Reston, VA-based PMMI, the Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, announces that more than 30 leading packaging and processing professional associations from around the world will be on hand at PACK EXPO International 2014 (McCormick Place, Chicago; Nov. 2–5) in the Association Pavilion, on the Grand Concourse at the North Hall entrance. PMMI owns and produces PACK EXPO.

PMMI invited the organizations to exhibit as part of the PACK EXPO Partner Program (PEPP), a program that strengthens industry connections.

The co-location of Pharma EXPO strengthens the potential connections even further, notes Jim Pittas, vice president, trade shows, PMMI. “The PACK EXPO tradeshows are about bringing the industry together—the entire packaging and processing supply chain—to spur innovation,” he says. “With 50,000 attendees expected at PACK EXPO International and Pharma EXPO, PACK EXPO Partners will enjoy the opportunity to network with packaging and processing professionals and other like-minded associations.”

Australian Packaging and Processing Machinery Association (APPMA) is in its second year in the program. “APPMA exhibited at PACK EXPO in 2013, and it enabled our association to raise its profile on an international scale and to assist companies that are looking to establish themselves in the Australian market by connecting them to our members,” says chairman Mark Dingley. “The program also enables APPMA to continue our relationship with PMMI as one of our international sister associations.”

PMMI’s mission centers on convening the packaging and processing supply chain, Pittas explains, and PEPP is a component of achieving that mission. “PEPP is a clear example of how the packaging and processing communities come together at the PACK EXPO shows,” he says. “PMMI knows how important our association partnerships are to furthering our industries and our missions. The partnership program opens the door to building and strengthening those partnerships.”

The Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI), another PEPP association, intends to use its time at PACK EXPO to promote its messages about the viability and sustainability of the can, says CMI vice president, sustainability, Megan Daum. “CMI is excited for the opportunity to interact with and learn from other members of the packaging industry, as well as share our recent work and activities,” she says. “We’re proud that the can is the smart and sustainable solution, and look forward to communicating that platform at PACK EXPO.”

The following association also will be on hand:

• Adhesive and Sealants Council (ASC) 
• AIMCAL—Association of International Metallizers, Coaters and Laminators
• AMEC—ENVASGRAF    
• American National Standards Institute (ANSI)
• Asociacion Mexicana de Envase y Embalaje, A.C. (AMEE)
• Australian Packaging and Processing Machinery Association (APPMA)
• Brazilian Packaging Association (ABRE)
• Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI) 
• China Food & Packaging Machinery Industry Association (CFPMA)
• Flexible Packaging Association (FPA)
• Foil & Specialty Effects Association (FSEA)
• Food Marketing Institute (FMI)
• Glass Packaging Institute (GPI)
• Independent Bakers Association (IBA)
• In-Mold Decorating Association (IMDA)
• Instituto Argentino del Envase (IAE)
• Institute of Packaging Professionals (IoPP)
• International Molded Fiber Association (IMFA)
• International Safe Transit Association (ISTA)
• Ipack-Ima
• Italian Trade Commission
• Japan Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Association
• Michigan State University (MSU) Packaging Alumni Association
• Midwest Food Processors Association (MWFPA)
• Northwest Food Processors Association (NWFPA)
• ODVA Inc.
• Organization for Machine Automation and Control (OMAC)
• PAC, Packaging Consortium
• PLCopen
• SPI: The Plastics Industry Trade Association
• Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE)
• TAPPI
• UCIMA—Italian Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Association

To participate in PEPP, contact Alaina Ann Herlihy at alaina@pmmi.org. For more information about PACK EXPO International 2014, visit packexpointernational.com.