As a precursor to the 11th edition of China Print 2025, the organizers hosted the international media week from 24th to 27th February at the Beijing Marriott Hotel Northeast in Beijing. As usual, it was a grand spectacle with over a hundred journalists and representatives from associations from around the world attended for two full days.
The Media Week got held like a conference wherein it briefed on what would be on show and what one gets to see at the upcoming China Print 2055 show. With over 1300 confirmed exhibitors and a floor area of 1,80,000 square meters already booked, the organisers expect it to surpass its previous editions, especially the ones held in the year 2009 and 2017. The last show edition of 2021 saw a slight draw in visitor footfall due to the Corona pandemic. The earlier one in the year 2017 attracted over 200,000 visitors. The show had its debut in 1984 with only about 9000 sqr meters space and grew to a mammoth 160,000 in the last show.
The China Print exhibition, one of the biggest print shows this year, and in its 40th anniversary year, is scheduled from May 15 to 19 at Beijing, China and is being organised by Printing & Printing Equipment Industries Association of China (PIEAC) & China International Exhibition Center Group Ltd (CIEC). The organisers have two shows in China, organised every two years, one in the capital city of Beijing (named China Print) and another in the industrial city of Dongguan in the north of China (nearer to Hong Kong named Print China). Both shows are really amazing spectacles when compared to any show in the entire world – events comparable to even drupa.
As far as Indian printers are concerned, the trade fairs in China makes a lot of sense as they can not only find equipment suiting their budget range but also have solutions comparable with the best in the world. “They have a lot to offer. Indian printers can choose from a lot of options even suiting budget that can’t go for costlier European ones. The Chinese manufacturers today have improved after sales processes backed by staff who can give support 24hrs a day online,” commented a leading printer in New Delhi. We have lately observed Chinese support staff adapting to the needs of the market at a rather surprising speed, especially when it comes to English as their language of communication with the clients. There has been an obvious change in the last decade. No wonder that the trade with China has gone over 100 billion US$ even after ban of WeChat, TikTok and ‘no-visa’ policy towards Chinese engineers or for that matter, support staff into India. “It is rather sad that the Indian government is not issuing visas to Chinese nationals to visit India though there has lately been news about things changing for the better,” commented Jerry Ling, a participant at the International Media Week at Beijing.
Representatives from Heidelberg, Masterwork Group, Koenig & Bauer, Komori, Horizon, Konica Minolta, HXCP, Founder, DINGA, Manroland, RICOH, LANDA & HORDA had brief presentations on their products and briefs about what new they would be showing at the show. PRESSIdeas plans to get the details from individual companies and sharing with their readers shortly.
“We welcome visitors from across the world to visit Beijing and attend China Print 2025 this May and experience what China has to offer to the world at large – not only in terms of technology, but also hospitality,” said Mr.Bin Yang, President of PIEAC. In his closing speech Mr.Yang expressed his thoughts on how well the digital and offset co exists in the printing industry now. “Most of the offset printers nowadays have a digital setup too,” he noted, adding, “Digital technology is indeed transformational and for here to stay. It is but natural for the industry to adapt it and take advantage of it.” He advised the equipment manufacturers to take a deeper look into the needs and requirements of the printers and give them solutions at an affordable cost. “Well, Deepseek has proved to the world that top world class products can be produced in this part of the world at a rather affordable cost,” he concluded. Good quality needn’t necessarily have a high price tag. And, that is something Chinese machine manufacturers in the print industry too have shown to the world. It is quite obvious in India where you would see most of the printing and packaging setups having on their shopfloors one or the other Chinese machine suiting their individual need. Summing it up, you will get all types of manufacturers in China and China Print is one platform to meet the best of them there.
Sharing his observation, Jacob G, MD of PRESSIdeas notes, “Our every visit to China over the last 20 years has been stunning, to say the least. We could see and wonder at the infrastructure development in the country. We can only imagine if the growth is even sustainable, considering the humongous scales of construction going on and adding on there.” We see explosive population shift from villages to the cities like Beijing & Dongguan (and also to Shenzen and many, many more). The educated population feeds the need of workforce required for the manufacturing boom and development. “China is a story of innovative ideas and continuous efforts. Even almost a decade ago during one of our trips to Tianjin (135 kms from Beijing) we took a 30 mins journey by Bullet Train. The troupe of journalists was taken to a newly built industrial area. We were surprised to see a fully-equipped space with not only well laid out roads, glowing street lights and parks with grown trees and green grass all around; but also worker quarters ready for occupation – all in an industrial estate,” says Jacob, adding, “Back in India, we don’t see anything much encouraging though some private developers are taking a cue and gradually trying to do things.”
“Unlike other Asian cities where the authorities think of development only after it’s too late, China plans well in advance and policy makers there act upon to get things up and running before they are actually practically used in real life situations,” asserts Jacob.
