As elsewhere in the world, countries in Southeast Asia have been facing severe challenges due to the ongoing pandemic and lockdowns imposed by their respective governments.
A temporary ‘half-lockdown’ is still underway in Indonesia, according to Henky Wibawa, executive director at the Indonesian Packaging Federation. ‘The necessary FMCG retail business is still moving, though certain product sectors are really down,’ he says. ‘For instance, the ready-to-drink beverages sector is definitely declining tremendously, and this has negatively affected the use of labels for bottles. All in all, the label market is suffering a great deal here.’
Jason Lim, sales manager at Truf, a Malaysia-based equipment manufacturer, says: ‘The pandemic hit us badly because we could not travel overseas for machine sales and marketing activities. It also led to cancellation of local as well as international exhibitions in Thailand and Vietnam where we planned to exhibit. Further, training new