Fair of plastic packaging tech pulls crowd

A small crowd gathered before a stall to watch a plastic and rubber processing machine churn out little plastic boxes generally used for packaging food items.

Some Chinese stall attendants were busy explaining the features of the injection moulding machine named Borche manufactured and distributed by China-based Borch Machinery Company Ltd.

The machine's innovative structure guarantees speed and high efficiency, doubling the production rate compared to traditional counterparts, said Kurt Zhang, sales and service engineer of the company's overseas business department.

“We are among the top three exporters and manufacturers of injection moulding machinery in China. We recently set up an office in Bangladesh sensing an expansion of the local market,” he said. The company is among 360 from 16 countries including Bangladesh, India, China and South Korea showcasing plastic goods and associated production equipment from local and international markets in 680 stalls at a four-day “International Plastics Fair-2018”.

Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed inaugurated the fair at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in the capital yesterday. It was jointly organised by the Bangladesh Plastic Goods Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BPGMEA) and Yorkers Trade & Marketing Service Co Ltd.

The major categories of products were household items, packaging materials, moulds, tableware, toys, pharmaceutical items, furniture, melamine products, garment accessories and polypropylene (PP) woven bags.

Foreign companies are also displaying goods manufacturing machinery such as those for injection and blow moulding, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) products, and PP woven and plastic bags. 

Speaking on the occasion, Ahmed said, “Two years ago I promised to give cash incentives as it is a very promising sector. Now the government is giving 10 percent cash incentive recognising the sector's potential.”

“A question has been raised that some exporters are using bonded warehouses but are not getting the incentive. Proper steps will be taken to address the problem,” he said.

Md Jashim Uddin, BPGMEA president, said, “This event will create opportunities for technology transfer and help bring investment.”

Salman F Rahman, prime minister's private sector development affairs adviser; Judy Wang, president of Yorkers; and Giasuddin Ahmed, BPGMEA senior vice president, also spoke.