TEHRAN – The 27th International Exhibition of Printing, Packing, and Related Machinery is going to be held during January 2-5 at the Tehran Permanent International Fairground.

More than 190 domestic companies are going to showcase their latest products and services during the four-day event, Head of Iran’s Association of Manufacturers of Engraving Plates, Lithographs, Stamps, Plaques and Screen Printing, Ahmad Abolhassani told IRIB.

The exhibition covers a variety of areas including printing machines, packaging machines, encoders and devices, export products sealing machines, and etc.

According to the official, this year’s exhibition is going to be open only for businessmen, experts, and scholars due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“The exhibition will be held in complete compliance with health and safety protocols,” Abolhassani stressed.

He further noted that the necessary licenses and approvals have been obtained from the National Headquarters for Coronavirus Control as well as the Trade Promotion Organization (TPO).

Mentioning the country’s potentials and capacities in this industry, the official said: “Iran's printing and packaging industry can play the leading role in the region, but due to the lack of support from the government and executive organizations, unfortunately, Turkey is currently holding the major market for this sector in the region, while our capabilities in this sector are not less than this country.”

The exhibition aims to provide a platform to showcase the latest services and products to support domestic production and transfer knowledge and technology.

Since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, most of the exhibition events in Iran have been canceled or postponed; however, some events have been given green light to be held for a limited audience or through virtual platforms.

Earlier this year, the former managing director of Iran International Exhibitions Company (IIEC) had said that the number of exhibitions in the current Iranian calendar year (started on March 20) declined by 40 percent due to the outbreak of the coronavirus.

“Currently, despite the observance of all health guidelines and the issuance of necessary approvals by the Health Ministry and the Coronavirus Combat and Prevention Headquarters, the number of exhibitions has dropped by up to 40 percent,” Bahman Hosseinzadeh said in early June.

EF/MA