Paper, Film & Foil Converter

Drupa 2000A Big Success Any Way You Count It

Published: Saturday, 01 July 2000 07:00, Written by Teresa Koltzenburg, Senior Editor

Drupa 2000 has come and gone, but the memories remain for 1,957 exhibitors—and apparently they are good ones. According to show sponsor Messe Düsseldorf, after the two-week print media trade fair ended on May 31, exhibitors reported good to excellent business results with busy post-show business expected.

As for the figures, from exhibitors to visitors to the number of deals made at the trade show, they add up to "outstanding" totals, reports Messe Düsseldorf. With 413,500 visitors from 171 countries, Drupa, held in Düsseldorf, Germany, appears to have been a resounding success both nationally and internationally.

Messe Düsseldorf adds that visitor participation increased 5% from 1995's event. Every second visitor came from a country outside of Germany, and 27% of the foreign attendees arrived from overseas. As for the exhibitors, show sponsors say the figure was up by 331 companies from 1995: 61% were from companies other than Germany, with the US as the leading foreign exhibitor nation.

Visitors, notes Messe Düsseldorf, primarily were interested in print production—60% came to the trade show to see the latest machinery, equipment, and accessories related to printing. Prepress was also a big focus for visitors, with 48% attending to see the latest digital developments.

Some of the digitally oriented Drupa introductions PFFC encountered during our two-week visit included CreoScitex's Trendsetter Packaging Series—a series of platesetter models designed for the platemaking needs of offset packaging printers; in flexo systems, CreoScitex unveiled the ThermoFlex family of flexographic platesetters, which the manufacturer says can be tailored to meet the imaging-size requirements of almost any label, flexible packaging, multiwall bag, and corrugated printer.

Polaroid Graphics Imaging LLCA launched its first generation of automaticm digital halftone proofing systems. "Prediction" is a two-up system that was developed using the company's Laser Ablation Transfer (LAT) technology.

Xeikon debuted its first sheet-fed digital color press, the Xeikon CSP 320 D, as well as its new, higher speed third-generation web digital presses, the DCP 320 D and the DCP 500 D.

Barco Graphics released Plato, intelligent digital plate layout software targeted toward the folding carton and label markets. According to Barco, Plato is a tool for the creation of print-ready plate layouts and provides users with a robust set of automatic and interactive tools to create even the most complex step-and-repeat arrangements.

Wilhelm Kochsiek Maschinenbau GmbH announced digital solutions for conventional printing presses; the company presented a 100% digitally driven flexo press for both narrow and wide width formats and its 100% digitally driven gravure press.

Approximately 26% of the attendees at Drupa were interested in the paper converting and package production market segments. Product introductions relevant to these visitors included RDP Marathon's Smart*Set 2000, an advanced press control system that reportedly speeds up makeready, maximizes productivity, and minimizes waste; Teknek's web treatment center, a combination slitter/rewinder that can corona treat the web as it's being slit; Fischer & Kreckes Flexpress 16 S, an eight-color, servo-driven, gearless CI flexo press that the company says is designed for high speeds and is available in a variety of web widths; and Advanced Vision Technology's (AVT) Print Vision/Pro, a control system for automatic print defect detection that, reports the manufacturer, features state-of-the-art processing capabilities and "freezes" defects on a 19-in. monitor, providing operators with the ability to identify and locate print defects easily.

These are just a few of the hundreds of new products and technologies featured at Drupa 2000. Be sure to check out next month's issue of PFFC for our Drupa "roundup," which will feature more of the products unveiled at the print media fair.

For more information about Drupa 2000 or the next Drupa event—which is scheduled for May 6 thru 19, 2004—contact Messe Dusseldorf North America at 312/781-5180, or visit mdna.com.