Empowering Manufacturing with Intelligence, Embracing a Flexible Printing Future – Insights from the Qingdao Asia-Pacific Gravure Exhibition on the Wave of Intelligent and Flexible Printing & Packaging Equipment

From July 8 to 11, 2026, the 2026 Asia Pacific International Gravure Industry Exhibition (Asia Pacific Gravure Exhibition) was grandly held at the Qingdao International Expo Centre. Held concurrently with the 2026 Asia Pacific International Corrugated & Carton Packaging Technology Exhibition, the 2026 Asia Pacific International Label Printing Technology Exhibition, and the 2026 Asia Pacific Packaging Products & Design Exhibition, the four major printing and packaging shows – gravure, carton, corrugated, and label – were colocated under one roof. The 120,000 m² megavenue brought together over 1,600 leading domestic and international manufacturers, with exhibits covering the entire industrial chain – from gravure printing and packaging equipment, complete corrugated board production lines, carton forming and finishing, to flexible label printing. More than 20 cutting edge technical forums were held concurrently, alongside industry major events including the inaugural Die Cutting Machine Operator Skills Competition and the Asia Pacific Packaging Design Innovation Awards. Strategically positioned in Qingdao, the exhibition radiates across the Bohai Rim Economic Belt and overseas markets, precisely matching the procurement needs of diverse industries such as food, beverages, ecommerce, daily chemicals, and pharmaceuticals.

Weihai and Qingdao both belong to the Jiaodong Economic Circle, sharing close geographical proximity and interconnected industrial chains. The technological trends and market signals reflected in this industry event held on our doorstep hold direct reference value for Weihai Printing Machinery Co., Ltd. As a representative enterprise in printing machinery manufacturing on the Jiaodong Peninsula, Weihai Printing Machinery is actively embracing this industrial transformation driven by intelligence and flexibility, drawing on over seven decades of technical heritage.

I. Flexibility: Small-Batch, Rapid-Delivery Becomes the New Norm

Another major highlight of the exhibition was its strong focus on "flexibility." Guided by the principle that "orders are everything," the show featured a dedicated zone for small-batch flexible customisation to meet short-run, fast-turnaround demands. Concurrent forums addressed topics such as "Where Do Short-Run Orders Come From and Where Are They Headed? – Understanding the Market Logic of Small-Batch Packaging," "Full-Chain Loss Decomposition," and "A Three-Step Path to Profitable Short-Run Orders: Digital Order Intake + Pre-press Automation + Intelligent Production."

This signals that the production model of the printing and packaging industry is shifting from "high-volume, long-lead-time" to "small-batch, rapid-delivery." The growing market demand for personalisation and short-run, quick-response orders is compelling equipment manufacturers to provide more flexible production solutions. Traditional printing and packaging enterprises face an urgent need to transition from "extensive production" to "lean intelligent manufacturing."

II. Weihai Printing Machinery: Leveraging Offset Press Advantages to Enter the Intelligent Packaging Printing Wave

In this industrial transformation towards intelligence and flexibility, Weihai Printing Machinery Co., Ltd. possesses unique competitive advantages built upon over seventy years of technical accumulation.

Since its founding in 1954, the company has consistently focused on the R&D and production of high-tech printing and packaging machinery integrating optics, mechanics, electronics, and instrumentation. It has developed a broad, diversified product portfolio dominated by multi-function offset presses, digital printing presses, computerised form printing presses, and digital printers, now offering 10 series and over 30 specifications.

The company's flagship WIN series four-colour offset presses feature high registration accuracy and fast printing speeds, and have received multiple industry awards in China. Among them, the WIN564 four-colour press has been honoured with the title "China Machinery Industry Quality Brand" – the only sheet-fed offset press in China to receive this distinction. This model achieves a maximum printing speed of 12,000 sheets per hour, completing four-colour printing in a single pass. It is primarily suited for high-end colour printing applications including packaging decoration, labels, fine magazines, and catalogues. In the packaging printing sector, the WIN564 is especially well suited for commercial printing and small-format packaging jobs.

III. Outlook: Synergistic Opportunities for the Jiaodong Peninsula Printing & Packaging Industry

The successful hosting of the Qingdao Asia-Pacific Gravure Exhibition once again confirms the strategic position of the Jiaodong Peninsula as a highland for China's northern printing and packaging industry. The exhibition, rooted in the Bohai Rim economic zone and extending its reach across the Asia-Pacific region, provided a comprehensive showcase of machinery, equipment, materials, consumables, and services for the printing and packaging industry. At the exhibition, the General Manager of Qingdao Zhengsheng Printing Materials Co., Ltd. remarked: "We brought international and domestic first-class brand equipment to the show. The results have been very rewarding, and we are full of confidence."

For Weihai Printing Machinery, the intelligent and flexible trends reflected at the Qingdao exhibition represent both an industry direction and a market opportunity. The company will continue to uphold its business philosophy of "Customer Satisfaction – Our Pursuit," driven by technological innovation and underpinned by its new R&D and manufacturing base. It will steadily enhance product intelligence, delivering more efficient, more flexible, and greener printing solutions to customers in the packaging printing industry, and writing a new chapter in its own development amid the collaborative growth of the Jiaodong Peninsula's printing and packaging industrial cluster.

WEIHAI PRINTING MACHINERY CO., LTD.

Address: No. 810 Haifeng Road, Yangting, Huancui District, Weihai, Shandong, China

Tel: +86-18561290876

Email: service@weihaiprinter.com