although smaller than the industries in west and north india, the south india corrugated industry has developed rapidly over recent years. currently, there are approximately 800 manufacturers in the south of the country, of which 400 are small plants, and 150 to 200 are mediumsized factories. small plants usually have 10 to 30 employees with an equipment buying budget of around inr 4,000,000 usd 64,000.  over 20 of the major companies operate in cities like mumbai, chennai and bangalore. the number of paperboard plants is roughly the same as that of box makers. most manufacturers buy chinese machinery due to its affordability. these purchases are predominantly affected through agencies and by attending exhibitions. the india trading market is weak right now because of currency fluctuations, small to mediumsized corrugated board manufacturers are having to overcome a number of challenges, the economy is expected to rebound as the domestic crisis abates. overall, as there is huge demand for corrugated box from a massive end user market emerging in southern india, the market prospects for the next decade seem positive.  many professionals from south indian attended the 42nd fcbm conference. during talks with the reed delegation, they displayed great interest in sinocorrugated and promised to visit china next year. in 2014, sinocorrugated south and sinofoldingcarton will be collocated at the guangdong modern international exhibition center in dongguan from april 10 to april 12. spanning 60,000 sqm, together the two shows will feature over 600 suppliers, 1,300 pieces of corrugated and folding carton equipment and about 1,000 kinds of consumables. over 26,000 visitors will attend the dual events, and more than 50 foreign and domestic industry associations will support the show by sending strong visiting delegations. the event promises to be a major showcase that will drive growth in the global corrugated and packaging industries. for more information, please visit the official sinocorrugated south 2014 website www.sinocorrugated.com.
