The 11th edition of ICE Europe took place from March 12 to 14, 2019 at the Messe München exhibition grounds in Munich. 

At ICE Europe, international exhibitors present their machines, systems, accessories and services for finishing and processing flexible, web-type materials such as paper, film, foil and non-wovens. At numerous booths, all eyes were on the live demonstrations. The visitors are industry experts who are on the lookout for specific production and processing solutions and want to get the latest information on current technology trends.

ICE Europe broke new ground in 2019, with records set in terms of the exhibition area and exhibitor and visitor numbers. A total of 463 exhibitors from 25 countries presented their latest technologies across a net exhibition area measuring 11,500 m2, with 7,150 visitors from 75 countries making the trip to the Bavarian state capital. The continuous growth of ICE Europe confirms its position as the leading technological trade fair in the converting industry.

On Monday, March 11, our 30 m2 booth in Hall 6 was ready and waiting for us. The booth was set up in the same way as the 2017 trade fair and was well prepared by the exhibition staff. Throughout the entire trade fair, we were able to greet our sales partners and customers from abroad here. 

The target groups came from countries far and wide, including Asia, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and, of course, from across Europe. However, we were also able to welcome many customers from Germany at our booth.

For three whole days, our team – including colleagues from MDC Germany – informed visitors about our comprehensive product portfolio for the corrugated board industry and converting industry. This resulted in more than 45 contacts being established, some of whom were existing customers but also many who were absolutely new to us.  

Networking is also very important for us at Daetwyler SwissTec. We want to continue promoting the world-famous Daetwyler name on the market and bringing it to a wider audience at trade fairs. The Daetwyler name is globally renowned in the graphics industry – everybody knows what we do and associates the Daetwyler name with that of an innovative company. 

Kenya is one of the most dynamic countries in Africa with a growing economy and a population of approximately 53 million people. The country located in East Africa shows big potential and interest in investing in high performance, advance technology machinery, consumables & equipment.

Bobst & Partners Roadshow – Together with Bobst, we have participated a conference held on March at a Hotel in Nairobi under the theme “Sustainable and innovation packaging solutions for the future”.

At the occasion of the Roadshow we have welcomed approx. 20 delegates from the Kenyan printing & packaging sector and covered the flexible printing & packaging solutions along with our high-end products, new developments & other complementary products. Experts spoke about machinery, equipment, consumables and trends, which have an ongoing impact on companies.

Representatives from the subsidiaries and the SwissTec sales team were all invited to a winter wonderland setting in Davos, exactly one week before the World Economic Forum was held there.

EXTERNAL GUESTS

Also invited were numerous external guests and partners. In addition to the ink and coating experts from Rotoflex AG, the sales team from Daetwyler Germany was also there. Special guests included members of management boards from across the packaging industry. These included representatives from plastic doctor blade manufacturers, tape manufacturers and producers of gravure cylinders. All the guests brought with them some interesting news and topics from their respective fields.

GLOBAL SWISSTEC SUBSIDIARIES

Among other aspects, this year’s sales meeting focused on the global positioning and future development of the SwissTec subsidiaries. With these subsidiaries, SwissTec has been well represented around the world in the respective markets for years. In order to reinforce and further expand the company presence in international markets, SwissTec aims to ensure that its subsidiaries are spread as far as possible. This will ensure that SwissTec remains a reliable partner for its customers, even in the event of further market globalization.

FUN IN THE SNOW

At the end of this year’s sales meeting, the organizers surprised the guests with a joint trip through Davos in a horse-drawn sleigh. Luckily, the weather on the day was absolutely perfect and the guests loved the wonderful views and the huge amount of snow – particularly those who had never experienced it before for themselves.

Its first two years have been highly successful. The strong technical team around Nathan Clarke and Cameron McIntosh had to be supplemented by Karen Prager, and the administration by Andy Chan, in October 2018 in order to continue to meet the demands of the continually growing Asian packaging industry market. The optimally managed warehouse in Singapore keeps a doctor blade stock for at least three months at hand for our agents. Since proximity to agents is highly valued in Asia, we sell and deliver ex stock Singapore.

Our agents from South Korea, Thailand, Taiwan, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and Bangladesh all followed our invitation to Singapore for a sales partner meeting, where we are able to welcome our partner from Janoschka, Vietnam, as a special guest and speaker. It was interesting and helpful to have the Asian market explained from the customers’ side.

Together with Ralph Daetwyler, our 25 guests celebrated 75 years Daetwyler in Singapore. We love to see how the entire group is growing closer and closer, and trust among its parts is strengthened in personal meetings and interviews. Only together will we be able to reach our goals in Asia and around the world.

The fair took place in Greater Noida, about 30 miles away from Delhi, from November 22nd to 25th. The label printing industry in India is very well organized and interest in Labelexpo is high every time. The importance of this trade fair is reflected in the fact that all our direct competitors in India are represented there on their own stands. In particular the two main days Friday and Saturday brought a great many visitors to the fair.

Daetwyler SwissTec India’s entire sales team was present on those two days. Many existing customers, but also new potential ones, visited our stand. We took the opportunity to develop our contacts with the machine manufacturers.

We were also able to use the trade fair for exchange of experience and knowledge among each other. The fair was a success for us, and we will surely return with our own stand again in two years.

Daetwyler SwissTec India has been producing uncoated lamella doctor blades at its own site in Pune since the end of 2008. Production here mostly takes place for the Indian market, but also for some export countries.

The festivities were finally ready to start on November 28th. All employees of Daetwyler SwissTec India and Daetwyler Graphics India and their families were invited. From Switzerland, Ralph Daetwyler as Group CEO and Markus Resing from SwissTec sales attended.

The celebrations started out at the company site in Pune in the morning with a welcome snack and a little drink together. The entire sales team and the office staff were able to talk to Ralph Daetwyler in person at this occasion. Some small games and competitions had been prepared for all the guests, which contributed to a good mood. The morning, and with it the first part of the celebration, ended with a shared lunch in a nearby restaurant.

All guests were invited to the second part of the anniversary celebration in the evening. The company’s closest friends and local partners attended as well. They met in a beautifully decorated hall in a small park.

The official part included reminiscence on the company’s founding days in India and presented an interesting review of the exciting development of the last 10 years. The employees, some of whom have been loyal to the company for many years, were given a special mention.

Afterwards, all guests were able to enjoy the delicious Indian buffet and dance to the music to their hearts’ delight.

Special thanks for the beautiful celebration and the successful 10 years in India mostly goes to Mr. Sudhir Dhotey and his wife Sangita. Mr. Suhir Dhotey is the Operative Director of Daetwyler SwissTec India and has been responsible for its successful development since its founding. 

Its international alignment means that potential purchasers from abroad flock to it along with the local industry. The greatest interest in it centers on Asia and India, but a lot of attention also comes from the Middle East. International companies mostly target potential Chinese purchasers while the Chinese exhibitors cater to the international audience.

To us u, the trade fair is an important opportunity to present our products to a broad audience, but also to establish fresh contacts and to maintain and further develop existing ones.

Just like last time, we shared our stand with the German company D. W. Renzmann Apparatebau. Requesting a larger stand for it and our good relationship with the trade fair organizer enabled us to get a very good location in the hall. D. W. Renzmann produces cleaning facilities for the printing and paint industry, and is represented by our partner GRV in China as well.

In addition to GRV, which is our main partner in China, another three companies that sell our products in China visited our stand. One was Ink-Color, headquartered in Australia and producing printing inks for the local market in China. Ink-Color sells its products in China through its own sales network that also distributes our MDC doctor blades. Meiyin-Roller was also a guest at our stand. This company belongs to our sales network in China and presented its latest products for label printing at the fair.

Zecher, an official partner of Daetwyler Shanghai since early 2018, joined us at our stand. Zecher is a renowned anilox roll manufacturer from Germany and strives to develop its presence on the Chinese market with our help.

Daetwyler Shanghai was on site with the entire sales and support team during the five trade fair days. We were able to welcome many domestic visitors, but also a great number of foreign ones at our stand.

Of course, we used the opportunity to meet up with our entire team for dinner after the end of the trade fair, and to talk to our sales partners in a larger round. The city of Shanghai offers the most beautiful options for this. It is quite interesting and always worth a visit, even for Chinese who are not from Shanghai or its vicinity.

Everyone was participating, Mexico, Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, Brazil, Ecuador, Chile and Switzerland. This shows the big interest of our sales partner and the importance of such meetings. Frequent personal meetings and the mutual understanding of the individual markets helps the Daetwyler family to grow close.

Daetwyler SwissTec took the opportunity to introduce the newest products. The challenge now lies in conquering the market in South America with our innovations. In this area, our Standard, Longlife and Soft blades are well established and usually available from stock. Due to the long transport time and often restrictive import conditions, it is hard to deliver our new products in within an acceptable time-frame.

A very positive feedback was received for our End seals. The first tests with very promising results are currently running in Argentina, already followed by orders.

From our point of view, the meeting was a big success. All partners left with positive impressions, additional Doctor blades knowledge and a belly filled with Peruvian cuisine delights.

We thank Quimica Anders, Peru for the excellent organization of the meeting.

f.l.t.r: Peter Anders (PE), Thomas Rother (CH), Hugo Baldock (AR), José Cipaski (AR), Martin Raab (BR), Jürg Enggist (CH), Hans Gerhard Solterbeck (MX), Carlos Soto (BO), Hector Buenavista (MX), Ruben Zamora (CL), Horst Eichhorn (PE), Olaf Segbert (CH), Marie Cabarrus (PE), Francesco Galese (PE), Alexander Piedra (EC)