With the theme “touch the future”, drupa, the leading international trade show for print and cross-media solutions, will focus on innovation in the sector and provide a platform for presenting future technologies. The primary focus will be on exciting trends of tomorrow in the areas of print, packaging production, multichannel communications, 3D printing, functional printing and green printing. With a new strategic alignment, an optimized duration of 11 days, new branding and a shortened three-year cycle, drupa will be held from May 31 – June 10, 2016 at the fairgrounds in Düsseldorf, Germany

“It is clear that we are on the right track with this strategic repositioning and focus on future and highlight topics. The response from the international supplier industry is very good – which we couldn't take for granted”, stated drupa Director Sabine Geldermann. About 1,500 exhibitors from more than 50 countries will showcase the versatility and innovation of the printing industry of today and tomorrow in the 19 exhibition halls. “It is true that the number of exhibitors is lower than at drupa 2012 due to mergers and market shakeouts, but this has no effect on the quality of drupa itself. International global players and market leaders will be there together with upcoming and innovative companies from around the world. The full spectrum of print and cross-media technologies and solutions is represented. This comprehensive 360-degree overview of the entire industry is only available at drupa.”

The Print 4.0 megatrend: end-to-end digital workflow

“Print 4.0 is the enabler for individualization and personalization in digital printing, high-quality packaging and the fast-growing range of solutions in industrial and functional printing – and it will be the megatrend at drupa 2016”, explained Claus Bolza-Schünemann, Chairman of the drupa Committee and Chief Executive of Koenig & Bauer AG. “Thanks to its networked process chains, Print 4.0 is already the leader of Industry 4.0. To us this means an end-to-end digital workflow made possible by the intelligent networking of our machines and systems.”

This networking is a leading theme of the trade fair, determining its cycles and structures. A clear, consistent industry-based structure as in the past is no longer appropriate. But there are major focal points to make it easier for visitors to find what they are looking for:
Digital Printing, Prepress, Premedia and Multichannel: Primarily located in Halls 5, 7a, 7.0, 8a, 8b, 9 and 17. Exhibitors include Agfa, Canon, EFI, Epson, Esko, Fuji, HP, Hunkeler, Kodak, Konica Minolta, Landa, Mimaki, Ricoh, Roland, Screen, Sharp, Xeikon and Xerox.
Packaging and Converting: Primarily located in Halls 10, 11 and 12. With companies such as Ash Converting, Atlas Converting, Atlantic Zeiser, Bobst, Brandjen, Comexi and Print City.

Print + Finishing: Primarily located in Halls 13, 14, 15 and 16. Traditionally the "heavy metal halls," this is where the providers of traditional printing processes are located. Among them: Baumann, Cerutti, Ferag, Goss, Koenig & Bauer, Kolbus, Komori, manroland sheetfed, manroland web systems, Ryobi, Windmöller & Hölscher, Wohlenberg.

Materials: Primarily located in Halls 3 and 4 with exhibitors Bordeaux, Fedrigoni, Flint Group, Leonhard Kurz, Mondi and Siegwerk Farben.
Future Technologies + 3D Printing:  Primarily located in Halls 3, 6, 7.0 and 7A. Exhibitors include OE-A (Organic Electronics Association); ESMA (Association for Specialist Printing Manufacturers of Screen, Digital and Flexo technology); working group Additive Manufacturing at VDMA (German Engineering Federation); Stratasys, a world market leader in 3D printing; Leapfrog and Massivit 3D Printing Technologies.

In addition, some exhibitors have moved to different halls due to the new space requirements for individual exhibitors or strategic partnerships. For example, Hewlett-Packard has moved to Hall 17, Müller Martini to Hall 2, PrintCity to Hall 12 and manroland sheetfed and manroland web systems to Hall 14. Heidelberger Druckmaschinen, along with partners Masterwork, Polar-Mohr and Stora Enso, is occupying Hall 1.

Added value: additional events program

As in the past, the specialized program of additional events including the drupa innovation park, drupa cube and the brands PEPSO (Printed Electronics Products and Solutions), 3d fab + print and the packaging touchpoint will complement the exhibits. At the drupa innovation park in Hall 7.0, forward-thinking innovations and business cases relating to process-oriented print and publishing solutions are the focus. About 130 young companies, start-ups as well as global players will showcase future-oriented solutions. Presentations, talks and interviews in the dip energy lounge round off the program.

With a new approach of “Entertaining, Educating, Engaging”, the drupa cube will concentrate on innovation in print and the wide range of application options for printed products across the widest range of industries and spheres of life. The goal is to provide a platform to present this future potential and at the same time to take an interdisciplinary approach to bring together creative agencies, marketers, brand owners and vertical markets. The visionary touchpoint for packaging production will showcase the latest trends and bring together the entire value-added chain relating to package printing and finishing in form of keynotes, panel discussions and presentations.

For further information on visiting or exhibiting at drupa 206, contact Messe Düsseldorf North America, 150 North Michigan Avenue, Suite 2920, Chicago, IL 60601. Telephone: (312) 781-5180; Fax: (312) 781-5188; E-mail: [email protected]; Visit our web site http://www.mdna.com; Subscribe to our blog at http://blog.mdna.com; Follow us on twitter at http://twitter.com/Printing_MDNA