Storytelling, Drupa, and booths to remember #2

Marcus Timson

This past week marked my second trip to Drupa and my quest for storytelling, innovation and effective exhibiting. Once again, I discovered more new gems and caught up with some of the more famous brands…

Ricoh

Ricoh’s booth embraced their Henkaku philosophy and invited visitors to "Unleash the Spirit of Co-Innovation" Watch here. This was particularly relevant for the industrial print team. It was nice to catch up with Graham Kennedy, Jason Remnant, and James Burbridge. Co-innovation is vital for industrial print projects to succeed, and the progress Ricoh has made over the past few years is inspiring. I also appreciated the Manga artist on the booth, creating some truly special art during the show.

KBA & Xaar

KBA had an impressive booth with high build quality and a stylish, practical design. Meeting with the Xaar team and seeing firsthand the progress made with their ultra-high viscosity inkjet head technology was fantastic. The impact on glass printing is impressive, showcasing what is possible with inkjet technology today.

KBA DURST

At the heart of their booth was the VariJET 106 – a press for folding carton markets jointly developed by Koenig & Bauer and Durst, running in public for the first time. Samples were provided from the food, non-food, pharma, and beauty product markets, showcasing variable data (track and trace), special colours, and different coatings. They also displayed technological developments for corrugated printing with digital white, printed on the Delta SPC 130 press. New application possibilities were also highlighted, covering wine, home appliances, and food applications.

Landa

Landa’s presence was significant but a little subdued compared to their show stealing appearances at previous Drupa Shows. In 2012, they completely stole the show despite not having a market-ready offering. Since then, NANOink has become a mainstream and proven technology. The key message they seemed to push was the speed and quality possible now (11,200 sph) suggesting a maturation of the tech that can now virtually match flexo printing technology for both speed and quality while providing all the advantages digital printing technology offers.

Hybrid Software

Hybrid Software showcased their family of businesses, including Global Graphics Software with their Harlequin RIP and Meteor Inkjet with their advanced drive electronics. The booth was constantly busy, underlining how important the tech that drives printing is becoming. This will only grow in significance as we move towards automation with AI to help manage, operate, and automate production.

EFI

EFI generated a lot of interest in their Nozomi. The corrugated tech sector was well represented at Drupa 2024. It was mentioned to me that years ago, corrugated printing tech was a part of the show but had since disappeared from the nomenclature. Now it is back, and the buzz on the EFI booth was palpable.

Gallus

Gallus showcased their GallusOne and had a very successful show. Their modular approach aligns effectively with market needs. Their success was great to see, given the new strategy instigated by Dario Urbinati three years ago.

Uteco Onyxomnia

A new discovery was Uteco and their OnyxOmnia, which showcased what was described to me as ‘jaw-dropping’ technology with a hybrid flexo and digital inkjet solution for flexible packaging capable of 300-400 mpm when in hybrid mode. Flexible packaging has long been the hallowed territory for inkjet, and this exciting innovation will undoubtedly achieve great success.

ACTEGA Metal Print

ACTEGA Metal Print exhibited their EcoLeaf innovation and reported a great experience. Paolo remained looking fresh and enthusiastic towards the end! Their success further underlines that with an innovation aligning with consumer trends and sustainability, being present with purposeful innovation proves a powerful combination.

Fiery

Fiery is another great example of how software is redefining technology performance. Now an independent provider of digital front ends (DFEs), Fiery showcased innovations in DFEs and workflow software. I was particularly interested in the development of Fiery Impress, focusing on new industrial markets. Toby Weiss, Fiery’s CEO, commented to David Swang at What They Think, ‘Drupa for us is almost like a coming out party. We wanted to take all the knowledge we have gained over the years in developing software for various industrial markets and put it into a new product we launched last year called Fiery Impress. It is a brand-new DFE specifically for industrial companies, including packaging and textiles, enabling us to bring our knowledge into industrial markets as Impress makes it easier for new industrial print providers to use a Fiery DFE and take their products to market faster.’ Check out the full interview here.

KELENN TECHNOLOGY

A new discovery for us is KELENN TECHNOLOGY, a leading process company specialising in additive technologies and image processing. Focused on the demand chain for industrial production, they develop advanced machinery, including inkjet printing, industrial vision systems, and 4.0 factory setups. Their solutions span inkjet printing, digital material deposition, 3D rotary screen printing, automatic vision, robotics, AI, and more. From laboratories to large-scale production plants, KELENN Technology offers a comprehensive range of equipment. Their cutting-edge solutions enhance operational efficiency and contribute to a reduced environmental footprint.

Profi-tec GmbH

Yet another new discovery is Profi-tec GmbH who showcased a new printing system for integration into existing production lines or as a stand-alone inkjet line from A to Z, depending on requirements. They have an extensive portfolio of different printing technologies from various manufacturers. Additional modules for setting up or expanding existing production lines, such as vacuum transport tables/inkjet printing bases, separating systems/feeders, and camera systems, are also part of their product range. They also offer a comprehensive range of consumables, inks, and accessories using MCS inkjet heads.

Kento Digital Printing

Kento exhibited for the first time with their hybrid technology for printing onto corrugated. Javier Quesada exhibited throughout and still looked happy and energised towards the end. I don’t know where he gets his energy from, but I would like some of it! Kento had a great show, meeting many interesting people and exceeding their expectations, particularly with visitors from Latin America.

IST

IST had a cool booth where everything revolved around UV products essential and trendsetting for the print industry. In addition to UV lamps and UV LED systems, thermal drying solutions and excimer systems could be impressively experienced in action, offering a glimpse into the future of printing. I joined their drinks from 5 pm, and they created a really nice, convivial atmosphere with many people congregating to network and connect. A generous and welcoming initiative to be hosting customers and partners - a big thumbs up there!

Flux 

This Italian based company was showing some really innovative microwave based curing technology that could prove to be disruptive!