KBA welcomes Drupa decision

- Welcomes change to 11-day duration, as in interest of most exhibitors and staff working the show

 

- Three-year Drupa cycle would have meant smaller stands and less equipment, at least for heavy-duty machinery

 

German press manufacturer Koenig & Bauer (KBA) has welcomed the news that Drupa will take place over a shorter duration, and in 2016 as originally planned.

 

It was confirmed today that the next Drupa is to take place in the spring of 2016 from May 31 to June 10, a period of 11 days as opposed to the 14-day show that took place earlier this year.

 

The announcement also ended speculation that Drupa was moving to 2015 as the first event in a new three-year cycle.

 

A spokesman for KBA, a major exhibitor at Drupa, said: ‘We welcome the change to a shorter Drupa duration, since it is in the interest of most exhibitors and the staff working at the show.

 

‘On the other hand, KBA, like most big exhibitors, didn’t support the change to a three-year cycle for cost and other reasons.

 

‘In our opinion it's too costly to show high-end litho presses or post-press equipment every three years under the current market conditions with overcapacities and low margins for most suppliers.

 

‘However, heavy metal in production is a speciality of Drupa compared to most other tradeshows and a main reason for attracting hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world. A shorter Drupa cycle would, automatically, have meant smaller stands and less equipment at least for heavy-duty machinery.

 

‘This would have hurt the unique position of Drupa as worldwide show window for our industry. For exhibitors with smaller stands and equipment easier to install (pre-press, software etc.), it might have been easier to opt for a three-year cycle.

 

‘But this type of equipment you can find at every tradeshow between two Drupas. A production environment close to reality with running litho, digital, flexo and other presses, often in combination with latest pre-press and post-press equipment you will not find at any other graphic arts tradeshow in this size and completeness.

 

‘This costs a huge amount of money which many exhibitors will not, or cannot spend, every three years since other tradeshows in emerging markets like China or Latin America  become more and more important.’

 

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