Auspack is over for another two years

I spent four days at the show and for me it wasn't long enough. The exhibition exemplified the robust state of food manufacture and processing in Australia - as it should as food is the largest manufacturing sector in the country.

Awards were deservedly handed out to several companies. Fibre King received two, one was for a very impressive installation in, of all non-local places, Iceland. FlexLink received an award for the most innovative imported equipment and FoodMach's RoboMatrix was also hailed. Matthews' Fibre-YAG laser was also recognised.

However, there were lots more worthy of awards.

On the LeMac stand there was ProMax - a two-piece, totally plastic, ring-pull can which we were allowed to look at but not touch!

On a stand shared with Korean company KSP, small South Australian company BOI Food Tech and Packaging had an extremely neat heat-generating kit that drew crowds throughout the show.

A new player in the manufacturing sector was Pack'nPipe. The last-minute participant in the exhibition was displaying some world-first equipment that has been designed and built in Brisbane. The hygienic packaging system will interest everyone delivering product to the burgeoning commercial food sector.

During AUSPACK, tna had its 25th birthday party. The back to 1982 party was a huge success and everyone was trying to be very quiet the next day as they showed tna's creative new flavour dispensing unit. The company has just made its largest ever sale - 52 Robags to a company in El Salvador! This added extra excitement to the birthday party and if the tna people had sore heads the next day they would have to pale into insignificance compared to those of the El Salvadorans!

The Australian Institute of Packaging ran its annual conference alongside AUSPACK. The had a great range of national and international speakers and I wish I had had time to attend more sessions as every session I attended was worthwhile.

What's New in Food Technology & Manufacturing had a stand and our biggest ever magazine was very well received, with praise for its content as well as its latest design. If you do not receive the magazine every two months it is possible that you are not currently registered as a reader - you can register online at http://www.westwick-farrow.com.au/mags/subscribe.asp?origin=food. The magazine is free.

AUSPACK is organised the Australian Packaging Machinery Association, a not-for-profit association whose aim is to "provide you with quick and easy access to a wide range of packaging and processing machinery either produced by Australian manufacturers or imported from the world's leading packaging and processing machinery companies". I have to say congratulations - AUSPACK 2007 achieved this.