FachPack 2018 brought about 45,000 trade visitors (2016: 41,014) to Nuremberg from 25 to 27 September to learn about innovations and trends in the packaging industry. This represents an increase of more than eight percent compared to the previous event in the series.
Visitor numbers were up, with particularly strong growth in numbers from outside Germany. The event occupied 12 exhibition halls for the first time, with 1,644 exhibitors (2016: 1,542) providing an opportunity for in-depth discussion of packaging solutions for consumer and industrial goods. Digitalisation, e-commerce, packaging design, and sustainability in particular provided the key subjects for discussion. The exhibition management has announced that environmentally friendly packaging will be the key theme for FachPack in 2019.
“I am impressed by the dynamism and creativity that we saw in the exhibition halls during the past three days,” comments FachPack Exhibition Director Cornelia Fehlner. “It is clear that the packaging industry is in transition. In addition to challenges of a technical nature, the industry is especially interested in ways to find clever packaging solutions for complex requirements that will also serve the interests of both the environment and the consumer, while also keeping the entire product cycle in focus. In other words, the packaging of the future. This is what we will be concentrating on at FachPack 2019.”
Exhibitors: 38 percent international
At the heart of this year’s FachPack, once again, was the strongly performing German packaging industry, with 1,023 exhibitors. “Even so, there is a noticeable trend toward a greater European flavour,” Fehlner observes happily. International exhibitors accounted for 38 percent of the total.There was a strong presence from the neighbouring European countries, especially Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Austria and Turkey. Ninety-eight percent of visitors were happy with the products and services on offer at FachPack, according to survey results from an independent institute.
Industry professionals: 90 percent decision-makers
Trade visitors came mainly from the food and beverage, pharmaceutical and medical technology, cosmetics, chemical and automotive industries. Some ninety percent of the trade visitors said they were involved in making the purchasing and procurement decisions in their respective businesses. About half of the trade visitors held senior positions, and as many as one in five were from management.
Products and services at fair reflect packaging process chain
FachPack once again had a comprehensive range of products and services on offer, covering the packaging process chain from packaging materials and machines to printing and finishing, and logistics systems and services. The largest of these fields were packaging materials (e.g. paper, cardboard, plastic and glass) and accessories (e.g. labels and seals), with a total of 780 exhibitors. The technical aspects of packaging – in other words, the machines for creating and processing the packaging, the labelling and marking technology, and also the devices for checking, testing and recycling, were displayed by 560 exhibiting companies. There were 297 companies with products and services associated with logistics, i.e. solutions for storage, loading, order picking and transportation of packaged goods. And 224 exhibitors showed the opportunities available for package printing and finishing.
Supporting programme well received
Many forums and special shows provided an opportunity for professional development and sharing knowledge on all aspects of packaging. Nineteen industry partners helped to organize the PackBox and TechBox forums. A total audience of 7,500 listened to the 100 presentations from 120 speakers and discussion participants. The new Hall 8, covering the fields of package printing and finishing, and the centrally arranged special show on premium packaging, enjoyed immediate popularity. These accounted for about 40 exhibits, which viewers found captivating on account of their design and innovative materials. The pharmaceuticals, medical products and cosmetics area in Hall 3A and the accompanying theme park “Packaging in medical technology and pharmacy” were of particular importance.
Achievements honoured: Packaging innovations in 2018
An award ceremony on the first day of the fair, 25 September, recognised a total of 40 outstanding solutions covering the entire added value chain in packaging in the form of the 2018 German Packaging Award. Two particularly innovative products in the categories of “Sustainability” and “Design and Finishing” secured the exclusive gold award: the innovative, deep-drawn packaging solution FlexiClose(re) from Schur Flexibles Group and the “Seepje” detergent packaging from Hordijk.
Exhibition Advisory Committee meets
The inaugural session of the new Exhibition Advisory Committee was held on Day 3 of the fair, 27 September. The committee, which meets regularly, is responsible for offering NürnbergMesse professional advice on all important industry matters and thus actively participates in the strategic development of FachPack. The committee comprises nine representatives of companies in key areas of the packaging market. Its members are Oliver Bruns (Edelmann Group), Dr Thomas Cord (Loesch Verpackungstechnik GmbH), Sandra Englich (Verpa Folie Weidhausen GmbH), Sabine Gauger (OPTIMA packaging group GmbH), Valeska Haux (MULTIVAC Sepp Haggenmüller SE & Co. KG), Andreas Koch (Bluhm Systeme GmbH), Steffen Prodinger (PRODINGER KG), Toni Sciacca (Knüppel Verpackung GmbH & Co. KG) and Frank Würthner (Beckhoff Automation GmbH & Co. KG).
The next FachPack will take place in the Exhibition Centre Nuremberg from 24 to 26 September 2019.
