PMMI and Ipack-Ima are launching East Afripack to capitalize on opportunities in the booming regional market.
PMMI, The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, is joining with Italian trade fair producer Ipack-Ima Spa to launch East Afripack
The event (scheduled September 9-12 in Nairobi, Kenya) will connect technology providers with producers working in or looking to enter the region.
Jorge Izquierdo, vice president of global markets for PMMI (the producer of the annual PACK EXPO processing and packaging exposition and conference), spoke with FoodProductionDaily about the event, and what it can provide for food and packaging companies looking to take advantage of the region’s economic growth.

Why does the East Afripack launch make sense?
Africa is a very new territory for the packaging and processing industries. It’s also a very promising region, according to research from the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). Today’s East Africa is experiencing quite a bit of change in its economic landscape: the nations of the East African community have a combined real GDP of more than $43 million today, and the middle class has more than tripled in the last 30 years.
Packaging and processing sectors in the region are in their beginning stages, but they’ve taken hold and are advancing quickly, keeping pace with the burgeoning consumer demand for packaged goods. Put it all together and you see a need for the technologies that PMMI members produce. UNIDO’s  research backs this up, finding East African entrepreneurs inclined toward technology purchases, and 78% of them planning a packaging equipment investment within the next three years.
This isn’t the first partnership we’ve engaged in with Ipack-Ima. In a global marketplace, having an international presence is essential, and Ipack-Ima has earned the high regard of the international packaging and processing community. The combined strengths of our two organizations will make this event successful.