Nürnberg Messe expects a total of about 1600 exhibitors from Europe, of which about 1100 will present themselves at Fachpack and about 500 at Powtech. The decision to hold the two exhibitions in parallel was taken in order to find a „window outside the European holidays“ for Powtech, which had to take a break in 2020 due to the pandemic, as Heike Slotta, Executive Director of Nürnberg Messe, put it at the Trade Press Talk on 7 July. Slotta emphasised the synergy effect of the exhibitions. „Both exhibitions address users from the food and feed, chemical, pharmaceutical, plastics processing and mechanical engineering sectors and bring together the entire value chain from process to technology to packaging in three days. Of course, visitors can visit both trade fairs with one ticket,“ says Slotta.
Fackpack occupies nine exhibition halls, Powtech four. The two fairs are well connected by transitions. Hall 4 is a so-called mixed hall with exhibitors who have offerings for both bulk goods and packaging experts.
For Fachpack, as in the previous year, there is a digital offer in addition to the presence fair. From 16 September, the Myfachpack tool will offer visitors the opportunity to network with exhibitors, partners and speakers.
Packaging industry under pressure
Like many sectors, the packaging industry is currently under great pressure. „The current situation due to a lack of raw materials, supply chain problems and a shortage of skilled workers is dramatic in some respects for the entire packaging industry and also for our member companies, and is leading to a severe narrowing of the scope for innovation,“ said Winfried Batzke, Managing Director of the Deutsches Verpackungsinstitut e.V. (dvi).
Dr. Johannes Bergmair, General Secretary of the World Packacking Organisation (WPO), addressed not only the raw material and logistics problems but also the energy crisis, which is being triggered or intensified by the Ukraine war. Packaging manufacturers would also be affected by a suspension of natural gas supplies from Russia, because natural gas is needed for glass and paper production, for example. According to Bergmair, the sustainability debate is currently overshadowed by an energy debate. He sees Fachpack as a forum where „we can discuss these problems“.
Main theme
With the main theme„Transition in Packaging“, in view of the challenges facing the packaging industry, Fachpack aims to raise awareness and clarify what is going on in the industry right now, provide orientation and promote dialogue in a time that is characterised by strong currents and environmental influences. The main theme is the common thread that runs through both the exhibition and the supporting programme.
With the Packbox (Hall 9) and Techbox (Hall 3C) forums, there will again be an extensive programme of lectures at Fachpack. Important partners of the packaging industry will shape the programme and invite interested parties not only to listen but also to join in the discussion. Current industry topics such as the shortage of skilled workers, supply chain bottlenecks, raw material prices and much more will be addressed.
In addition to the Packbox and Techbox forums, there is the exhibitor forum, the Innovationbox in Hall 5, where registered exhibitors can present their innovations and product highlights to trade visitors on site in 30-minute talks. During the fair, the programme of the presentation forums Fachbox, Techbox and Innovationbox will be streamed live on Myfachpack and will also be available there afterwards.
220 entries for the German Packaging Award
The German Packaging Award is traditionally presented at the Packbox Forum on the first day of the fair. This year there are 220 entries. According to dvi Managing Director Batzke, this is a very good figure in view of the industry‘s diminished innovative strength. Many submissions concern the sustainability category. „Sustainable packaging solutions continue to be in vogue, as the share of 30 % of the submissions makes clear,“ says Batzke.
However, according to Batzke, the great efforts of the packaging industry are not perceived by the public. „Our increasing consumption immediately eats up any sustainability efforts, as we found out in a recently published study. Blaming packaging for our consumption habits is the wrong way to go. Packaging makes a significant contribution to reducing our climate footprint. This makes Fachpack‘s contribution to providing an important stage for the industry‘s innovations all the more important here.“
Powtech with an interesting supporting programme
In contrast to Fachpack, which could be held in 2021, Powtech took place for the last time in 2019 due to the pandemic. Powtech brings together innovations for mechanical processing technology and for the analysis and handling of powder, granulate and bulk solids. Plant designers and operators from almost all industries, including food, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, come together to update their knowledge, examine state-of-the-art process technology and prepare and make investment decisions.
„Powtech has always been the exhibition where process engineers and production managers from every industry have found very concrete solutions to their requirements and also their problems,“ says Slotta from Nürnberg Messe. „When networking on the stands, but also through the expert forums, where presentations on current issues in the industry take place on an ongoing basis and leading manufacturers and users share compact best practices.“
Dr. Martin Bornhöft, who heads the office of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Pharmazeutische Verfahrenstechnik e.V. (APV), emphasised the good advice at the stands and the interesting supporting programme at Powtech. In addition to the expert forum Stagetalks, the trade fair‘s technical programme also includes the Pharma Manufacturing Excellence forum, which is organised by the APV. On the first day of the fair, the Pharma Forum is dedicated to the analytical area, on the second day of the fair the focus is on development and production, and on the third day of the fair the focus is on pharmaceutical packaging, as Bornhöft explained.
Supply chain problems also in the pharmaceutical industry
Like the packaging industry, the pharmaceutical industry is currently under great pressure. Bornhöft: „The pharmaceutical industry as well as its suppliers are strongly affected by the current developments in the world such as the covid pandemic, the war in Ukraine, inflation and climate change. Due to the war in Ukraine and the existing sanctions, there are many restrictions, some business has to be stopped, some services such as clinical studies have to be reallocated to other countries and the looming energy shortages make it necessary to stock up more on starting materials.“
The situation regarding the supply chain, which has already been tense since the Covid pandemic, has worsened again, Bornhöft says. In addition, price increases due to inflation and higher transport costs have to be coped with. But this also has positive effects: Due to the tense situation regarding energy supply, the topics of climate protection and sustainability are coming more into focus. Energy savings and new energy sources are now being given greater consideration in planning and modernisation.
Minimising the CO2 footprint of solid processes
Trends that determine the future of mechanical process engineering are the circular economy, the energy transition including electromobility, climate change and digitalisation. Prof. Arno Kwade, head of the Institute for Particle Technology Ipat at TU Braunschweig, reported that. „Used products must first be mechanically dismantled at the end of their life and the materials classified and sorted before they can then be taken further in the cycle. For the energy turnaround, we need battery cells and fuel cells, for the production of which particles have to be mixed, dispersed, coated onto substrates and compacted. In all solid processes, from the preparation of primary raw materials to the production and recycling of innovative particulate products, the energy input, waste streams and thus the CO2 footprint must be minimised.“
According to Kwade, a major topic is also the further development of simulation methods and models to describe the increasingly complex particle processes and product properties.
Trade fair is prepared for changing corona situation
Both the powder, granulate and bulk solids sector and the packaging industry are looking forward to meeting again in person in Nuremberg in September. As far as the corona pandemic is concerned, there are currently no more official requirements or access restrictions. But Nürnberg Messe is prepared: In order to be able to react to a changing Corona situation, it has developed various protection and hygiene models that can be used if necessary.
Further information at www.fachpack.de and at www.powtech.de
