The printing industry remains on course for growth worldwide. The sector generated sales of more than EUR 837 billion in the past financial year. “Our industry is growing and also has a future,” says Thomas Schiemann, VDMA Managing Director, Printing and Paper Technology Association.

In a recent study, industry analysts assume that the global printing industry will achieve average annual growth of over 2.1 percent in the next five years, adjusted for inflation, compared to 1.1 percent in the past five years. According to Schiemann, this development will mainly be driven by the labels and packaging division.

In Germany, around 6,900 print and media companies with a good 110,000 employees generate around 17.6 billion euros. “Nothing works without print. Germany still has the largest newspaper market in Europe, mailings are the most important marketing tool for retailers, the packaging market is growing and every supermarket is a showcase for the printing industry,” says Kirsten Hommelhoff, Managing Director of the BVDM, ahead of the start of drupa in Düsseldorf.

With 1,642 exhibitors from 52 nations, drupa is the world’s largest trade fair for printing technologies. Around 200,000 trade visitors from more than 180 nations are expected to attend the eleven-day event. Almost 75 percent of customers now come from abroad. This underlines drupa’s function as the most important hub for the global printing industry, says Sabine Geldermann, Director drupa, Portfolio Print Technologies Messe Düsseldorf: “drupa brings together the global range of innovative technologies, the latest market developments and information in one place.” drupa occupies the entire Düsseldorf exhibition grounds with 18 halls on a net area of more than 140,000 square meters.

This year’s key trends and topics are digitalization, sustainability and automation of production. The VDMA sees further opportunities for growth here, says Schiemann: “The industry has good prospects for the future – but it needs to be prepared. Hardly any other topic is as important to us at drupa 2024 and throughout the mechanical and plant engineering industry as sustainability, not only from an ecological but also from an economic perspective. With Touchpoint Sustainability, we are therefore pleased to create a cross-industry platform for exchange, discussion and knowledge transfer on the future of the printing and paper industry”

A total of 30 global players and partners, including German companies such as Heidelberger Druckmaschinen, Koenig & Bauer, Kurz, Tesa and Voith, will be presenting the latest energy-efficient printing and production technologies at Touchpoint Sustainability.

Like other sectors of the economy, the printing industry is struggling with a shortage of skilled workers. There has been a shortage of jobs and skilled workers in the printing industry for years, according to the BVDM’s 2023 industry survey. In addition to rising labor costs, the shortage of skilled workers is one of the biggest challenges for more than 50 percent of companies. Added to this are high energy prices and bureaucratic burdens.

drupa 2024 is open to trade visitors from Tuesday, May 28 to Friday, June 7, 2024, Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday & Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.