Drupa is back

Drupa 2008 hosted a total of 1,971 exhibitors from 52 countries, with 390,000 visitors from 138 countries and 3,000 journalists from 84 countries attending. This combined to provide business concluded in excess of €10 billion, with positive feedback from across the print sector.
 
At the time, Drupa president Albrecht Bolza-Schünemann, said: ‘Drupa 2008 has sent out a clear signal: thanks to numerous innovations and new fields of business the print media sector is as agile as ever. This is clearly reflected in the numerous deals concluded with virtually all key business regions.’
 
Four years on and the world is a much changed place. The global financial crisis and ongoing turmoil in Europe continue to cause concerns in established markets, while emerging markets and countries are reporting strong growth. ‘The environment has changed dramatically in the last few years,’ says Drupa director Manuel Mataré (pictured, above), from show organizer Messe Düsseldorf.
 
‘The economic crisis two years ago and the current uncertain situation in the European currency area have caused a considerable shift in the market, which will continue in the future.

'The printing market in Western industrial countries is mostly stagnating at a high level. At the same time, emerging countries and the markets in Asia are reporting high growth rates.
 
‘The reasons for these differences in growth in the different regions are obvious. While the printing market in the Western countries is largely stable at a very high level, there is an enormous backlog of demand in up-and-coming countries in virtually all economic sectors. The print industry, and Drupa in turn, can only benefit from this.’
 
This includes package printing, which Mataré says will have its biggest role in the history of Drupa. ‘The economic boom in the developing countries – predominantly in China and India – is bringing strong growth to the packaging industry.
 
‘This is naturally also having an effect on package printing. Be it design, the preliminary stages, printing inks, print substrates, print or further processors, the entire value-added chain deals intensively with the subject of packaging. Added to this is the enormous potential that is beginning to show as a result of digital package printing. The trend for smaller editions, caused by tighter delivery chains, individualization and regionalization, is naturally reflected in the packaging industry and is opening up major opportunities for digital package printing.’
 
Static growth
Drupa 2012 will be no bigger than the last edition in 2008, with around 1,800 exhibitors across 19 halls. This is the first time in its history that growth has not been anticipated. Mataré says:
 
‘In my eyes, this is actually an advantage, as Drupa remains comprehensive, contained. This is important because, like no other trade fair, it presents the complete global market range; whether global players or up-and-coming newcomers, suppliers from the emerging countries or industrial nations, they are all represented at Drupa and provide proof of the versatility and innovative strength of their industry, irrespective of whether they deal with newspapers, package printing, commercial or functional printing.’
 
This will be supported by special areas and events, such as the Drupa Innovation Park, Media Mundo and Drupacity, whereby the event works with shopping malls, restaurants and numerous cultural events in Düsseldorf to provide attendees with a unified experience that mixes business with pleasure.
 
‘The Drupa specials are playing an increasingly large role. This means the special shows, theme parks and knowledge events which accommodate the growing need for information of visitors from all over the world.’
 
Drupacube is another important element to this year’s Drupa. Drupacube was introduced in 2008 as a means to attract print buyers, taking the focus off technology and putting it onto applications.
 
‘The development of new visitor target groups is a challenge that we tackled back in 2008,’ says Mataré. ‘Above all, the very heterogeneous target group of the print buyer is the main focus of the exhibitors. For this reason, we started the Drupacube back in 2008, and with it a decisive – and pioneering within the industry – shift in perspective; pure technology takes a backseat in favor of the application.
 
‘As in the 19 exhibition halls, the spotlight of the Drupacube and its technical programme is on the printed product, with one fundamental difference; in Hall 7A everything revolves around the marketing-driven, communicative use of the print product.
 
‘This paradigm shift offers an unbeatable advantage. Marketing or publishing house managers, production managers, account executives or creative directors can find out about the printing potential in the marketing mix in a condensed format. With this tool, very heterogeneous target groups are intensively introduced to Drupa and to the print product as a result. We are continuing to consistently develop this strategy for Drupa 2012, intensively incorporating international cooperation partners.’
 
Mataré concludes: ‘Various themes will shape and put their mark on Drupa 2012; multi-channel publishing, web-to-print, hybrid printing, inkjet, automation. No matter what the future mega-trend might be, Drupa 2012 will present it.’
 
Market expectations
As Drupa edges ever closer, companies are finalizing details of their presence at the show.
 
This includes Comexi Group, which will showcase equipment benefiting four key areas. The company says: ‘Comexi Group will offer complete innovative platforms with real benefits in what we consider the four milestones in the current converting process: high print quality, energy efficiency, sustainable printing and waste management. These platforms will be a turning point in how the process is made in flexible package printing today.
 
‘Visitors will see live demonstrations of the new range of innovative and sustainable products; a global portfolio adapted to the today and tomorrow’s solutions. Among them we would like to highlight our sustainable printing solutions, which involve electron beam and water-based printing inks.’
 
Israel’s Highcon will be demonstrating the Euclid, the first high-speed digital cutting and creasing machine that is being marketed as an innovative solution to the folding carton market. Highcon says it eliminates the need for conventional dies and heralds the arrival of a new direct-to-pack market.
 
Aviv Ratzman, Highcon's chief executive officer, says: ‘Over the past two decades we have witnessed key areas of the supply chain becoming digital, but packaging finishing has remained analogue. Converters and their customers have been unable to benefit from the speed and flexibility that digital solutions could provide to finishing. But this is about to change.’
 
Chris Baker, Highcon vice president of sales and business development, adds: ‘We have been developing our product with input and advice from a number of top converters around the world to ensure we meet the market needs. We are confident that this technology will change the face of packaging finishing.’
 
Turkey’s Duran Machinery will also be representing the folding carton market at Drupa, with its Omega folder gluers designed to meet the production requirements of that industry.
 
The Omega range includes four series of folder gluer, incorporating modules and ancillary equipment. Each line is targeted at the performance for different production needs for delivering the correct gluer to carton makers and trade finishers.
 
This includes the Omega Allpro, the Omega Allpro-S, the Omega Performa and the specialty gluer line Omega Magnus for corrugated packaging. In addition, Omega gluers can be incorporated with Omega Turnpro to turn the direction of the carton flow by 90 degrees for specific cartons like chocolate boxes for efficient production in a single pass, while the Omega Braille system is designed for embossing pharmaceutical boxes, synchronized with the gluer to reach the required high speeds.
 
As the result of its successful collaboration with Gluer-Tec, Duran Machinery also manufactures Phoenix dedicated flame sealers for liquid packaging.
 
Pinar Kucukaras, marketing manager of Duran Machinery, says that the company has been focusing on research and development to present specialized products to the market as well as tailor made projects for specific production requirements.
 
As a result, Drupa will see Duran Machinery exhibit two newly developed folder gluers. These will be supported by their wide international sales team that Duran Machinery says is looking forward to welcoming a global audience again at Drupa 2012.
 
UK print management system specialist Shuttleworth is still finalizing its stand for the show, but joint managing director
 
Paul Deane notes: ‘How we are thinking about exhibiting is interesting. Typically, our stand has stations around the space but we’re talking about having tablet computers available where people can come, sit, have a coffee and look at our technology themselves, in an environment more akin to a coffee bar.’
 
The consensus is that Drupa will be an important date in this year’s diary, as it was in 2008, with Comexi Group concluding: ‘Our expectations at Drupa, considered the most important event worldwide for the printing industry, are very high as we firmly believe that current market conditions should result in significant changes in the way the industry produces packaging today.’
 
Shuttleworth’s Deane adds: ‘The industry is changing and has become about more than just print; it’s about the whole supply chain now. This will be a key element of Drupa 2012.’
 
A detailed exhibitor preview will feature in the April issue of Package Print Worldwide