It’s been a couple of weeks since I got back to Sydney from Germany and I’ve had time to reflect on my first ever visit to Drupa.
Since my return, I have asked myself two key questions….
Did I kick my goals for the trip?
Was it worthwhile?
The short answer to both is an unequivocal “YES” !
The show itself was what everyone told me it was – massive !
But, aside from the pure scale, it was much more than I anticipated.
General consensus amongst a lot of people I speak to (business contacts and friends) regularly, is that print is in decline. There is no doubt in the post-Covid era where people have much more flexible working practices, as well as an increase in environmentally responsible behaviour, that people are in their traditional ‘offices’ less and printing less paper.
What was very noticeable at Drupa, however, was that there is genuine optimism about the ‘Production’ and ‘Industrial’ segments of the industry and the technology enhancements in those areas is remarkable.
All the major manufacturers now place a huge focus on efficiency, digitisation, automation and providing solutions which are more environmentally friendly, which can only be a good thing.
The possibilities in 3D Printing are endless but the most noticeable thing for me was the software solutions which are coming to the fore in the industry.
Financing software is a huge passion for us at 3E Advantage, so to see the Print industry place such a focus in this area is exciting for the future.
One note of caution for me was that everyone was talking about AI, as the whole world is, but I didn’t see/hear anyone explain how it was going to be utilised to its best effect in the print industry – maybe that will come in the months/years ahead.
As impressive as all the technology and machinery at the show was, the print industry, like most, is “about the people” within it and one of my biggest takeaways was that the print personnel from Australia and New Zealand are world-leading in their thinking and attitude, and as long as that continues there is huge optimism from me.
A huge thank you to everyone who I met at the show and I look forward to connecting further with you in the weeks and months ahead.
Ch3Ers,
Swanny