December 15, 2018
Gulfood Manufacturing is the Middle East’s largest exhibition of food processing and packaging equipment.
Held annually in Dubai, Gulfood Manufacturing brings together machinery manufacturers from around the world, primarily Europe, Asia and the Americas. The enormous Middle Eastern market needs advanced automated machinery for the cereals, pulses, dusty products, snacks and confectionery produced in the region.
Several developments encouraged us to participate. In 2018, NOTIS manufactured and successfully commissioned a horizontal flow wrapping machine for biscuits for a company in Dubai. We therefore began actively preparing for an international exhibition and put two popular budget-friendly machines into production for the show: the MDU-NOTIS-04M weighing and packaging machine and the MGU-NOTIS-NK inclined packaging machine.
Expectations
Alongside the world’s leading manufacturers, we expected only limited interest in our machines. Far beyond Russia, NOTIS equipment was mostly operated by former compatriots living in Germany, Poland, Australia, Canada, Israel and other countries. Nevertheless, we had also supplied companies whose employees had no connection to Russia or the Soviet Union and had found us online. Shortly before the exhibition, for example, we manufactured and shipped a filling machine to France. In addition to limited awareness of Russian manufacturers, overseas customers were concerned about service support, particularly spare-parts availability and, above all, the language barrier. We therefore brought machines that were easy to operate and install.
At the same time, it was clear that our company needed to enter the broader international market and compete in more distant countries in order to grow. Participation in Gulfood Manufacturing was an important step in that direction.
We also saw great value in learning how international customers work, understanding their requirements and hearing their opinions of our exhibits. We hoped to see the work and achievements of our European, Japanese and American colleagues firsthand. With these expectations, we arrived in Dubai, a city of innovation and skyscrapers.
The NOTIS Stand
Our stand made a strong impression thanks to its attractive design and two appealing machines running live. The MDU-04M, and especially its packaging section, looked like a polished, integrated product. The NOTIS linear weigher also incorporates distinctive advantages: its closed-loop weighing algorithms adapt empirically to the characteristics of the product. Many visitors noted the machines’ compact dimensions and affordable price.
One remarkable aspect of Gulfood Manufacturing was that virtually every visitor was friendly and willing to recognize the strengths of our machines. Most were entrepreneurs or representatives of small and medium-sized businesses. Emiratis, Saudis, Indians, Pakistanis, Iranians, Egyptians, Africans and Afghans smiled as they remarked that Russia apparently produced industrial equipment as well as weapons. In business discussions, local representatives were generally much like visitors to exhibitions in Moscow: they had the same working terms, requests, requirements and questions about equipment. The differences were mainly national dress and certain regional customs, such as presenting a business card with both hands. With rare exceptions, everyone at the exhibition spoke English. Businesses in the Middle East are accustomed to working with international suppliers in a common business language.
Results
The three days of the exhibition exceeded our expectations. NOTIS equipment attracted strong interest and attention. We held more than one hundred discussions and received over 50 completed questionnaires requesting commercial proposals for various types of equipment. Visitors were primarily interested in the exhibits, along with weighing and packaging machines for dusty and free-flowing products, weigh fillers for bags, and horizontal flow wrapping machines. Local businesses were seeking solutions for packaging free-flowing and dusty spices, sugar, cereals, pulses, sunflower seeds, nuts, dried fruit, milk powder, confectionery, biscuits and ice.
Gulfood Manufacturing demonstrated that NOTIS has every opportunity to succeed in the Middle Eastern market. Visitors were attracted by:
- the robust, integrated appearance of NOTIS equipment and the features and benefits highlighted in our brochures,
- live demonstrations of the machines operating with local products,
- competitive pricing, particularly for budget-friendly machines.
It is important for us to address concerns about machine service:
- rapid shipment of spare parts,
- English-language support available around the clock,
- remote online service, including software updates and settings adjustments.
With these capabilities, Notis can achieve success not only in the Gulf countries but as a global brand.
Dmitry Plekhov, Head of Marketing.