Show Preview: ICE Heats Up

Published: October 01, 2009, By By Claudia Hine, Managing Editor

With 300 exhibitors from 17 countries, ICE Europe 2009 — the 6th International Converting Exhibition — is nearly sold out. The event takes place November 24-26 in the four halls of the M,O,C in Munich, Germany. It will cover a total of 8,000 sq m of space, which is a 30% increase compared to the previous event.

Nicola Hamann, exhibition director, says, “The positive feedback from the exhibiting companies shows that even in times like these, ICE Europe is considered a major event for this industry sector. The dedicated exhibition profile, in combination with the networking character of the show, has proved to be very valuable for participants. ICE Europe is an ideal platform for making rewarding business contacts and exchanging know-how and ideas.”

Machinery and services from all key areas of converting will be showcased, including the following segments:

Coating/Laminating
Surface Treating
Curing/Drying
Slitting/Rewinding
Finishing
Materials
Controls
Testing/Measuring
Toll Coating
Software
Waste Removal

This year, many of the products and services on display focus on solutions designed to optimize productivity and enhance product quality. Many address issues such as energy efficiency, waste prevention, and environmental sustainability.

Technical Conference

As in previous years, a technical conference (in English) will be held during the show. The conference, “Converting Processes for Tailor-Made Packaging,” is organized by the Fraunhofer Inst. for Process Engineering and Packaging. Coating and Quality sessions will be addressed by experts as follows:

Applied Materials GmbH | Production proven technology for cost-effective, robust, and environmentally friendly transparent barriers
Polytype Converting AG | Engineering approaches for optimizing drying processes
Huhtamaki Ronsberg | Barrier laminates for retort applications
FAES AG | Edge trim winders — a challenging success story
X-Rite Europe GmbH | Excellent valued non-contact color measurement for securing your process

Fraunhofer will conduct Science sessions, including the following:

Encapsulation of OLED devices
Multilayer construction for barrier films

Under New Management

Last year, UK-based show organizer Mack Brooks Exhibitions Group acquired the rights to ICE. Increasing international participation is a key focus for the new owners, and now there are companies exhibiting from the growing sectors of Turkey and Poland.

Says Hamann, “ICE Europe is already a very international exhibition; 46 percent of the exhibitors and 38 percent of the visitors at the previous show were from outside Germany. Here we have the opportunity to raise these figures, ensuring we bring the right visitors to Munich.”

A list of exhibitors is available at www.ice-x.com. A visitor brochure in five languages and up-to-date information in additional languages also can be found on the website.

The recently published free Show Guide can be ordered online, where a show planner goes live this month. Information on travel and accommodations also is available on the website.