Last week, from 12–14 March 2019, CCE International, the International Exhibition for the Corrugated and Folding Carton Industry, took place for the 4th time at the Munich Trade Fair Centre in Germany. A total of 2,406 visitors from 79 countries came to Munich to discover the wide range of machinery, accessories and services covering the entire production and processing chain of corrugated and folding carton. The number of visitors has, thus, risen by 13% compared to 2017. Once again, the live demonstrations at the stands of the 155 exhibitors from 23 countries attracted a highly international expert audience, 69% of whom came from outside Germany. Digital print on corrugated and folding carton was the predominant topic at the show.

CCE International 2019 was, once again, characterised by its high degree of internationality regarding both, exhibitors and visitors. The majority of visitors came from Germany, Italy, France, Great Britain, Poland, Russia, Turkey, Spain, Austria and the Czech Republic. The most important exhibitor countries at the show were Italy, Germany, China, the Netherlands and Great Britain.

At CCE International 2019 trade visitors got an overview of the latest technology trends, manufacturing processes, machinery and services covering the entire production and processing chain. Many exhibitors presented the benefits of their machines and systems with live demonstrations at their stands; an opportunity that many trade visitors made use of. ‘Live demonstrations make CCE International stand out’, explains Liljana Goszdziewski, Exhibition Director of CCE International, on behalf of the organisers, Mack Brooks Exhibitions. ‘Our visitors value this service by the exhibitors and, once again, used the opportunity to ask questions about the machines and develop individual production solutions together with the manufacturers’, Liljana Goszdziewski continues.

First results of the visitor analysis

The first results of the exhibition analysis show, that trade visitors were experts who were mainly interested in equipment for corrugated board plants and sheet plants, printing applications, control systems, equipment for folding carton converting, raw materials, as well as materials handling and warehousing.

The majority of visitors at CCE International 2019 represented corrugated board plants and sheet plants, others were folding carton converters, corrugated sheet feeders, packaging designers and specifiers, trade representatives, and rigid carton manufacturers.

The most important industry sectors that visitors belonged to were corrugated, packaging, folding carton, printing, food and beverage, transport and logistics, electrical appliances and electronics, furniture, pharmaceutical, and cosmetics.

The Future of Digital Print

A highlight of this year’s CCE International were the open series of free seminars on all three exhibition days, which were very popular with the visitors. The main topic of the expert seminars was Digital Print. Industry experts looked at this topic from different angles and gave valuable insights into the potential of digital printing techniques. Presenters and audience agreed that the continuous development of digital print on the one hand, and consumers’ increasing demand for individualised products on the other hand, would further promote the establishment of digital printing techniques in the corrugated and folding carton industry. Digital print offers new opportunities and many advantages compared to other printing techniques. It is now up to the corrugated and folding carton industry to exploit the full potential of this technology and explore new business areas. In addition to ‘Digital Print‘, presenters also addressed the topics ‘Sustainability’ and ‘Innovative Converting Techniques’ in the expert seminars.

«We are delighted that this year’s exhibition attracted such a high number of trade visitors, making CCE International the industry sector’s first address in Europe for technological innovations in corrugated and folding carton production and conversion. Advancements in the field of finishing and digital printing applications and the associated market opportunities ensure that the innovation cycle in the corrugated and folding carton industry continues to pick up speed. Many exhibiting companies have therefore already reserved their stand space for the upcoming event», concludes Liljana Goszdziewski.

The next CCE International, 5th International Exhibition for the Corrugated and Folding Carton Industry, will take place from 9–11 March 2021 at the Munich Trade Fair Centre in Germany.

www.cce-international.com