FESPA Barcelona Day Three: Innovation & Opportunity

Day three of the FESPA World Print Expo in Barcelona continued as a strong marketplace for the wide-format and other sectors. Again, energy was high. The diversity of the technologies on display here, as with the U.S.-based PRINTING United Expo present a intriguing mix of capabilities, a maze of opportunity to be managed by those navigating the show floor.

A discussion with Simon Daplyn, manger, product marketing at SunChemical, revealed the opportunities and challenges facing of serving printing industry the ink it needs. While for most applications in this space, ink adhesion and durability remain paramount, the sustainability-driven move to more sustainable ink solution — including the considerations of de-inking at end-of-life — requires a delicate technological balance. Daplyn shared that the current geopolitical situation presents challenges, particularly in delivery of product, those challenges for SunChemical are mitigated somewhat by having manufacturing facilities in numerous places worldwide.

While much of the change and equipment in the wide-format space in iterative — including slight or significant improvements to what is no doubt that, as a whole, equipment in this space is becoming faster (not surprising) easier to use (a good thing when factored into both quality and labor) and more reliable. These are, by and large, mature technologies, nothing “wild and wooly” about them.

Of particular interest to me was the presence of numerous systems for cutting or finishing fabrics for soft signage, apparel, or décor applications. Whether it’s the five-meter-wide, laser-cutting, Hasler behemoth displayed on the Durst booth, or the integrated (and revolutionary) cutting and sewing system show by Fastsewn, its demonstrated that the finishing space is a hotbed of automation and innovation that may be answering back to tis reputation as a production chokepoint. Huzzah!

As mentioned in my Day One recap, the rise of automation, in this case through robotic tools, is not longer a novelty – it is becoming increasingly commonplace. From a small robotic arm displayed in Roland DG to pick and place printed parts, to the incredibly robust materials movement systems shown operating with Agfa’s Onset Panthera flatbed, these systems no longer present as less a thing to try to comprehend and much more a path forward. It is another strong step toward full, integrated production (for those who can afford it, today at least).

Which brings us to industry convergence. The FESPA event is organized into discreet communities on the trade show floor (graphic, sign, corrugated, wraps, apparel and promo), and for sake of convenience, give attendees a stronger sense of place, it makes sense. But in an industry that’s more a Venn diagram than a series of discreet silos, it behooves attendees of this and other events to purposefully wander outside the lines of their own segments or specialties, toward adjacencies, hybrid approaches, higher margins, and differentiation, toward what’s next.

At the start of this event, FESPA announced its 2027 World Print Expo will be held April 6-9 in Munich, Germany. But for many of the exhibitors here, and for a majority of printing businesses in North America, their focus now turns the 2026 PRINTING United Expo, presented by PRINTING United Alliance, and taking place in just four months. That event, which we will surely also cover, takes place September 23-25 in Las Vegas.