Packitoo Report from drupa 2024:Key Trends and Learnings
Drupa 2024, held in Düsseldorf from May 28 to June 7, was a landmark event for the packaging industry. After an eight-year absence due to the pandemic, the trade fair offered new perspectives and crucial innovations for industry professionals. We were present at the BOBST and Esko partner stands (a huge thank you to them). After two weeks and hundreds of meetings, here are the main trends and lessons we learned from this edition.
Lower Attendance, but Maintained Global Influence
With 170,000 visitors, drupa 2024 recorded a decrease compared to the 260,000 visitors in 2016. This decrease is due to lower participation from the local German public (particularly with a holiday from May 30 to June 2) but also due to the organizers' focus on having a much more international audience.
The decrease in the number of visitors also seems to reflect a sector consolidation on a global scale.
Despite this, the event retained its role as an essential platform for decision-makers from around the world, fostering exchanges and networking within the industry.
Rise of Packaging and Technology "Fusion"
Packaging emerged as a key sector at Drupa 2024. Printing machine manufacturers showcased cutting-edge solutions tailored to this rapidly expanding market (see the BOBST example below). The combination or hybridization of digital and analog technologies was particularly notable, offering more flexible and efficient solutions for packaging production.
Automation and Artificial Intelligence at the Heart of Innovations
Drupa 2024 was marked by a strong emphasis on automation and artificial intelligence. The booths of leading machine manufacturers highlighted significant advances in the robotization of production lines and software for better connecting information flows, all the way to the machines. These technologies aim to create the factories of the future, where production processes are increasingly automated and intelligent.
Lucien Moons, well-known in the folding carton sector, highlighted in one of his many LinkedIn posts, the importance of IoT and AI for predictive maintenance and process optimization, enabling reduced downtime and increased productivity. Some global players, such as BOBST, have even placed their IoT platform, BOBST Connect, at the center of their booth – instead of bringing their latest equipment.
Sustainability and Digitalization: An Inseparable Duo
Sustainability was a central theme of this edition, with innovative solutions aimed at reducing the environmental impact of print and packaging production. Digital technologies now facilitate more sustainable practices by optimizing the use of materials and reducing waste. François Martin, a consultant for the printing and packaging industry, also notes that "sustainability, a central theme of drupa, has seen major advances, with principals now benefiting from new capabilities to reduce the environmental impact of printing and the production of their packaging."
Innovation Through Collaboration
Drupa 2024 stood out due to the numerous collaborations between suppliers that were highlighted. These partnerships enabled the development of innovative solutions by combining each other's expertise. This collaborative approach was particularly beneficial for customers, offering them integrated and advanced solutions. Patrick Henry brilliantly explains this in the latest article from whattheythink.com.
And that is precisely the meaning behind our partnership with BOBST announced on April 30th.
Conclusion & CEO's Editorial
Drupa 2024 was – in our opinion – a real success, laying the foundations for the smart factories of today and tomorrow, where digital and analog processes coexist harmoniously, driven by automation and AI.
At Packitoo, these trends confirm what we have been announcing for years: a digitization of the industry, not as an end in itself but as a driver of growth and necessary modernization. More than ever, we want to position ourselves as a key player in the innovation of our industry, and this also involves monitoring the latest technologies to offer more sustainable and efficient solutions to our customers.
We are preparing you now to welcome this new era of production, where autonomous presses and intelligent production lines will still be supervised by humans but will operate in a largely automated manner.
Back in France, I see constructive criticism about this trade show being « losing momentum » since it welcomed the smallest number of visitors since its creation in 1951!
I don't know if the « real » trade show model - as opposed to the virtual one - can or should be completely transformed. In any case, I think that drupa is so emblematic and has been so structuring in the printing and packaging sectors for the last 70 years that the level of requirement is very high and no one is satisfied with the decrease in the number of visitors.
And it will remain so for some time, for those who make the effort to travel to Dusseldorf. See you in 2028! »
And if you are - like us - nostalgic for drupa...
If – like us – you're feeling nostalgic about drupa, click below to immerse yourself in the show's unique atmosphere: