In the run-up to drupa 2024 – the number one trade fair for printing technologies scheduled from 28 May to 7 June, 2024, in Düsseldorf, Germany – the drupa world tour kicked off this autumn with presentations in the Philippines and China, reaching its first high point at the Print Promotion Industry Summits (PPIS) in Asia and Latin America.
Hosted by Messe Düsseldorf in cooperation with the Printing and Paper Technology Association of the German industrial organisation VDMA and some of the world’s leading exhibitors at drupa, the motto of drupa PPIS is ‘Enabling the Digital and Sustainable Transformation’. Expert speakers from leading global companies including Heidelberg Druckmaschinen, IST METZ, KAMA, Koenig & Bauer, LEONHARD KURZ, Müller Martini, POLAR Cutting Technologies, and Windmöller & Hölscher Group provided fascinating insights into the industry and initiated a valuable exchange of knowledge on both continents.
In Asia, one of the world’s fastest-growing markets, and Latin America, where the level of investment is currently higher than in Europe, interest in drupa 2024’s PPIS was enormous in preparation for visiting the drupa trade fair in the coming year. An average of 200 interested industry representatives attended each individual event in Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Mexico, Colombia, and Brazil.
Sabine Geldermann, Director drupa, Portfolio Print Technologies, Messe Düsseldorf, looks back with enthusiasm: “Our summits were a complete success. Together with decision-makers involved in the local industries, we discussed the issues that will shape the future with regard to sustainability, circular economy, digitalisation, AI, automation, and much more. During panels and discussion rounds, our drupa exhibitors, above all Dr. Andreas Pleßke, CEO of Koenig & Bauer and chairman of the drupa committee and, representing the VDMA, Thomas Schiemann, managing director of the Printing and Paper Technology Association, provided important insights into the European and global markets. Our industrial, media, and regional partners in the association, with whom we cooperate locally, added further interesting insights into unique local market conditions.”
Digitalisation and Sustainability
One of the dominant issues at drupa PPIS was that of sustainability. With marked enthusiasm, participants discussed the industry’s best practices for circular economy and efficient energy use. In addition, they considered the future and debated which technologies will be needed to make the industry fit for the future, resilient, and above all sustainable. This also included a preview of drupa 2024’s special forum ‘touchpoint sustainability’. Further topics under intense discussion were global megatrends like increasing digitalisation, automation, AI, and robotics, which will influence both individual processes and the entire added value chain in future.
The drupa world tour continued in December with three stops in India before visiting Japan, Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Italy, France, and Turkey, besides holding a pan-Eastern European press conference for eight countries in Hungary. The tour will culminate in the international drupa Media Conference in Düsseldorf at the end of March 2024, followed by drupa 2024 at the end of May, where the global industry for printing technologies will meet for its most important event worldwide at the Düsseldorf trade fair premises.
