Six French companies specializing in the printing and packaging industry are taking part in Gulf Print & Pack 2011 that opened in Dubai today (March 14).

The dedicated tradeshow for printing and packaging market in the Mena region will run at the Airport Expo until March 17.

Organised for the first time by Ubifrance, the French agency for international business development, the French Pavilion will showcase packaging machines, printing machines or in machines to produce for instance composite cans, paper cores

The companies will also introduce their technology such as blanket washers, web cleaners, engravers, labels printing and converting, a statement said.

Worldwide, France is the fifth largest exporter of packaging machinery and the third largest importer, it added.

Despite a relatively low weight (1.6 per cent market share in 2009 - 14th provider with a value of $9 million), exports of packaging machinery to the UAE increased 75 per cent between 2008 and 2009.

Exports of French packaging machinery in the Middle East area weighed $8.4 million in Egypt, $6.3 million in Saudi Arabia, $2.1 million in Kuwait and $0.5 million in Lebanon, the report said. – TradeArabia News Service