drupa 2024 is well on track, returning with much anticipation as its first in-person event after a pandemic-induced hiatus of eight years. To be held from 28 May to 7 June, 2024, at Düsseldorf, the exhibitors are all geared up to offer innovative product presentations and riveting live demos.
With just nine months away, many key players in the global print and packaging industry have already confirmed their participation at drupa 2024, with Canon being the latest to enter the list of exhibitors. “drupa 2024 is an important milestone for Canon,” says Marc Bory, Vice President, Digital Printing & Solutions Marketing & Innovation at Canon EMEA, about the upcoming show. “It allows us to deepen engagements with our print communities whilst demonstrating our innovation, technology leadership, and commitment to accelerated growth in commercial and industrial print. We look forward to meeting with global print communities face-to-face again, to discuss how we can help them to grow and thrive sustainably for the future through technology and business innovation,” adds Bory.
Besides Canon, the other major names that have already confirmed their participation in the event include BOBST, Durst Group, EFI, Epson, Fujifilm, Heidelberg, Koenig & Bauer, Konica Minolta, LEONHARD KURZ Stiftung & Co., Ricoh Europe PLC, and Windmöller & Hölscher.
Erwin Busselot, Business Innovations & Solutions Director at Ricoh Europe, says, “We are delighted to be able to return to drupa and are already getting excited about what we aim to bring to the show.“
In the run-up to the trade fair, Olaf Lorenz, General Manager International Marketing Division, Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe, says, “Digital printing remains a key growing force within commercial and industrial markets, as run lengths continue to come down and demands increase for sustainable production. Showgoers to our stand will be able to immerse themselves in a captivating Industry 5.0 tale, where scalability, capacity reliability, sustainability, and smart factory automation converge, all centred on the human experience. As a global technology leader, our mission is to help to identify and unlock the potential that digitalisation holds.”
Digitalisation is an enabler for processes and applications in the print and packaging industries and will be one of the focal themes at drupa 2024. Artificial intelligence (AI), platform economy, and the openness to new product solutions in the field of industrial applications play a key role. Sustainability, which has become a pivotal factor for the industry as a whole, will be another key area with topics such as circular economy, energy efficiency, and resource conservation high on the agenda.
Dr. Andreas Pleßke, CEO, Koenig & Bauer, says, “As exhibitors we do our utmost to make the focal themes of digitalisation and sustainability perceivable. Digital solutions are the enablers for sustainable products, services, and processes. With our ‘Exceeding Print’ strategy we shine the spotlight on the topics that move both the print industry and society.”
drupa 2024 will have five Special Forums being planned to turn into hot spots for new technologies, applications, and ideas. drupa cube, drupa next age (dna), touchpoint packaging (tpp), touchpoint textile, and touchpoint sustainability will focus on global mega trends, future technologies with growth potential, and best practices covering a comprehensive spectrum of themes.
At drupa cube and various other touchpoints on the topics packaging, textiles, and sustainability, participants will be given in-depth insights into relevant themes and impulses for growth potential. Industry newcomers, young talents, and start-ups will find their platform at the aptly-named forum drupa next age (dna), where they can present themselves to an international expert audience, offering scope for networking at eye level and giving a preview of future technologies.
For latest updates on the show, visit www.drupa.com
