The pharmaceutical machinery and equipment market in China is currently experiencing rapid growth, driven by a thriving domestic pharma industry and a recent commitment to advanced technologies and modernisation. These trends are already being evidenced at P-MEC, where this year there will be 200 new companies making their debut at the exhibition – with over 850 from 20 countries expected in total. In fact, such has been the demand for domestic machinery, that the floor-space has been increased by 12% to over 32,000sqm.

“The growth in the exhibitor and attendee numbers at P-MEC provides a good steer on the industry’s overall health and growth over the next few years”, commented Marie Lagrenee, Brand Manager of CPhI China, UBM. “What is most impressive in China is that we are seeing tremendous increases in new pharmaceutical machinery exhibitors attending, and we believe this is part of a country-wide drive to modernise pharma manufacturing in advance of a new wave of growth.” 

One of the key industry trends highlighted ahead of the event is the advancing intelligence of manufacturing and machinery. The country is currently pursuing a “Made In China 2025” initiative, with billions of dollars being invested to move the pharma industry up the manufacturing value chain. It also indicates the need for GMP facilities and machinery so that the country’s significant export growth can be sustained. To help firms capitalise on this trend, P-MEC will launch the first “Intelligent Plant Zone”, where visitors will be able to explore new developments in automation equipment and information systems.

There are also opportunities and challenges in technology transfer process, risk assessment mode and pharmaceutical production quality that will be addressed at P-MEC. For example, one innovator at the event, Truking Technology, recently built China’s first world class intelligent robot for sterile pharmaceutical production.

Another area impacting pharmaceutical machinery is the implementation of China’s Environmental Protection Tax Law (2018), which is encouraging pharmaceutical manufacturing companies to invest in green solutions for emissions treatment. In response, the 2018 China Pharma Environmental Forum will include an update from the Ministry of Ecology and Environment on the implications for the industry.

“P-MEC is integral to the wider industry’s growth, and we deliberately tailor our programmes to upcoming trends in the market. We are looking to be an active conduit through which the market can capitalise, with the onsite conferences and activities providing cutting edge industry and regulatory insight. For anyone working in China, P-MEC is a must attend to nurture relationships and keep abreast of the changing dynamics”, added Lagrenee.

100+ experts are expected to give insights during the International Summit for Pharma Packaging and Drug Delivery Systems 2018, which has been identified as a hot topic during the event.

Hosted by UBM and UBM Sinoexpo, this event will be the 13th edition of P-MEC China, and it will be co-located with CPhI China, InnoPack, LABWorld, EP & Clean Tech, and P-Logi. P-MEC China will showcase equipment and machinery for pharmaceutical manufacturing and packaging, as well as for laboratories, cleanrooms, and intelligent automated systems.