to press list

Tecno Fidta 2016 concludes with large attendance and great optimism among exhibitors

13 Dec 2016

The 13th International Food Technology, Additives and Ingredients Trade Fair surpassed in numbers the 2014 edition. A total of 166 national and foreign exhibitors, more than 220 brands and 10,670 visitors from 27 countries met in the sector’s largest gathering

Download press release

During four days devoted to making contacts and doing business, Tecno Fidta was once again the barometer to gauge ongoing trends and peer into the future of one of the industries that adds the most value to Argentina’s production and exports: food processing.

A total of 166 exhibitors (2014: 154) from Argentina, Spain, China, France, Brazil, Germany and the United States showcased their products and services to 10,670 professionals and entrepreneurs (2014: 9,807) from 27 countries from all continents.

After some difficult years for the sector, exports of manufactures of agricultural origin increased by 3.7% during the first half of 2016, representing more than 40% of Argentina’s exports and clearly showing the importance that the industry has for the national economy. The improved business climate was noticeable in the exhibition halls, as well as in a change for the better in the expectations of entrepreneurs.

Opening ceremony

The recent opening of our markets and new investment opportunities all point towards a reintegration with the world, and bring a range of possibilities for the advancement of the industry

Messe Frankfurt Argentina,
Mr. Fernando Gorbarán, President and CEO

At the opening and ribbon cutting ceremonies were present Mr. Néstor Roulet, Secretary of Value Added from the Ministry of Agro-Industry of Argentina; Mr. Johannes Schmid-Wiedersheim, IFFA Director; Mr. Fernando Gorbarán, President and CEO of Messe Frankfurt Argentina; Ms. Nadina Sansolini, Vice President and CFO of Messe Frankfurt Argentina; Mr. Luis Adur, President of the Association of Food Industry Suppliers (ADEPIA); Mercedes Nimo, Undersecretary of Food and Beverage from the Ministry of Agro-Industry of Argentina; and Mr. Jorge Elustondo, Minister of Science and Technology from the province of Buenos Aires.

Mr. Gorbarán thanked the joint efforts of exhibitors, sponsors and industry chambers, and then addressed professionals and entrepreneurs highlighting Argentina's position as a leading food producer and exporter. "The recent opening of our markets and new investment opportunities all point towards a reintegration with the world, and bring a range of possibilities for the advancement of the industry," he said.

Our country has the capacity to produce food and energy; we must become the supermarket that the world wants and needs

Ministry of Agro-Industry of Argentina,
Ing. Néstor Roulet, Secretary of Value Added

On his part, Mr. Adur highlighted the work being done within the industry to enhance the local capabilities and the Argentine market, and thanked the presence of officials from the national and provincial governments at the event.

Mr. Roulet mentioned Argentina’s agro-industrial plan, stressing: "Our country has the capacity to produce food and energy; we must become the supermarket that the world wants and needs."

International Projection

With the goal of fostering international trade and facilitating the entry of SMEs to export markets the Fifth International Matchmaking Program of Food Technology, Additives and Ingredients Buyers was carried out, jointly organized by Messe Frankfurt Argentina, the ProArgentina Program from the Foreign Trade Undersecretariat of the Ministry of Production, and the Exportar Division of the Investment and International Trade Agency of Argentina.

80 meetings were conducted with buyers from Paraguay, Ecuador, Bolivia, Mexico, Costa Rica, Guatemala and Brazil, who were optimistic about the potential of Argentine products in the world market.

Academic Activities

A professional fringe programme was, as usual, one of the pillars of the trade fair.

The Argentine Association of Food Technologists (AATA) held conferences with researchers from the National Council of Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET) and experts from the Professional Council of Agronomic Engineering (CPIA). The topics included regulations to enter new markets, the link between scientific knowledge and the food industry, and public trends in processed food.

There were also lectures by relevant institutions on subjects such as: "Tools for food differentiation" by the Ministry of Agro-Industry; "Quality and traceability" by the National Service of Agro-food Quality and Safety (SENASA); "New strategies and technologies for industry’s communication" by the Association of Agro-food Journalists; "Advances in improving the quality of Argentine beef" by the CONICET and the Institute for the Promotion of Argentine Beef (IPCVA), among other topics.

On their part leading companies in the sector offered conferences and technical demonstrations on current trends such as smart factories and packaging innovations to reduce food waste.

The exhibitors, in their own words

The large amount of public that attended the event this year mirrors the expectations of the industry for 2017. Exhibitors agree that national production has remained constant so far in 2016 and are confident that growth will continue until the end of the year.

This is their evaluation of the trade fair:

This is the seventh time we participate in the exhibition, and as always our expectations were met. Although this is not the best year for the country, the fair really exceeded our expectations. There were many visitors, we’ve already closed some deals and there will be more in the future thanks to this edition, so we will participate in the next.

Industrias Metalúrgicas Damiani y D‘Alleva SRL,
Jorge D‘Alleva, Managing Partner

This is our fourth Tecno Fidta (...) we contacted people in our sector and hope we can participate in future editions because we obtained very good results in this one. We developed new national and international contacts and we have closed some deals that we really did not expect since the country is going through such difficult times. Participating in this edition has been very beneficial for us.

HL Rodríguez SRL,
Sergio Rodríguez, Manager

It's the first time we exhibit at Tecno Fidta. As a company based far from Buenos Aires this is a very important step for us. We are amazed by the amount of visitors we've had, over a hundred people a day (...) with very satisfactory results. We leave very pleased with Tecno Fidta, and thank Messe Frankfurt Argentina and all the people that make it possible for us to be present in this trade fair.

Oscar Dulce SRL,
Oscar Dulce, Owner

We are very satisfied with the visitors’ profile: owners of leading companies have come from our country, Uruguay, Chile and Paraguay. (...) We sold two complete primary packaging lines to a company in the meat burgers sector, and a thermoformed to a major supermarket chain. The truth is that we are very satisfied, we are happy to participate in these events whenever they are organized. We would participate again in two years. Argentina is changing and it shows in the entrepreneurs, who are our customers.

ULMA Argentina,
Diego Fernandez, Commercial Director

We did not expect that this edition would be so busy because this was also the year of IFFA, so a lot of people have already visited Germany and seen all the novelties there. But the enthusiasm in our industry is evident and the main referents were all present here so we are very pleased with Tecno Fidta. [...] This is our sixth participation, we always had a lot of success and this edition also finishes with many sales. We will of course participate in the next.

Fragol Argentina ,
Nicolás Goldfinger, Director

Tecno Fidta 2016 is truly a lot more hectic than the previous edition; you see more machines, equipment and technologies than in previous years. It's a great opportunity to show all of Multivac’s innovations and the brands we represent. This is our small IFFA, (...) it allows us to be in touch with our customers and show them the products we offer and their applications. You have to be in Tecno Fidta, no doubt we will be present at the next edition.

Multivac ,
Ignacio Belloni, General Director

The next Tecno Fidta will take place on September 18 – 21, 2018 at Costa Salguero Center, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Further information: www.tecnofidta.com.
Twitter: @TecnoFidta
Facebook: /TecnoFidta

Event exclusively planned for professionals and businessman of the sector. People under 18 years even attending with an adult or carrying baby strollers will not be admitted.

Background information on Messe Frankfurt
Messe Frankfurt is one of the world’s leading trade fair organisers, generating around €645* million in sales and employing 2,297* people. The Messe Frankfurt Group has a global network of 29 subsidiaries and 57 international Sales Partners, allowing it to serve its customers on location in more than 160 countries. Messe Frankfurt events take place at more than 40 locations around the globe. In 2015, Messe Frankfurt organised a total of 132* trade fairs, of which more than half took place outside Germany.
Comprising an area of 592,127 square metres, Messe Frankfurt’s exhibition grounds are home to ten exhibition halls. The company also operates two congress centres. The historic Festhalle, one of the most popular venues in Germany, plays host to events of all kinds.Messe Frankfurt is publicly owned, with the City of Frankfurt holding 60 percent and the State of Hesse 40 percent.
For more information, please visit our website at: www.messefrankfurt.com
* preliminary numbers (2015)

Background information on Messe Frankfurt Argentina
Messe Frankfurt Argentina is the affiliate of the worldwide trade fair organization leader. The purpose of the fairs is to promote actual business meetings to boost activity in regional markets, in the domestic market and in turn prompt the development of the technological pole in each area. The current portfolio of shows of Messe Frankfurt Argentina includes the following exhibitions: Automechanika Buenos Aires, BIEL Light + Building, Confemaq, Emitex, ExpoCehap, ExpoFerretera, ExpoMant, Intersec Buenos Aires, Seguriexpo Buenos Aires, Simatex, Tecno Fidta. In addition to numerous congresses and special events for third party, such as Argentina Oil & Gas Expo and Feria COAS de las Naciones, among others.
For more information, please visit our website at www.argentina.messefrankfurt.com

Download

Download the press release here (pdf, 249 KB)