Hunkeler AG is a leader in paper processing solutions headquartered in Wikon, Switzerland. They initially developed Hunkeler Innovationdays as a way for their partners and themselves to bring together some of the latest digital printing workflows and equipment with the latest finishing equipment to showcase complete solutions. This year, Hunkeler Innovationdays returned to the industry and Lucerne, Switzerland, after a pandemic hiatus to a large and excited crowd. This very focused biennial event was last held in 2019, and this latest one surpassed the expectations of many.

One hundred partner exhibitors showed digital printing systems, workflow products, and consumables to approximately 6,500 visitors in two halls. The theme of the event was Next Level Automation and it was displayed in every solution on display. Importantly, it is also a sign that the industry as a whole is on the right track. Compared to Hunkeler Innovationdays 2019, the international character of the industry event increased with visitors from all around the world. Compared to 2019, there also seemed to be a larger number of people who made last-minute decisions to attend. An analysis of the visitor profile revealed that those who made the journey to Lucerne included company owners, managing directors, and other key decision makers, with a surprisingly high volume from the US.

This is the 14th Innovationdays hosted by Hunkeler AG, and it was held in the Swiss tradition and ran like clockwork. There were a lot of production inkjet presses, many new models and upgrades, which we will speak to later. However, in my estimation the real stars of the event were the highly automated finishing solutions supplied and integrated by Hunkeler and their primary finishing partners Standard and Horizon.