Fakuma 2024 took place successfully under the motto “Digital meets Circular Economy”. From October 15 to 19, 2024, 1,639 exhibitors presented their innovations in efficiency, sustainability and the circular economy in twelve full halls and fully booked foyers. With an exhibitor share of 47.5% (previous year: 44.0%), this year's trade fair event once again held a high global position for the plastics processing industry. Of the total of 1,639 exhibitors (+3 compared to 2023), 778 came from many countries - including 167 companies from China, 142 from Italy, 81 from Switzerland, 77 from Austria and 51 from Turkey.
For manufacturers and users, the topics of increasing efficiency, process stability, reproducibility and minimizing set-up times are at the top of the agenda. Plastics processors are therefore adjusting all conceivable parameters with technical and organizational measures as well as investments in order to ensure competitiveness.
Fakuma also gave new impetus to the aspect of designing products holistically and promoting recycling and degradability. Design for recycling - this goal is becoming increasingly concrete in product manufacturing. Sustainable solution ideas for packaging, recycling compounds and metal replacement solutions were just as much a topic at the trade fair as machines for grinding and shredding, cooling systems and energy-efficient tool temperature control technology, systems for process monitoring and data acquisition as well as innovations from the field of industrial 3D printing. The increasing use of circular raw materials instead of fossil raw materials was also a topic at Fakuma.
The focus at Fakuma was on digitalization, automation, flexibility, energy efficiency - and sustainability. The establishment of closed material cycles, product optimization for recycling and the processing of recyclates for high-quality applications were among the most important topics. The innovations in injection molding technology also attracted a great deal of interest - systems with all-electric drives that make the machines flexible and powerful and raise them to a new level of efficiency.
This year, the highly specialized expert community was offered many attractive highlights as part of the trade fair program. Firstly, the second edition of the “Fakuma Round Table” took place on the afternoon of the first day of the trade fair, this time under the heading “Digitalization - Top or Flop?” The selected panel of experts included Prof. Dr. Michael Braungart, founder and Scientific Managing Director of Braungart Epea, Miranda Burtscher, Head of Corporate Operations Controlling at Alpla, Guido Frohnhaus, Managing Director Technology at Arburg, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Hans-Josef Endres from the Institute of Plastics and Circular Economy at Leibniz Universität Hannover and Prof. Dr.-Ing. Under the moderation of Dipl.-Ing. Markus Lüling, editor-in-chief of K-Profi, the panellists examined the extent to which digitalization offers solutions in the areas of sustainability and the shortage of skilled workers. The clear conclusion of the prominent panel: digitization is top! It is a necessity! It is a tool for effectiveness, and effectiveness leads to greater efficiency.
A special highlight this year was the “Career Friday”: trade fair organizers, the exhibitor advisory board and exhibitors had jointly organized a campaign for pupils, students and career starters under the motto “Mold your dreams, mold your future”. The aim was to inform young people about career opportunities in the plastics industry and at the same time impart knowledge about plastics. The campaign was extremely well received - many exhibitors organized rides, activities, tours of the trade fair stands and insights behind the scenes of plastics processing.
