A grand revival

Kathryn Brand recaps the return of CanTech the Grand Tour, which made its comeback for a 2024 edition between 26-28 March in Mumbai, India

 

All images: Bell Publishing

 

After a four-year break due to Covid-19 and Metpack’s return, CanTech the Grand Tour had its revival towards the end of March at the ITC Maratha Hotel in Mumbai, India.

The last instalment of the show was also in India, in the country’s capital, New Delhi, and our revisit to the country signified the industry’s ongoing interest in the region’s metal packaging market.

The conference was structured over three days. Day one began on 26 March with registration, tabletop exhibition set up, and presentation rehearsals, before the exhibition hall opened later in the afternoon, followed by the opening reception and dinner. This first day served as an excellent opportunity for exhibitors and attendees alike to arrive, orientate themselves with the hotel, conference and exhibition set up, as well as meet new and familiar faces.

Day two opened on 27 March with our keynote speaker, Sanjay Bhatia, president of the Metal Container Manufacturing Association of India (MCMA), which partnered with CanTech International for the event. Bhatia is also the managing director for Hindustan Tin Works, one of India’s leading three-piece metal can and component manufacturers. Aptly, Bhatia opened the conference with a passionate deep dive into the metal packaging industry in India, and how the growth expectations for India’s economy over the next few decades will fuel the expansion of the industry. He supported this with a video on India’s economic growth ambitions, which he highlighted was shown at the G20 conference in India in 2023.

Bhatia explained that in 2021, India’s GDP was ranked eighth in the world, and is forecast to reach third in the world ranking by 2030, according to PHD Research Bureau compiled from various sources. Meanwhile, the global packaging market size is currently (in 2024) valued at US$1.14 trillion and is forecast to reach $1.38 trillion by 2029.

Against this backdrop, Bhatia went on to note that the Asia-Pacific region is the fastest growing in the packaging market, due to its massive population and growing disposable incomes, however the metal packaging market only holds a ten per cent share in India, as of 2021-2022, according to data from the World Packaging Organization (WPO). Yet it is growing at a CAGR of 6.25 per cent, so it is hoped – Bhatia would say anticipated – that there is strong opportunity in the region for growth in metal packaging, especially with growing awareness against single-use plastic and recyclability.

However, Bhatia said that if the metal packaging market is really able to flourish in India, it must exploit its key attribute: infinite recyclability. Until extensive recycling infrastructure is in place in India, metal packaging, especially aluminium beverage cans, will remain an expensive format.

Prime Controls president, Beth Graves, during her address

The next speaker was Beth Graves, president of Prime Controls, which designs and manufactures inspection equipment for detecting defects in cans and can ends. Graves highlighted the importance of such technology: “Packaging is as important as the product it is designed to contain; if packaging fails, the product fails.” Prime Controls can detect and therefore prevent defects such as double sheets of metal formed in three-piece can plants, pin holes and leaks in two- and three-piece cans and ends, double ends, and missing tabs for easy open ends.

SpecMetrix’s global sales support manager, Vivian Bravo Beck, was unable to attend in person, but presented virtually, with the support of her colleague, Tanvir Patel, business development manager for India. Beck discussed SpecMetrix’s technology to measure coating film weight and process control for metal packaging applications in real-time using non-contact optic tools. The equipment provides continuous data which ensures processes are optimised, with immediate corrections made.

As well as discussing Belvac’s end-to-end can manufacturing machinery, Ahmed Nabil, the company’s senior sales regional manager, continued the discussion on the Indian metal packaging market and the key trends driving its growth. Nabil attributed much of the growth of packaging to increased out-of-home consumption since Covid-19. However, he remarked that glass bottles still dominate in the Indian market. Other challenges include infrastructure and supply chain issues from internal regulations, an underdeveloped retail system, financial and physical barriers between northern and southern states, eroding margins from high tax rates and increasing excise duties, as well as the need for increased recycling infrastructure and consumer awareness around aluminium.

Pieter Mulger, global strategic account manager for X-Rite Pantone, delivered a presentation on consistent, cloud-based colour control from specification through production. Colour plays a vital role in brand recognition, increasing it by 87 per cent and influencing 65 per cent of purchasing decisions, Mulger explained. It also influences a consumer’s trust of the product; if the packaging is inconsistent, then they may be concerned the product inside will be, which is especially critical in food and beverages. This can be avoided by moving away from physi- cal colour standards to digital colour standards, through Achievable Standards with PantoneLIVE. The technology can show what colours are realistically achievable on that specific material. For beverage can production, the database holds colour libraries for both transparent and opaque colours, which are already used by over 50 beverage can production locations. The X-Rite Pantora software can also virtually visualise what a product, such as a beverage can, will look like with different colours and finishes, and under different lightings, minimising the need for physical samples to be shipped around the world.

Day two concluded with further time for the tabletop exhibitions, followed by the CanTech Grand Tour Awards Gala Dinner.

The 2024 Grand Tour conference audience

Day three on 28 March continued the speaker programme. Metal decoration and screen printing on cans was discussed by Jochen Grabert, director of new business development at Isimat, machine manufacturers for printing technology. The company’s T Series serves aluminium tubes and cans, while its I Series covers aluminium bottles, necked cans, and two- or three-piece metal cans and bottles. Isimat also offers UV drying technology, screen-printing, and inline foiling.

After the last instalment of speakers on day three, the Candid Forum took place, hosted by Neil McRitchie, conference director. He was joined by Sanjay Bhatia; Shanker Gopalkrishnan, president of Madras Consultancy Group; and Mohan Kuruvilla, director of sales and marketing at Stolle Machinery Company. The group dissected some of the opportunities and challenges in the Indian metal packaging market, before McRitchie brought the session and the speaker agenda to a close, for a last opportunity for attendees to visit the tabletop exhibitions. Speaking to Prime Controls’ Beth Graves, she commented positively about CanTech the Grand Tour travelling around different locations, as “it brings can makers from that area all to one convention.” Graves also highlighted the networking opportunities the event provided, remarking on the “plethora of opportunities to talk with people.”

Johan Jonkman, sales manager at VMI, agreed with this, noting that “It’s a very convenient way of meeting a lot of people in a short amount of time.” Jonkman also said the event “confirmed that there was such huge potential in India” for the industry.

For the attendees who are not based in India, it seemingly provided an excellent learning opportunity about the regional opportunities. Martha Rojas, global business development executive at Roeslein, explained: “I’ve also learnt a lot about the potential that exists in this country in terms of the packaging industry that I wasn’t aware of,” saying that the event had been “eye-opening.”

Roeslein Shanghai’s director of business development, JC Nakahara, added that “India is a huge market with huge opportunity, and I am happy that the people here are talking about sustainability.” The show made it increasingly clear that conversations around sustainability and growing the metal packaging industry in the region are inextricably linked, with it being the reason metal packaging needs to grow in the country, as well as a selling point of why it should.

Rojas concluded: “I like these tabletop exhibitions because you have a really intimate group of people that get together to network.” She continued, “Shows like this provide more meaningful opportunities and more meaningful contacts.”

While CanTech the Grand Tour is currently a slightly smaller show than Asia CanTech, the quality of people the show drew, and the networking and connections it facilitated, were undeniably valuable to attendees, and it is with this outlook that we anticipate next year’s CanTech the Grand Tour (dates and location to be announced soon).

The CanTech Grand Tour team want to thank everyone who participated in another fantastic event, and we look forward to seeing many of you at Asia CanTech’s 2024 edition in Vietnam, from 21 to 23 October 2024.

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