Food Taipei 2008 is 3-in-1 Food, Machinery and Packaging Technologies Fair

The 2008 Taipei International Food Show, organized by the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), wound up June 21 at the Taipei World Trade Center Nangang Exhibition Hall. This 18-year-old event, also known as Food Taipei 2008, was simultaneously held with FoodTech Taipei and Taipei Pack events at the same venue. The four-day-long food show upped its position in the food industry production chain and provided international visitors with a one-stop shop.

Food Taipei 2008 became the biggest food industry event in Asia. A total of 768 companies from 27 nations hosted 1,609 booths, registering an impressive 25% of growth in the number of exhibitors. Among the participating nations are the United States, Japan, South Korea, Canada, Sri Lanka, Fiji, Poland, the Philippines, Chile, Malaysia, Spain, and six African countries.

Latin American countries, including Panama, Guatemala and Nicaragua, also jointly set up an FTA Pavilion showcasing local specialties such as coffee, seafood, juices and meat products.

Many of Taiwan's leading food companies also turned out for the show. Wei Lih Food Industrial Co., Haw-Di-I Foods Company Ltd., Kuo Yuan Ye Food's Co., Long-Kow Foods Enterprise, Wuan Chuang Food Industry Co., Ltd., Taiwan Salt Industrial Corporation and Taiwan Sugar Corporation were all out in force.

A wide range of seminars and activities were held to provide businesses and buyers with the most updated market information on the food industry. Topics included Strategies for Successful Marketing of Branded Fruits, International Food Safety and Market Trend Seminar, Japan-Taiwan Agriculture Machinery Trade Meeting, and 2008 Expatriation & Promotion for Taiwan Functional Foods, plus a Halal workshop and the signing ceremony for the Biotech Food Separation R&D Association.

This year, TAITRA invited well-known international buyers to the trade talks, including KG from Germany, Peugeot from France, Okuma and Moriyama Co. from Japan, and Sinar Supermarket of Indonesia.

According to statistics compiled by the show organizer, the Food Taipei 2008 attracted 42,000 domestic showgoers and 3,885 overseas visitors, up 29.8% from the year before. On-site orders at the show amounted to US$2.5 million and follow-up orders are expected to reach US$7 million in a year.

United Arab Emirates-based Tiger Pack, a food packaging machinery agent, began purchasing machines made in Taiwan over the past several years. Tiger Pack's general manager Mahmoud Ibrahim visited the show this year to better understand the local packaging industry.

Ibrahim said that rapid industrial development in the Middle East has in recent years fueled growth of the food industry. Ibrahim also praised Taiwan's food packaging machinery industry for its tailored functionality, high quality and competitive pricing.

Ibrahim was impressed by the internal structures and design features of Taiwan-made machinery, noting that a minor design adjustment can make a big difference in the operation and production cost. He also praised Taiwan for making eco-friendly food packaging machinery.

Ibrahim said that Taiwan's food machinery industry is earning the recognition of foreign buyers, and that it will take some time for emerging markets to catch up with the quality and excellence of Taiwan products. "I believe United Arab Emirates will establish closer ties with Taiwan's suppliers in the future," he said.

Biotech Food Separation R&D Group

On the opening day of the exhibition, nine industrial, academic, and research institutions signed a letter of intent (LOI) to form the Biotech Food Separation Research and Development Association. The group hopes to raise the value of Taiwan-made food-products.

Signatories of the LOI included the Food Industry Research and Development Institute, the Aeronautical Research Laboratory of Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology under the Armament Bureau of Ministry of National Defense, the Medical and Pharmaceutical Industry Technology and Development Center, Yenchen Machinery Co., Feng Tai Machinery Co., Koda Science Co., the National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Chang Gung University, and Yuanpei University.

A primary objective of the cross-industrial collaboration is to build value in the traditional food industry and promote policies that encourage development of health food and biotech food. The association also hopes to help the traditional machinery industry tap new R&D resources from food and medicine research organizations, national defense technology R&D institutes and academic institutions.

The joint effort was made possible by the Department of Industrial Technology, Ministry of Economic Affairs under the "Traditional Industry Restoration Technology Development Program." The purpose of the program is to provide the technology and R&D capabilities of the Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology to support the development of cutting-edge solutions in the domestic textile, special metal, chemical engineering, automobile spare parts, food machinery, rubber, optical components, and ship building industries.

With the creation of the R&D organization, Taiwan's food machinery manufactures such as Yenchen Machinery will be better positioned to make compound food separators, which at this stage are mostly imported at a steep price. Locally made separators will present a better and less expensive option for manufacturers in the food separation process, which extracts nutrients from food products. The solution is vitally needed as Taiwan seeks to become a leader in health food.

Eco-friendly Boilers

One of the well-renowned overseas exhibitors at the show was Japan's Miura Group, which showcased a wide range of highly energy efficient boilers and gas flow systems.

"With the soaring price of crude oil, more and more clients are paying attention to the energy efficiency feature of machinery, such as boilers," said Junichi Mimoto, president of Miura Boiler Co. Taipei Branch. Miura boilers, he said, can reduce energy consumption by up to 30%.

The history of Miura can be traced back in 1959 in Japan, with the development of the landmark Z Boiler. Since that time, the Japanese company has aimed to become a technological leader in heat, water and environmental solutions, Mimoto said.

Today, the Miura Group sells its products throughout Asia and North America. At Food Taipei 2008, the company showcased its SIZ boiler, which can be operated in a space 40% smaller than other similar units. Miura has achieved the space savings by installing the control box and the valves at the front side.

Also, the new boiler operates with low pollution (NOx) and low noise levels. This has been a key selling point with other Miura products in global markets.

Mimoto explained that Korea is currently one of leading markets for Miura, closely followed by the United States and Taiwan. He added that the Miura Group has set up an online maintenance network for its products, which allows the company to remotely monitor machinery and offer proactive maintenance solutions to its clients worldwide. In Japan, Miura has already connected up to 30,000 machines to the network, including for machines in Taiwan.

Beverage Packing Machines

Filling Machine Co. showcased its latest multifunctional beverage packing machine--an automatic bottle rinser-filler capper--at Food Taipei 2008. Founded in 1990, Filling is one of Taiwan's leading manufacturers of beverage packing machines. The company also offers whole-plant equipment in this line.

Through its own R&D team and alliances with technical partners Shintaku Kogyo Co. of Japan and Krones of Germany, Filling has constantly improved its product range, design and quality.

Filling currently exports its machines under the 'Chieh Song' brand, distinguished by a 'CS' encircled by a gear. The company says ease of operation, repair and maintenance are focal points in its product development strategy.

Over 80 of Filling's clients were also at Food Taipei this year, including Hey Song Beverage, Taiwan Fortune Brewery International, Taiwan Young Wel Food Co., Koyo USA, Japan UNI Beverage, Namah Water Factory of Saudi Arabia, Sapuwa Beverage of Vietnam, New Technology Bottle Company of Kuwait, Liaoning Longxing Life Water of mainland China, and Thep Padung Porn Coconut of Thailand.

Major export markets for the company include mainland China and Southeast Asia. The company has opened a branch in Shanghai and plans to soon open branches in southeast and northeast China to better serve its growing customer bases there.

The company offers whole-plant equipment series for mineral-water production, heat-filling beverage and tea production, dairy and dairy-type products such as milk and soymilk, chilled fruit and vegetable juices, and wines and health beverages. The company can also supply food-processing models.

Among the individual units in the company's whole-plant systems are an automatic bottle rinser-filler capper, clip-on and twist-closure type capper, automatic unscrambler, automatic empty bottle loader, automatic pasteurize coolers, automatic shrinkable label inserting machine, automatic wrap around caser, and automatic palletizer.

More recently, the company just completed a line of a three-in-one suspension-type machines that handle bottle washing, beverage filling and cap sealing. The company claims that the new machine can help customers reduce production loss, elevate production capacity, and boost profits.

Custom-made Machines for Ethnic Food

Anko Food Machine Co. presented a full range of its top custom-built food processing machinery at the FoodTech 2008, one of the most important fairs for food machinery and technology worldwide.

The company has been designing high-tech processing machinery since the 1970s for making Vietnamese spring roll, Chinese dumping and meat bun, Italian ravioli, Indian Samosa and Gugia, Spanish Empanada and other kinds of ethnic food.

"Up to 90% of our customers are foreigners," said Robert Ouyoung, Anko's chairman, who says his company is the only one in Taiwan that makes custom-built machines for ethnic food.

"Some 85% of Chinese dumplings made in Taiwan are processed with our machinery," he added. For instance, the "multipurpose filling and forming machine" has a production capacity of up to 15,000 dumplings per hour, he continued.

Also, the "automatic single line jumbo shumai machine" is designed to swiftly insert well-kneaded dough and stuffing into the machine. It has a production capacity of up to 3,000 pieces per hour.

Ouyoung stressed that all of his company's machines are easy to assemble, clean and maintain. All parts that come into contact with food are made of food standard stainless steel and plastic.

Green Products

Nan Ya Plastics Corporation, a subsidiary of the Taipei-based Formosa Plastics Group, showcased several environment-friendly products at Taipei Pack this year, including plastic pallets and PEPA-a kind of synthetic paper.

This year, Nan Ya Plastics has developed plastic pallets to replace traditional wooden pallets in a bid to reduce deforestation and deal with the problem of broken wooden pallet scraps, nails and waste.

"These materials are 100% recyclable and approved by the Cabinet-level Environmental Protection Administration," Nan Ya's senior administrator Jeter Chen said.

Nan Ya's pallets are made of high-density polypropylene, a durable material with excellent rigidity strength and low temperature resistance, Chen said, adding that its particular design can ensure a long lifecycle and reduce disposal cost.

PEPA is a trade name for a patented synthetic paper developed by Nan Ya. The paper is waterproof, foldable, and non-tearable. Its durability and excellent printability can makes it suitable for printing posters, shopping bags, and packing paper.

"Most importantly, it can significantly replace natural wood pulp paper use," Chen said.

Other products displayed by Nan Ya at the show included non-oriented casting polypropylene film, biaxially oriented polypropylene film, and food and industrial wrap film.

Thermoforming Overwrapping Machines

Chie Mei Enterprises Co., a leader packing machinery manufacturer in Taiwan, displayed its latest models of machinery for prospective foreign buyers at the show.

Established in 1971, Chie Mei supplies ISO9001:2000 certified machinery, guaranteeing high quality, speed, and efficiency. This year, Chie Mei's main products display were thermoforming, overwrapping, packaging and vacuum forming machines.

Chie Mei's thermoforming machines feature integral operations, quick changeover of molds, and machine-controlled program logic controller operation display. They are suitable for vacuum packing fish, meat, computer parts, and medical articles.

"All of our thermoforming machines can be customized," Chie Mei's sales manager Amy Wang said, adding that all the machines are protected against decay, moisture and dust.

Chie Mei also exhibited its latest machine for the outer overwrapping of diskettes, CD/DVD, cassette tape case, and other boxes, delivering easy operation and fast adjustment for different product sizes.

In addition, a range of packaging machines were on display for local and foreign clients to purchase, including vacuum packaging machines featuring automatic double sealing and L-type sealing.

"Our product line is designed to save manpower and increase productivity," Wang said. Chie Mei has won awards from the Ministry of Economic Affairs for excellence in developing packaging machines.

Tipping Machines

Cheng Lu Machinery Works Co., a leading tipping machinery manufacturer in Taiwan, showcased a new machine that automatically makes portable ropes at Taipei Pack.

The company's CL-201 model machine is specifically designed to produce a wide range of shoelaces, elastic ornaments and ropes in a computerized tipping system. The machine handles feeding, stopping, tipping, cutting, and counting procedures, significantly reducing labor costs and increasing productivity with an all-in-one solution.

"We can customize the ropes in different lengths, sizes and colors, based on the needs of our clients," Cheng Lu's manager Chen Wen-chi said.

Chen also demonstrated a plastic hook machine and explained some of its features. He noted that the company's products are user-friendly and do not require the use of rivets or manual labor.

Established in 1969, Cheng Lu has been committed to the development of all kinds of tipping machines, including fully automatic, semi-automatic, and manual shoelace tipping machines, winding machines automatic shoelace waxing machines, and automatic cord knitting machines. The company's machines are patented in several nations, Chen noted.

The next Food Taipei show will be held June 23 through 26 at the Taipei World Trade Center Nangang Exhibition Hall.