Packitoo's Report on drupa 2024: Key Trends and Insights
Drupa 2024, held in Düsseldorf from May 28 to June 7, was a landmark event for the packaging industry. After an eight-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the fair offered new perspectives and crucial innovations for industry professionals. We were present at the BOBST and Esko partner booths (a big thank you to them). After two weeks and hundreds of meetings, here are the main trends and insights we gathered from this edition.
Decreased Attendance but Sustained Global Influence
With 170,000 visitors, drupa 2024 saw a decline compared to the 260,000 visitors in 2016. This decrease is partly due to lower local German attendance (notably due to a public holiday from May 30 to June 2) and the organizers’ shift towards a more international audience.
The drop in visitor numbers also reflects a global consolidation within the sector. Despite this, the event maintained its role as an essential platform for decision-makers worldwide, fostering exchanges and networking within the industry.
The Rise of Packaging and the "Fusion" of Technologies
Packaging has become a key sector at drupa 2024. Printing machine manufacturers presented cutting-edge solutions tailored to this expanding market (see the example of BOBST 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 Core of Innovations
Drupa 2024 was marked by a strong focus on automation and artificial intelligence. The booths of major machine manufacturers showcased significant advances in robotics and software that better connect information flows to 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 numerous LinkedIn posts the importance of IoT and AI for predictive maintenance and process optimization, reducing downtime and increasing productivity. Some global players, such as BOBST, placed their IoT platform, BOBST Connect, at the center of their booth instead of showcasing their latest equipment.
Sustainability and Digitalization: Now Inseparable
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 material usage and reducing waste. François Martin, a consultant for the printing and packaging industry, noted that “sustainability, a central theme at drupa, has seen major advances, with brand owners now having new capabilities to reduce the environmental impact of print and packaging production.”
Innovation through Collaboration
Drupa 2024 stood out for the numerous collaborations between suppliers. These partnerships have led to innovative solutions by combining each other’s expertise. This collaborative approach has been particularly beneficial for customers, offering integrated and advanced solutions. This was brilliantly explained by Patrick Henry in the latest article on whattheythink.com.
This also reflects the essence of our recent partnership with BOBST announced on April 30.
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: the digitalization of the industry is not an end in itself but a necessary vector for growth and modernization. We aim to position ourselves as a key player in industry innovation, closely monitoring the latest technologies to offer more sustainable and efficient solutions to our clients.
We are preparing now to embrace this new era of production, where autonomous presses and smart production lines will always be overseen by humans but will largely operate automatically.
Back in France, I see constructive criticisms about this 'declining' fair as it hosted the smallest number of visitors since its inception in 1951!
I can't tell if the model of the 'real' fair - as opposed to the virtual - can or should completely transform. In any case, I believe drupa is so emblematic and has been so influential in the print and packaging sectors over the past 70 years that the level of expectation is very high, and no one is satisfied with the decrease in visitor numbers.
And it will remain so for some time, for those who make the effort to travel to Düsseldorf. See you in 2028!"
And if you're - like us - nostalgic for drupa...
If – like us – you are nostalgic for drupa, click below to immerse yourself in the unique atmosphere of the fair: