“Tomorrow begins when you create it” is the slogan of FachPack, the European trade fair for packaging, processes and technology. And that slogan will sum the situation up perfectly when more than 1,500 exhibitors gather in Nuremberg from 24 to 26 September 2019 to display their innovative packaging solutions for consumer and industrial goods. The range of products and services on show in the twelve exhibition halls will answer questions on packaging for about 45,000 expected trade visitors. One topic in particular is driving the industry like no other at the moment, and has therefore been chosen as the key theme for FachPack 2019: “Environmentally friendly packaging”. This theme will be reflected at the stands of many exhibitors, and in the lecture forums, special shows and award ceremonies.
Consumers today want environmentally friendly packaging, whether for foodstuffs, beverages, cosmetics or any other products in daily use, and Germany’s new Packaging Act and the EU Plastics Strategy now place even more stringent demands on manufacturers and the retail sector in this regard. The challenges this creates for packaging are often complex. “The packaging of the future has to serve both consumers and the environment and must take the entire cycle into account,” says Cornelia Fehlner, exhibition director for FachPack, NürnbergMesse. “The packaging industry already has a wide range of solutions for these challenges, and FachPack is the ideal platform for both presenting and talking about them. We are proud to be the showcase for this innovative sector.”
Products on display cover the entire packaging process chain
Hardly any sector can manage without the packaging industry, whether for industrial or consumer goods. FachPack reflects the key market segments in the process chain, from packaging materials and machines to printing and processing, logistics systems and services. At the heart of the trade fair is the powerful German packaging industry, although the trend toward greater internationalisation continues. In 2018, 1,023 German and 621 international exhibitors used this setting to present their products and services. Compared with 2016, the proportion represented by international exhibitors grew from 32 to 38 percent.
The products and services at FachPack cover the following fields:
- Packaging materials
- Packaging accessories
- Packaging machinery
- Labelling and marking equipment
- Peripheral packaging machinery and equipment
- Package printing and processing
- Intralogistics and packaging logistics
- Services for the packaging industry.
Assistance for young and innovative German start-ups
This year, once again, young and innovative companies from Germany will have the opportunity to present their ideas and solutions to industry visitors at two pavilions, with stands sponsored by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi).
The BMWi will subsidise attendance at the trade fair to a maximum of EUR 7,500 or up to 60 percent of the costs. This includes services such as the exhibition area, basic fittings, lighting, electricity, cleaning, insurance, a communications package and the German Association of the Trade Fair Industry (AUMA) fee. Sponsorship is available to companies that present new developments relating to products and processes, are based and run their business in Germany, meet the current EU definition of a small business, and have been in existence for less than ten years.
Trade visitors travel from throughout Europe
Visitors appreciate FachPack because of its professional depth, its broad range of themes, and the innovative stimuli it offers. The previous trade fair in 2018 drew 44,019 trade visitors to Nuremberg to participate in the gathering of European packaging industry representatives under one roof. Two-thirds of the industry visitors came from Germany, and the balance from abroad, mainly from Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland, Italy, Switzerland, the Netherlands, France, Slovenia, Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and Belgium. According to the results of a survey by an independent market research institute, visitors sought mainly to learn about new developments (44 percent); gain an overview of the market (30 percent); share experiences (29 percent); and cultivate business contacts (28 percent). One in two visitors said they held a leading position in their company. A total of 98 percent of those surveyed said they were happy with both the range of products and services and the contact opportunities at the exhibition stands.
Informative and inspiring supporting programme
Numerous forums and special shows offer education and in-depth knowledge on the various aspects of packaging. The key theme of “environmentally friendly packaging” is reflected in many of the points on the programme. In the popular PackBox and TechBox forums, for example, which offered more than 100 presentations last time, drawing 7,000 participants. A range of excellent sustainable premium packaging will be on view at the special show created by bayern design in Hall 8. The 2019 German Packaging Award, in categories including “Sustainability”, will be another fascinating part of the event.
Further highlights in the supporting programme at FachPack will include the Theme Park on packaging in medical technology, pharmacy and chemistry in Hall 9, focusing on serialisation, containment and track & trace; the World of solid board; the Labels & More pavilion; the Robotics packaging line; the Trade and professional associations pavilion; and the Corrugated board forum.
