drupa – the global stage for printing solutions

The future of print is built not only on technology, but also on people. For almost 50 years, drupa has been bridging the gap between industry and academia, nurturing the next generation of talent. This year, that legacy continues: Christina Slopek-Hauff has won the drupa Prize 2026 for her dissertation"Plural Psychologies: Interrogating Mental Illness in Anglophone African and African-Diasporic Fiction". Wolfram Diener (CEO of Messe Düsseldorf), Sabine Geldermann (drupa Director), and Dr. Andreas Pleßke (Chairman of the drupa Committee) presented the €6,000 award in Düsseldorf. 🏆 This honour strengthens our 48-year alliance with Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf. Cross-cultural communication informs how we develop technologies that have an impact from Düsseldorf to Lagos and from Tokyo to Los Angeles. We champion global literacy to protect the societal impact of the written word. 🎓 In an era of automated content, how much importance should industry leaders place on the humanities when training the next generation of communicators? Photo credit: Christian Knieps / Messe Düsseldorf

Markus Morawe: Why the future belongs to the adaptable 🐙 Is your organization built to last, or built to change? In a market defined by rapid shifts, "business as usual" is the greatest risk. In his keynote on day 1 of the PRINT DIGITAL CONVENTION, Markus Morawe will dive into why adaptability is the ultimate currency for leaders today. Don't just watch the transformation, learn how to lead it in Hall 1, Düsseldorf. ⚙️ Which part of your workflow is currently the most difficult to adapt? Let's discuss below. 👇 #PDC2026 Rüdiger Maaß

Bridging the gap between digital data and physical touchpoints is no longer a technical hurdle: Discover what really moves print forward. Stop sitting through generic sessions, and start building your own ROI-driven agenda at #PDC2026. 📍Navigate our three-track Knowledge Hub to find direct solutions for your specific business pain points. 3 Tracks. 100% relevance for your business: ⚙️ Sustainable Print & Media Integrating Life Cycle Analysis data directly into your production workflow ensures that "The future needs the power to change" is a measurable KPI rather than a marketing slogan. ⚙️ Smart Campaigns & Programmatic Print Master the transition from digital hyper-personalization to automated physical mail. ⚙️ Creative Packaging & Brand Design Bridge the gap between structural integrity and brand experience across the entire value chain. Jump between sessions and deep dive into topics like: → Life Cycle Analysis → Hyper-personalization → Cross-channel strategies From inspiration to implementation, across the entire value chain. 🕔 17:00 Highlight: Expert panel on the strategic role of print & packaging in brand management Then: PDC-NIGHT – premium networking & real connections Which hurdle is currently slowing down your LCA integration: lack of standardized data, or legacy production workflows? PS: 🎟️ Get your ticket: printdigitalconvention.de #PDC2026 Rüdiger Maaß

UNRIVALED BY NATURE: The Octopus Series 🐙 | Part 1: Decentralised Intelligence Centralised command is a bottleneck where latency dictates your competitive edge. 🧠 The octopus uses one central brain and eight autonomous mini-brains - a blueprint for latency-free edge processing. This blueprint for distributed controlls enables closed-loop AI correction at the substrate level. ⚙️ Connected Automation allows you to scale production capacity without increasing human headcount. Witness autonomous workflows in the grow cluster at drupa 2028. 💎 This is the strategic path to ROI in the Dark Factory. Where is the biggest bottleneck in your decentralisation: the lack of standardized protocols (OPC UA) or the trust in autonomous error-correction? #drupa2028

Stop wasting time on generic insights and start building your tailored production toolbox at #PDC26. ⚙️ 🔋 In his video, Rüdiger Maaß (fmp) explains how the new PDC architecture with three dedicated feature tracks creates real value for printers. It's all about sustainable, programmatic and creative work, and it's all about getting rid of the hype to provide a practical manual for automated data-to-print workflows. Come along and solve your production problems in Düsseldorf on 16–17 June 2026.

85% of leaders identify AI as critical for survival, yet most floors remain manual. Autonomous Production drives a 39% boost in Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE). ⚙️ AI-driven color management reduces waste while ensuring consistency. With the robotics market hitting $2.7 billion by 2031, the Dark Factory is the path to solving labor shortages. 🔋 This is visionary strategy meeting reality. A 25% investment gap remains despite AI's essential status. 🌿 Closing this gap secures a data-driven ecosystem. Where is the biggest bottleneck: the CapEx of robotics, or the lack of standardized APIs? 💎

Sustainability: From brand image to legal mandate 🌿 The era of "rhetorical sustainability" is over. For Earth Day 2026, we’re looking at how CSRD and PPWR are turning green initiatives into hard business requirements. In our learn experience cluster, we explore the shift toward auditability and data transparency. It’s no longer just about the substrate—it’s about the intelligence of the workflow and the precision of the data. ⚙️💎 Read our latest blog post to see why process knowledge is now your most vital resource for securing market position: https://lnkd.in/dxxcJK8t How are you preparing for legally audited sustainability standards? Let’s discuss below.

Time is the most valuable substrate we work with. ⚙️ For 2026, the PRINT DIGITAL CONVENTION (PDC) is making a strategic move into the light and airy Foyer of Hall 1 at Messe Düsseldorf. As hosts and partner, we are pleased to see this shift to a more integrated, modern environment that reflects the evolving needs of our industry. 🌿 This new location at the Entrance South offers more than just a fresh aesthetic; it provides significant practical benefits for every visitor: 📍 Efficiency by design: Short walking routes between the PDC stages, hands-on demos, and networking zones. 📍 Seamless access: Directly positioned at the Entrance South for a smooth arrival and departure. 📍 Productive atmosphere: A bright, open-plan setting that fosters the high-level exchange the PDC is known for. By moving out of the traditional congress setting and into the heart of the modern exhibition grounds, the PDC ensures that your time on-site is focused entirely on innovation and implementation. 🤝 How much does a venue’s atmosphere influence your ability to engage with new technical concepts? 💬 #PDC2026 Rüdiger Maaß

Effective packaging has evolved from a simple container into a high-value media channel. 💎 Brand owners are navigating massive SKU proliferation, with a 40% average increase recorded between 2022 and 2024. This trend shows no signs of slowing, as 80% of brands anticipate further growth by 2026. To manage this complexity, 47% of brand owners now prioritize supply chain responsiveness, while 41% require partners who can accept urgent orders 🔋. Strategic growth is found in the low-barrier entry of labels, growing at a 2.9% CAGR, alongside the rising demand for sustainable folding cartons. With one-third of consumers willing to switch brands based on packaging sustainability, circular economy principles are now essential for maintaining market share 🌿. In this landscape, "Cost Signaling" through premium haptics and intelligent automation defines the next generation of production ⚙️. Would you like to find out what drives the printing industry? Go to drupa.com and register for the new knowledge series, drupa insights!

The drupa premiere: Where Personal Conversations Lead to Real Results For Jochen Reiter and the Tambula GmbH team, their first drupa was all about the unique energy that comes from bringing the global print community together.🔋 There's a special kind of magic to the drupa experience. Beyond the machines and technology, it's the human connection that drives our industry forward. Seeing a first-time exhibitor find a wealth of new clients and leave having had a "great experience" reminds us why the physical stage remains irreplaceable. ⚙️ We are already looking forward to welcoming Tambula back to Düsseldorf for their next chapter! 🤝