When I think about drupa, I think about it as the
World Cup of Printing. The World Cup too
happens every four years – but contrary to drupa my own country is usually not
a qualifier there. People told me when I first joined the printing industry
“don’t go there, it’s too big, you’ll get lost”, or “don’t go there, it’s not
focused enough on your business”. Since my first drupa visit, I can’t wait to
visit again and I certainly won’t miss it in 2020.
Yes, it’s true that drupa is huge and I did get
lost there more than once. Yes, it’s not just focused on labels-printing, but
to attend the biggest print show in the world gives me an overview of the
complete printing market, the latest innovations and the trends that we can
expect in future years. The different printing sectors within the industry are
related and some trends that occur now in one category will also evolve in
another. For example, inkjet technology was first introduced for wide- format
applications but it is now playing a major role in label-printing. To gain
knowledge about competing printing processes at drupa gives me more insight and
adds new perspectives to my own business.
So, what can we expect from the next drupa in 2020?
First and foremost – innovation!
Printing, including packaging, is under intense pressure to transform
itself. Brand owners are upping the pace and have new, different requirements.
The industry is more competitive than ever and innovation is what our clients –
brand owners – are looking for.
One very important aspect is sustainability.
Printing, and especially packaging, is under huge pressure to improve its
carbon footprint and to limit waste. Today’s younger generation participates in
regular demonstrations to put pressure on governments and brand owners. They
don’t know why packaging is important but many think it’s something inherently
evil. Most don’t understand the benefits of packaging and look only at the
waste generated. Even if today some more sustainable solutions are available, a
lot of them are not implemented – simply because they are not yet economically
viable. Yes, everyone wants a better, cleaner planet but nobody is prepared to
pay for it! Packaging customers are out to cut cost, whatever it takes. Our
group has, for example, developed many new solutions and brought them to the
market. We are certified PEFC, FSC;
Imprim’vert did a carbon footprint analysis. But today our green turnover is
still very small. Maybe we are not good enough in promoting or selling our solutions,
but the resistance to change is also still very strong – too strong in my view.
I really hope to see more sustainable packaging materials coming through, and
more environmentally friendly inks, with print-machines able to print and
process substrates in a more environmentally friendly manner.
At the World Cup of print, the biggest contest is
the confrontation between printing techniques: flexo, offset, helio and the new
digital rising star. In the context of increased demand for more
sustainability, quality, shorter delivery times and reduced costs, all printing
technologies are improving and innovation can move applications from one
printing technology to another. But like at a World Cup, watch out for the
hooligans – those who only believe in one printing technology (their own) and don’t
appreciate or understand the advantages of others.
Nowhere else can you be as close to the evolution
of printing technologies as at drupa. Here an understanding of the advantages
and disadvantages is essential in order to better serve your customers’ needs.
I expect major changes to come for all printing processes as they need to
improve efficiency, waste management, quality and also reduce their
environmental impact significantly. Something to have in mind is that
traditional print techniques are becoming more and more digital, with sensors
all over the machines and taking away time-consuming tasks from the operators.
For example, digital set-up tools enable printers and converters to be more
efficient; cameras and sensors can reduce the set-up time and increases
productivity significantly – and all without replacing your current operators.
The digitalization of our world and our lives is
everywhere and is rapidly entering into the print and packaging industry.
Digital may be a competitor but it can also be part of the solution for
printers and converters to be more efficient, to calculate in a more precise
way their real costs and to integrate physical products into the digital world
using, for example, augmented reality. RF-ID and printed electronics are also
opportunities for the print industry to connect with the digital world. Digital
in general, incorporating pre-press, printing and converting in one system, is
on the rise with the automation of all the steps of the print-workflow, thereby
helping to optimize the entire production floor and not only the printing part.
And it also links printers and converters better together with their customers
and suppliers. In a digital world print can be seamlessly integrated into
multichannel communications offering personalization (individualisation).
And what about my expectations for drupa 2020? Well, I don’t usually have specific
expectations - most of the time I get surprised by visiting a booth I didn’t
intend to visit, which then informs or even inspires me about something
unexpected. In the end, you will get a different view on your investments or on
the market trends and dynamics. So
‘expect the unexpected’ and be open- minded! As mentioned, drupa is the best
place to understand that the printing world is made of numerous applications
and that with all the innovation and new technologies being made available, the
changes happening are in fact opportunities for printers and converters to
reshape their future.
Finally, think beyond the printing-press; it will
take more than a new press to be successful. At drupa you need to look at the
entire production-chain for print and packaging. Substrate innovations are
going to be critical in the coming years. The digitalization and the automation
of the entire workflow will change your organization. New technologies will
require the hiring of new staff and development of new skills. The way you will
engage with your clients will change significantly as they are all soon going
to be digital natives. So rather than resist the changes, be ready to embrace
them.
Like the World Cup, drupa is an event you really
shouldn’t miss – the biggest meeting place for the world’s leaders in printing
and packaging, a place where all the latest innovations will be put under the
spot light. So, see you at drupa 2020!
Isidore Leiser is CEO of Stratus Packaging, one of
the leading European label converters using both conventional and digital
technologies to transform the label industry.
