In the run-up to drupa, the number one trade fair for printing technologies scheduled from 28 May to 07 June 2024 in Düsseldorf, the drupa world tour kicked off this autumn with presentations in the Philippines and China and reached its first high point at the Print Promotion Industry Summits in Asia and Latin America.
The motto of the drupa Print Promotion Industry Summits (PPIS), hosted by Messe Düsseldorf in cooperation with the Printing and Paper Technology Association of the German industrial organisation VDMA and some of the world’s leading exhibitors at drupa, was “Enabling the Digital and Sustainable Transformation”. Known speakers from Heidelberg Deutschland, IST METZ, KAMA, Koenig & Bauer, LEONHARD KURZ, Müller Martini, POLAR Cutting Technologies and the Windmöller & Hölscher Group provided fascinating insights into the industry and initiated a valuable exchange of knowledge on both continents. In Asia, one of the fastest-growing markets in the world, and in Latin America, where the level of investment is currently higher than in Europe, interest in the Print Promotion Industry Summits by drupa 2024 was enormous in preparation for visiting the drupa trade fair at the end of May in the coming year. An average of 200 interested industry representatives attended each individual event in Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Mexico, Colombia and Brazil.
Sabine Geldermann, Director drupa, Print Technologies Messe Düsseldorf, looks back with enthusiasm: “Our summits were a complete success. Together with decision-makers involved in the local industries, we discussed the issues that will shape the future with regard to sustainability, circular economy, digitalisation, AI, automation and much more. During panels and discussion rounds, our drupa exhibitors, above all Dr Andreas Pleßke, CEO of Koenig & Bauer and chairman of the drupa committee and, representing the VDMA, Thomas Schiemann, managing director of the Printing and Paper Technology Association, provided important insights into the European and global markets. Our industrial, media and regional partners in the association, with whom we cooperate locally, added further interesting insights into unique local market conditions.
Main topics at drupa: Digitalisation and sustainability
One of the dominant issues at the drupa Print Promotion Industry Summits was that of sustainability. With marked enthusiasm, participants discussed the industry’s best practices for circular economy and efficient energy use. In addition, they considered the future and debated which technologies will be needed to make the industry fit for the future, resilient and above all sustainable. This also included a preview of the special forum 
“Touchpoint Sustainability” at drupa 2024 in Hall 14. Further points under intense discussion were global megatrends like increasing digitalisation, automation, AI and robotics, which will influence both individual processes and the entire added value chain in future.
The drupa world tour continued in December with three stops in India before visiting Japan, Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Italy, France and Turkey and holding a pan-Eastern European press conference for eight countries in Hungary. The tour will culminate in the international drupa Media Conference in Düsseldorf at the end of March, followed by drupa 2024 at the end of May, where the global industry for printing technologies will meet for its most important event worldwide at the Düsseldorf trade fair premises.
