DRUPA Creating The Perfect Package Print Storm

DRUPA 2012 may be over but the impact will be felt in the package print industry for years to come. Here’s why…

DRUPA has become the most important global exhibition for the printing industry. It has held that level of importance for decades. Since DRUPA occurs only every four years, OEMs have adopted this “drum beat” as their R&D cycle to demonstrate new breakthrough innovations. The geographical location is relatively close to the high growth region of the world (BRIC nations). The Düsseldorf Messe can handle many large OEM exhibits, crowds and incredibly complicated logistics for 300,000+ attendees. DRUPA is the “pulse” for the printing industry and will likely remain that way for some time.

Survey responses indicate that 40 percent of DRUPA attendees made the journey to Düsseldorf specifically for digital package printing. Packaging is a growing segment worldwide. Commercial printers wisely used DRUPA to investigate the possibility of expanding their services into package printing to re-energize growth. While DRUPA is very diverse and means different things to different people, no one can deny that the focus and concentration was package printing.

DRUPA Cube held a conference called, “Day of Packaging”. This was the most attended conference of the 14 day exhibition. Speakers from Procter & Gamble and Coca Cola participated drawing a standing room crowd from around the world. So why all the attention on packaging during DRUPA?

The simple answer is that new digital technologies launched at DRUPA 2012 will open new possibilities never before possible in packaging. Wide format digital presses at higher speeds than before are now all the rage. Until DRUPA, press width was limited to nominally 12˝. Numerous OEM’s demonstrated wide web as well as wide sheet fed presses nominally 30˝. These digital print press formats will open a gateway into the flexible film and folding carton markets and disrupt the analogue dominant assets. As a result package printing will change forever! What are the leading digital print technologies? Who are the leading OEM’s?