In another defining acquisition to strengthen its presence in the country, Messe Frankfurt India Trade Fair Pvt Ltd, the Indian subsidiary of one of the world's leading trade show organisers, Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH, announced that it has acquired the rights of Screen Print India.

Having made its debut in 1994, Screen Print India exhibition is held biennially in Mumbai since its inception and has grown wider in scope covering not just screen printing but textile printing and digital printing. Previously owned and managed by Aditya Expositions Pvt Ltd, the acquisition not only reinforces its position as a formidable player in the print sector but also broadens its scope in the textile technologies portfolio.

In 2014, Messe Frankfurt India acquired the rights of the International exhibition on indoor & outdoor advertising and signage solutions – Media Expo. Over 40 successful editions and record breaking figures year on year have made this the Industry’s most trusted trade platform for the printing, advertising and signage industries. The organiser feels that that this new addition will only reinforce Messe Frankfurt leading position in print industry and provide a wider scope of exploring other related printing segments.

Raj Manek, Executive Director and Board Member of Messe Frankfurt Asia Holding Ltd. said: “As the only dedicated show in this segment, Screen Print India accelerates our strategy to expand and enhance the offerings we provide to our customers and partners in the printing and textile sectors. By allowing both Media Expo and Screen Print India fairs to be independent of each other, we aim to develop the exhibitions in a more targeted and well-defined manner to suit their respective visitor profiles and market demands. Going forward, we also aim to expand the exhibit segments and develop the scale of the platform to that of internationally renowned exhibitions in this space.”

Printing is one of the biggest and fastest growing sectors in India and together with its allied sectors ranks second in the world in growth and supplies. Screen printing industry, in particular, has tremendous potential for expansion and diversification. There is a visible shift in the manual screen printing applications which goes beyond just printing visiting cards, letterheads, invitation etc. Today, screen printing is a technology-oriented process that has applications across commercial, garment, textiles and almost every industrial segment.

As a platform dedicated for the screen printing industry since over two decades, Screen Print India focuses on new innovations and application areas in this technology-driven product segment. The latest edition in Mumbai 2016 featured 100 exhibitors, drawing around 7,000 professional visitors.

Devang Sheth, Managing Director of Aditya Exposition said: "The Screen Print India exhibition made its debut in 1994 and has become bigger in size, wider in scope and greater in significance. It has raised benchmarks for enhancing awareness, high-level networking, knowledge dissemination and industry bonding. Now, it is time to take it to the next level and under the aegis of Messe Frankfurt India Trade Fair Pvt Ltd, ScreenPrint India will realize its true potential and soar to even greater heights."

While the fair will continue to maintain a strong focus on screen printing machines, textile/garment printingmaterials, sublimation printing, digital and conventional printing presses, digital textile printers, wide format digital machinery, consumables & inks among others, the organiser aims to expand the exhibit segments to cover embroidery, garment and apparel printing in the coming years which will supplement its textile technologies portfolio.

The event will be part of the company’s Texpertise Network which is a combination of the world's most important textile trade fair that highlight innovations and show what is driving the global textile industry. Committed to consolidating its Texpertise Network in one of the world’s high-growth textile and apparel markets, Mr Olaf Schmidt, Vice President Textiles & Textile Technologies, Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH said: “Digital printingis becoming more and more relevant for our textile shows over the last years. And the potential of digital printingsolutions for the textile industry is growing a lot. Under the umbrella of our worldwide Texpertise Network, Screen Print India will now make the next big step in its development.”

The next Screen Print India will be held from 20 – 22 April 2018 at the Bombay Convention and Exhibition Centre in India.