。
展会报告(Show Reports):
Record-Breaking PACK EXPO Las Vegas Exceeds Expectations
The largest packaging and processing trade show in North America provides industry with solutions that address its most pressing issues
Las Vegas, NV; September 14, 2023 – The packaging and processing community came together this week for perhaps the most important PACK EXPO Las Vegas in its history, according to show producer PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies.
Over 32,000 attendees, the most in the show’s history, actively engaged with more than 2,300 exhibitors across 1 million net square feet of exhibit space at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
This event not only stands as the largest packaging and processing trade show in North America this year but as the largest PACK EXPO Las Vegas in the show’s history.
“PACK EXPO Las Vegas was a huge win for the packaging and processing industry,” says Jim Pittas, president and CEO, PMMI. “From attendance to exhibition space to educational sessions – the show surpassed expectations to provide our largest, most comprehensive show to date. This is proof that the industry continues to thrive and show-up to provide the most innovative, sustainable, effective solutions the world has to offer.”
As PMMI’s State of the Industry report highlights, industry growth remains steady at a healthy 3.4 percent with the total size of the market in the U.S. reaching $10.2 billion.
Looking to capitalize on this growth, more than 2,300 exhibitors displayed and promoted their latest innovations to make connections with decision makers in packaging and processing.
“PACK EXPO Las Vegas has been an invaluable platform for Ska Fabricating to connect and engage in meaningful discussions about packaging line automation,” says Elise Wright, marketing & events manager, Ska Fabricating. “This show not only showcases a myriad of solutions for the entire packaging industry, but also fosters an environment where industry professionals can exchange ideas and insights. The networking opportunities on and off the show floor have helped to strengthen and grow our industry partnerships.”
“The show has been fantastic for us, and being in the Processing Zone was perfect. The traffic has been excellent, and we're having quality conversations with key decision-makers about their processing needs. PACK EXPO Las Vegas was the perfect place to showcase our new processing innovations,” says Mark Padly, account manager, Provisur Technologies.
“Our goal was to meet potential customers and share more about our company offerings and values in an up close and personal way. It was pretty amazing to have this level of access to buyers and experience all the machinery in action,” says Ryan Cabral, sales and operations manager, Ideal Solution LLC.
Both first-time and long-time exhibitors made new connections, unveiled new solutions and found exceptional value at this year’s PACK EXPO Las Vegas.
“We didn’t quite know what to expect our first time at PACK EXPO Las Vegas, but we found the experience to be effective. We connected with value chain members that we normally don’t have a chance to connect with and discovered innovations, especially in sustainability, that we didn’t know existed. We were pleasantly surprised,” says Jon Timbers, chief sustainability officer, Epsilyte LLC.
“The best part of PACK EXPO Las Vegas was introducing our brand to new audiences and diverse industries. We are impressed with the number of decision makers with quality projects we were able to meet with. We expect the number of leads that came from this show to fuel our business for months to come,” says Jack H., communications manager, Chubby Gorilla, Inc.
“After years of being an attendee at PACK EXPO, making the decision to exhibit at PACK EXPO Las Vegas has brought us great value. The Containers and Materials Pavilion was the perfect venue to showcase our capabilities. The show traffic exceeded our expectations, and we are planning to be back!” says Mary Mayled, manager of marketing, business development and commercial administration, Plastipak Packaging, Inc.
Attendees come for a variety of reasons, and a show like PACK EXPO Las Vegas offers multifaceted solutions for the more than 40 vertical markets represented at the show.
“We're a pet food co-packer and came to PACK EXPO Las Vegas with a big group from Spanish Fork, Utah,” says Kyle Cloward, packaging manager, Mountain Country Foods. “I'm here to see materials and containers while others from our team are focused on equipment. I'm specifically looking for materials that stand up to more highly automated systems. This is my third visit to the show. It's always good to see everything you need in one place.”
“I came to PACK EXPO Las Vegas to find new packaging and filling equipment and am excited by what I'm seeing on the show floor. This might be the largest PACK EXPO I've attended. It's a well put together event with a good representation of industry suppliers which allows me to see so many solutions live and under one roof,” says Suzanne Dawis, vice president of R&D, Bright Innovation Labs.
“Our group includes several companies and more than 28 brands in cookies, crackers, snacks, and breads. I'm at PACK EXPO Las Vegas to find automation and robotics solutions to take our operations to the next level,” says Ryan Besai Group, chief engineer, Bermudez Group Limited based in Trinidad and Tobago. “While I'm new to the show, I can see that PACK EXPO Las Vegas has a wide variety of suppliers. The Innovation Stage sessions I attended were very enlightening. For businesses based in the Caribbean, the show is relatively close and easy to reach.”
As stated in the latest State of the Industry report, sustainability remains top of mind and thousands of attendees visited the new Sustainability Central exhibit to take a journey through the sustainability process. They were also able to visit the hundreds of exhibitors showcasing sustainable materials and machinery at the show.
“We came to PACK EXPO Las Vegas to find more sustainable packaging options,” says Brooke Ervin, packaging engineer, Mopar (Chrysler Service Parts Division). “Particularly, we're interested in returnable packaging. We've already seen possible solutions on the show floor and visited Sustainability Central. This show is where we need to be.”
Show attendees voted for the most outstanding innovations on the show floor in the Technology
Excellence Awards announced Tuesday afternoon. The winners of the 2023 awards are Aneko Emsys (Aneko, N-10165) for Food/Beverage, AI Enabled Augmented Reality for Transforming Packaging Operations (Harpak-ULMA Packaging, SL-6188, SL-6101) for General Packaging and Processing, Catalyx Digital LineClearance Assistant™ (Catalyx, SL-6185) for Personal Care/Pharma, and Amcor HealthCare Recycle Ready Sachet (Amcor Healthcare Packaging, SL-6635) for Sustainability. For more information about this year’s winners, visit packexpolasvegas.com/tea.
PACK EXPO Las Vegas was more than just a packaging and processing equipment and materials show, it offered more than 130 educational sessions and plenty of networking opportunities.
“I consult for a wide range of companies - from manufacturers of electronics to sealants to food and beverage CPGs” says Kurt Ulmer, captain, Crazy Contraption, Packaging Design Consultancy. “PACK EXPO Las Vegas is huge and all-encompassing. It's a good place to network. I'm also here to see materials advances and find innovative solutions for sustainability - particularly lightweighting - and cost savings in package design.”
A highlight of the show’s second day came early when 750 industry professionals gathered for the Packaging and Processing Women’s Leadership Network (PPWLN) breakfast. Keynote speaker Manjit Minhas, renowned Canadian entrepreneur, beer baroness, and television personality covered mentorship, being a working mom, starting her business, the importance of being fearless, and constant learning.
“It takes coordination and participation from all parts of our industry to pull together an event of this size and caliber. We’re extremely grateful to all involved in making this show a record-breaking success,” says Laura Thompson, vice president, trade shows, PMMI. “The feedback from exhibitors and attendees is encouraging, especially hearing success stories from both first-time and long-time participants.”
PMMI heads east next year with registration officially open for PACK EXPO East (March 18-20, 2024; Pennsylvania Convention Center).
PACK EXPO East is followed by EXPO PACK México (June 4-7, 2024; Mexico City), PACK EXPO International (Nov. 3-6, 2024; Chicago), and the newest addition to the PACK EXPO portfolio of trade shows, PACK EXPO Southeast (March 10-12, 2025; Atlanta).
