Visitors interested to learn about megatrends in international business, innovations in smart packaging and strategies for the circular economy will find information in the drupa cube where thought leaders will present and discuss the future of the printing and packaging industry and the trends that impact it. With more than 50 sessions, the drupa cube will be the central conference forum at the drupa 2024 trade fair, taking place from May 28 – June 7, 2024 in Düsseldorf, Germany.

The cube will open on the first day of drupa at 11:15 am with a keynote from Vicky Pryce, a respected international economic analyst. She will examine global economic trends and future forecasts. She will provide insights into the economic challenges and opportunities facing us and discuss how companies of all sizes can remain adaptable and develop and maintain a growth mindset in uncertain times. Vicky is Chief Economic Advisor at the renowned Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) and Professor at BCU and King's College London.

Business Boosters: New approaches to processes, sales and marketing

For insights into business development and management, the Business Booster sessions at the cube are “must attend” events. In his presentation about the printing industry in the digital age, Mr. Ogawa, President and CEO of Epson, will provide his unique insights into the present and future of the industry and talk about the growing importance of sustainable solutions. He will describe how Epson's culture, history and mindset are at the forefront of the next print revolution.

New industry standards in automation will be the core theme for Gershon Alon, Head of Software Solutions, HP Indigo. In the cube, he will talk about the future of automated print production. With complex, labor-intensive processes, limited capacity and long delivery times, Gershon Alon will address the need to automate the entire production line beyond the press.

30 years ago, software had a different status than it does today, where it is practically impossible to exist without an online presence. Bart van der Horst, CEO of iChannel, will explain in the drupa cube how to reliably manage and scale a business against the backdrop of the Digital Age.

Dscoop Executive Director Peter van Teeseling will lead a session highlighting the full potential of communities for business. The focus will be on strategies for effective networking and building partnerships in the printing industry for future mutual success.

How to attract and retain staff will be the topic of Charles Jarrold, CEO of the British Printing Industries Federation, looking at the core elements of an effective apprenticeship program and key learnings from the BPIF’s experience.

Marcus Timson co-founder of FuturePrint, will speak in the drupa cube about the crucial role storytelling can play in business growth and how compelling narratives can help build trust for companies and inspire action from customers. Frazer Chesterman, the other co-founder of FuturePrint, will also host a Business Booster session on how to generate ideas and launch new innovations.

Enrico Barboglio, General Manager at ACIMGA, and Sara Alexander, Marketing & Communication Manager Flexible Packaging at Bobst, will focus on the role of substrates in marketing. The session is geared in particularly at print professionals who want to support brand owners in their search for new approaches and innovative ideas.

Kellie Northwood, CEO of Australian Visual Media Association, will explain how print and packaging suppliers can increase market share and revitalize sales as a "trusted advisor" and consultant to their clients.

Circular economy and sustainability: from carbon footprint to environmental standards

In the cube’s circular economy/sustainability sessions, experts will provide practical, actionable advice on the biggest issue of our times. On the first day, for example, Mark Fabisch (Bertelsmann), Lisa Faratro (CPI) and Beatrice Klose (Intergraf) will discuss how best to calculate the carbon footprint of print products.

Yujing Pan, an expert Product Compliance in Asian markets at Enhesa, will discuss the environmental regulations and compliance landscape with environmental and product standards for printing and packaging production in Asian countries. The focus on regulatory requirements will be continued by Jonathan Graham, Chairman of the Sustainable Green Printing Partnership, who will host a panel (including Yujing and keynote speaker Dr. Calvin Lakhan) to discuss strategies for effectively navigating environmental regulations.

“Smarter Labelling” will be the topic of Dr Calvin Lakhan, Doctor UFL/York University Canada. In this workshop he will examine how clear and informative product labelling can influence consumer behavior, particularly with regard to sustainability and waste management. Calvin’s keynote presentation, also in week 2 of drupa, will address the language that we use to communicate sustainable values and how cultural differences in understanding and attitudes should influence our approach.

In the panel “Fit for Recycling - How Ink Enables The Circular Economy”, Ewald Rempel, Technical Application Director Packaging Solutions EMEA at Sun Chemical, and Alina Marm, Head of Global Sustainability & Circular Economy at Siegwerk, will discuss the crucial role of inks and coatings for recyclable packaging.

Trends and Forces: Business in the new environment

The cube sessions on the topic of “Trends and Forces” will offer insights into the most important drivers - whether economic, digital or demographic which enable innovative business models and opportunities for companies to grow and develop further. One session not to miss will be with Henrik Müller-Hansen, founder and CEO of Gelato. He will highlight new growth opportunities for manufacturers in the age of the creator economy. Gelato, a software company from Norway, enables local production through the world's largest on-demand production network, connecting over 130 production sites and 50 transport companies in 32 countries. With this backdrop and a background in IT, he will explain the importance of agility, speed, personalization and sustainability, driven by the growing importance of e-commerce and platforms such as TikTok, YouTube and Instagram, and how these factors are changing the print industry.

Print & Packaging Futures: From sustainable printing inks to printed electronics

The Organic and Printed Electronics Association (OE-A) will be in the drupa cube with many inspiring presentations. This industry association will provide insights into printed electronics technologies and intelligent packaging. In his panel “Technologies and Applications” on June 6, MD Dr Klaus Hecker will highlight the latest trends and technologies in flexible and printed electronics, covering topics such as energy storage, IoT smart labels and advanced printing techniques. Gerhard Domann of Fraunhofer ISC will present the latest results of the EU-funded CircEl-Paper project in his session “Progress Towards Manufacturing of Paper-based Printed Circuit Boards”. Lee Hui, President of E Ink in the Netherlands, will explain how ePaper displays will revolutionize the role of packaging.

The drupa cube will also feature forward-looking presentations for the packaging sector, including Noam Zilbershtain, VP & General Manager, HP Indigo & Scitex. The audience can expect a visionary perspective on the enormous potential of digital printing and its transformative capabilities.

Dr. Vroni Walter, Head of Innovation and Applications at Epple Druckfarben, will delve into the topic of sustainable printing inks. Dr. Peter Wülfert from Sun Chemical and Dr. Evert Delbanco from Siegwerk Druckfarben will give an overview of the global regulations for printing inks on food contact materials (FCM) and explain how they are working to ensure safety when printing food packaging.

The drupa cube program will feature an English-language program on all days of the trade fair - except on Sunday. On 2 June, the German-language conference "Change your Media World", organized by f:mp, the German association for media production, will take place.

The full drupa cube program and day by day agenda is available at www.drupa.com/en/Program/Forums/drupa_cube 

For further information about drupa 2024, contact Messe Düsseldorf North America; Telephone: (312) 781-5180; E-mail: [email protected]; Visit www.drupa.com and www.mdna.com. Follow us on https://www.linkedin.com/company/mdnachicago/ 

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