drupa – the global stage for printing solutions

When designers and printers never talk, brilliant technology stays silent. 🐙 An octopus relies on three hearts beating in perfect sync. The print and packaging industry is no different. Innovation only happens when designers, brand owners and technology providers move as one. When these groups work in silos, ideas lose momentum and even the most advanced technology falls short of its potential. ⚙️ Overcoming this friction requires stepping onto the high-energy floor of drupa 2028. This global gathering reunites the value chain within active running machinery zones and in person networking hubs to experience manufacturing live. Embracing this collective momentum enables teams to benchmark solutions face-to-face, ensuring creative vision aligns perfectly with mechanical feasibility, and that all hearts of your print production beat in unison. 💬 Are you more looking forward to inspecting the live running machinery zones or meeting international peers face-to-face in the networking hubs?

AI speeds up printing workflows but human operators prevent costly errors. Some software marketers promise a swift transition to a fully autonomous 'dark factory'. Packaging converters, however, face a far more volatile reality on the production floor. When automated systems manage complex embellishment cycles, minor file errors can quickly result in large amounts of physical scrap. 💎 Operators scrambling to recalibrate heavy machinery waste valuable production time. Converter CEOs who operate in the dark risk reducing their profit margins when they blindly trust unverified algorithms. Matthias Miederer of Scodix, Rüdiger Maaß and the community are curious how AI will shape the future. Where does your workflow currently face the biggest hurdle when moving towards autonomous production?

⚡️ Reducing freight estimation times from 4 hours to just 2 minutes proves that administrative latency is where printing operations bleed the most margin. In this exclusive insight, Lisa Cross, MBA (Principal Analyst at PRINTING United Alliance) outlines how implementing Workflow Automation converts hours of manual calculations into automated data loops to protect baseline CapEx ROI. The data is clear. Maximising Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) requires a structural shift toward Autonomous Production. Watch the full clip below to see how leading converters are bridging administrative workflows with real-time quality optimisation as the industry aligns for the #drupa2028 cycle. 🎥 Or sign up for free and read the full story: drupa.com/insights

Five per cent of the packaging’s weight determines its overall recyclability. 🌱 Stricter legal requirements are forcing printers and brand owners to fundamentally rethink the chemical composition of their packaging. Whether UV-curing inks contaminate the fibre mass, or water-based systems discolour the entire processing bath, some sustainable chemistry fails in everyday recycling. 🔬 The solution lies not in doing without, but in high-tech alternatives straight from the ink lab. From carbon-negative pigments produced by controlled pyrolysis to the precise control of bio-based oils on the press: innovative formulations prove that environmental responsibility and maximum press speeds are no longer a contradiction. Those who understand the molecular basis secure decisive competitive advantages on the shop floor. What is currently having the biggest impact on your sustainability strategy: new materials, smarter chemistry or more efficient production processes? Read more in our newest blog post: https://lnkd.in/e3imyAeG

Saudi PPPP: physical turnout delivers the only metric that matters. 📊 Over 14,000 visitors and 337 international exhibitors from 17 countries gathered at Saudi PPPP 2026 during Riyadh International Industry Week. That volume – after the fair got postponed for two months – is proof of unshakable market confidence in the region's economic stability and industrial future, even against a complex geopolitical backdrop. 🤝 Linking the Messe Düsseldorf global networks of drupa, K – The World's No.1 Trade Fair for Plastics and Rubber, and interpack with the local strength of Riyadh Exhibitions Company, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. serves one practical purpose: translating international technology into localized manufacturing capability. The regional market is no longer satisfied with simply importing finished hardware. For commercial leaders expanding their footprint, real growth now requires securing local supply lines and transferring production systems directly to regional plants. Concrete agreements on the exhibition floor proved the point, including a landmark deal to localize seating manufacturing technologies. 🗓️ The path forward for regional industrial scaling is secure: the next physical milestone in Riyadh is scheduled for 26 – 29 April 2027.

Seventy per cent of modern print buyers are digital natives. According to the latest PRINTING United Alliance Insights data, this new generation of procurement managers relies naturally on automated systems rather than manual phone calls or spreadsheets. This baseline trend invites a closer look at the traditional printing plant. Over the next few months, our new five-part drupa Insights series will shed more light on this development and examine this evolving market reality. 📊 Running sequentially until mid-October, the upcoming articles break down how different manufacturing setups handle the growing SKU explosion on the shop floor. We will look at how open software interfaces connect machinery directly to client systems to manage product variants smoothly. This roadmap allows you to benchmark your own workflows and decide where hardware ends and software logic must begin. See the slider below for a first outlook on the five pillars. ⚙️ Discover the latest market analyses, exclusive deep dives and expert insights https://lnkd.in/dixBVuMa

Why travel when you can meet dozens of potential exhibitors all in one place? In the second episode of our 'Road to drupa' video series, Sabine Geldermann takes advantage of the overlap between related trade fairs to meet current and prospective exhibitors. As Düsseldorf is such a highly concentrated hotspot, these events enable her to meet dozens of potential Drupa partners in one day, eliminating the need for endless international flights. 🎥 The momentum for #drupa2028 is palpable. Since February, over 30 countries have signed up to secure their spot at the Düsseldorf fairgrounds. Industry leaders are finalising their plans in ample time to position their industrial printing presses and services in front of high-volume buyers. Be aware: Further delay risks losing premium hall locations to faster cross-border competitors. ⚙️ Securing your space early remains the ultimate shortcut to consolidating your global sales cycle. So let this sneak peek into the busy pre-drupa preparations inspire you.

Brand owners are rejecting unrecyclable packaging, leaving print providers with no choice. 🌱 At this year's PRINT DIGITAL CONVENTION, speakers, exhibitors and visitors were squarely on the same page when it came to sustainability. Brand managers such as Frank Schuebel set uncompromising ESG targets for every downstream process. Print providers who stick to legacy embellishment workflows risk being deselected immediately during procurement cycles. 💎 In Düsseldorf, technology experts such as Thomas Lorenz of LEONHARD KURZ Stiftung & Co.KG demonstrated that thin-layer assets can be fully recyclable without compromising shelf appeal. Their credo: Materials and machinery must evolve to become a recycling enabler to satisfy brand owners. ⚙️ Before signing up to present your technical solutions at #drupa2028, take a moment to watch what they said at #PDC26!

The rapid transformation of the packaging market presents a high-margin growth path for agile commercial print operations looking to de-risk their business models. ⚙️ In this short video insight, Cory Francer of NAPCO Media highlights why market convergence into packaging serves as an accessible entry point with low barriers to entry. Simultaneous growth across all four primary sectors - labels, flexible packaging, folding carton, and corrugated - is reshaping production demands. While brand owner acceptance of flexible packaging rises due to convenience and portability, the e-commerce boom heavily accelerates corrugated volume. Because the underlying production mechanisms rely on high operational familiarity, commercial printers can smoothly pivot to protect margins without reinventing their entire floor infrastructure. 🔋 As market boundaries blur, is your production floor ready for the packaging convergence shift? Share your thoughts below, and register now as an exhibitor for #drupa2028. 🤝 #drupainsights PRINTING United Alliance

create at drupa 2028 🎨 At drupa, the industry shows and shapes what comes next. For 2028, our experience architecture organises the fair around four experience clusters. Today, we will be looking at "create", the central hub for brand experience, design, and the creative industry. Here, exhibitors show off their vision for new products, packaging and campaigns before they reach retail or e-commerce. This is where the creative sector meets cutting-edge tech: technology becomes storytelling. The choices of materials, finishes and automation are made visible, linking design intent directly to production. It creates the perfect space for designers, creative agencies, and brand owners to collaborate, brief partners, compare options and select pilot projects. Create is one of the four clusters planned for drupa 2028, alongside grow, learn and play. Follow us for more updates on the road to #drupa2028.