More than 8,000 companies from across the globe are expected to take part in this year’s 'Paper Arabia' expo, which opens tomorrow (September 21) in Dubai.

Paper Arabia attracts key players in paper and tissues production, in addition to manufacturers of paper remittances from the Middle East and the world. The exhibition also provides an opportunity for major machinery manufacturing firms and other service providers to showcase their latest innovations.

The show has attracted participation from the UAE, China, Czech Republic, Egypt, Libya, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Malaysia, Norway, Pakistan, Taiwan, Netherlands, UK and the US.

This year's Paper Arabia 2014 event will be 25 per cent bigger than the previous edition, said its organisers Al Fajer Information and Services.

Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, Lamyae Zafati, the exhibition manager, Al Fajer Information and Services said: “We are fully geared to inaugurate the largest Paper Arabia to date. The show is 25 per cent bigger than previous edition, which demonstrates robustness of the paper industry in the UAE and regionally, in products as well as machinery.”

"Corrugated and carton industries have been added to the line-up in this edition. Leading companies specialised in this field will be present at the show," she added.

Zafati said paper consumers in the world were looking at Dubai as an alternative hub for Europe due to its cost effectiveness and speed of delivery, making it a strong candidate for acquiring lead position in this industry.

According to her, China and Indonesia accounted for over a quarter of the paper brought into the UAE.

These two countries export more paper to the UAE ($1.04 billion) than Germany, US, Italy, Sweden and UK put together ($974 million), she stated citing statistics released by Dubai Customs as well as UN Comtrade studies.

"The paper industry market is growing tremendously, year on year, and new products are being launched on a regular basis," she noted.

"New companies are launching business in this field. Soft packaging is seeing high demand. Corrugated paper is being used for new patterns. Tissue paper is being recycled. Green campaigns are running in most of the countries. We anticipate huge success for Paper Arabia," she added.-TradeArabia News Service