Print will be relevant in many spheres of life also in 2040: VDMA Study

VDMA Printing and Paper Technology Association develops mission statement for the years 2030 to 2040, saying even in 2040, printing technology will still be used to create tactile, exquisite product worlds. This is one of the findings of the association’s Print ‘2030 – 2.0’ future workshop. The workshop brought together member companies, trend researchers, students and the drupa management team. The participants discussed the influences of social and technological trends on printing &paper and developed a joint vision. The Mechanical Engineering Industry Association (Verband Deutscher Maschinen- und Anlagenbau – VDMA) is headquartered in Frankfurt and represents around 3,200 members, making it the largest industry association in Europe

VDMA called in external consultants: Hamburg-based TRENDONE GmbH that maintains a global network of trend scouts and has analysed innovations in a variety of sectors and technological fields for 15 years. In the run-up to the workshop, the specialists and the Board of the Association had identified ten macro-trends which will potentially have the strongest influence on printing and paper technology manufacturing. During the workshop, five teams analysed them systematically, taking aspects such as B2C and B2B customer relations, value chain processes and value propositions as a basis. Inter alia, they found that for the machinery manufacturer, digitization can open up new opportunities for cooperation with their intermediate customers, but also a direct link to the end customers. In order to expand the vision of the future, the researchers took the participants on a tour to the year 2040 signifying printed products will be relevant in many spheres of life also in 2040.