Business & Money | Friday 21 December, 2018 2:48 am |

Cementing its reputation as the leading fair for industry professionals,Paper Arabia 2018, which was held in Dubai World Trade Centre recently played host to many industry experts and visitors. The world’s leading suppliers displayed products, machinery and equipment at the exhibition and the key participants included companies from Turkey, Taiwan, India, China and Canada.

“Paper Arabia 2018 has been outstanding. The show has been instrumental in not only helping us connect with the industry professionals, but has also served as a strategic platform to boost our sales. We’ve had the opportunity to close four deals and have another two in the pipeline,” said Samir El Hin, President of Global Mechanica – one of the participants at the show.

This year Paper Arabia served as an ideal platform to improve the efficiency and competitiveness of the industry, as well as continue to enhance the operations of the industry to meet growing demands. According to Azmi Nalbantoglu, General Manager of Doruk, the show was a great opportunity to expand their presence from Europe and Turkey to the Middle East. Similarly, Daani Enterprises was pleased to be a part of this show that has grown year-over-year, not just in exhibitor numbers, but also visitors.

“The exhibition has once again delivered key buyers to the suppliers that are looking to increase their business in the region. We are glad that we participated in this show. While we have been able to close deals with customers from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the UAE, we are confident that the leads we have collected will turn into apt opportunities too,” said Abdus Salam Khan, General Manager of Soft Care.

Since the first edition, Paper Arabia has considerably increased in size, bringing new products to the buyers. Paper Arabia this year focused on eco-friendly products and artificial pulp, providing visitors and exhibitors a fresh outlook towards the paper industry.

“As an organisation, we have been committed to include environmental friendly measures for facilitating export of packaging and printing paper across the globe. Paper Arabia was a perfect platform to display our innovative methods as well as connect with potential partners,” said a spokesperson from Kalpataru, another company participating at the exhibition.

Paper Lander Stationery Trading LLC, one of the key exhibitors that presented their latest solutions, reported a successful show. “It was the first time we chose to exhibit at Paper Arabia, and I am confident that going forward we will be regular participants. The show was a brilliant opportunity to connect with the best experts and buyers, as well as learn about the latest industry trends,” said Elena Borlongan, a member of the Sales Team from Paper Lander. 

“I am a regular at Paper Arabia and continue to visit the show to be inspired by new experiences as well as have access to variety of products,” said a visitor to the show.

Developing a focus on latest trends in the industry, this edition of Paper Arabia also featured giants as Basundhara Paper and Dechangyu Paper Machinery who also reported a successful show, with several deals being signed at the show and some in the pipeline.

“We are overwhelmed with the footfall that we’ve witnessed in the past three days. It has been an excellent show, exceeding our expectations,” said Ferhat Kedadouche, Sales Director of Diavalin.

Paper Arabia 2018 is a biennial event that focuses on paper, tissue, corrugated cardboard, packaging materials, recycling, pulp, machineries and related chemicals and finished products. 

“This edition of Paper Arabia has been the best in all these years. We are overwhelmed with the participation as well as the visitor numbers. As an organising committee, we have always been committed to bring the best of the industry to our exhibitors, and we are confident that going forward we will continue the positive momentum,” saidLamyae Zafati, Exhibition Manager, Al Fajer Information and Services, organisers of Paper Arabia 2018.

This year, Paper Arabia not only highlighted the latest trends and developments in the paper industry, but also suggested innovative measures and mechanisms adopted by industry experts to reduce paper waste. Paper recycling market has witnessed significant growth in the last few years due to increasing concern over depleting environmental resources. The demand for recycled paper is increasing at a CAGR of more than 7-8 percent annually across varied countries of the world.