Taking stock of Fakuma 2024

The 29th edition of the Fakuma trade fair closed at the Friedrichshafen exhibition centre on 19 October: during the five days of the event, 1,639 exhibitors, 3 more than in 2023, 142 from Italy, attracted 36,675 visitors. The internationality of the fair increased, with 47.5% of the exhibitors coming from abroad, compared to 44% last year. In addition to Italy, national exhibitors included 170 companies from China, 81 from Switzerland, 77 from Austria and 51 from Turkey.

“Fakuma 2024 was once again a great celebration for the plastics industry”, Bettina Schall, managing director of trade fair promoters PE Schall, stated in summing up the 5 successful days of the event in Friedrichshafen. And on the future of the sector, she declared herself optimistic: “Although the current situation is challenging and we have to deal with numerous highly complex issues simultaneously, the concentrated innovative power experienced at Fakuma 2024 is a strong indication that we’re tackling the issues with determination and confidence”.

Digitisation had a strong imprint on Fakuma 2024, treated with dedicated appointments and a panel of leading experts, who unanimously came to consider it the most up-to-date tool to achieve effectiveness and efficiency in human and industrial activities in particular. Various examples have been given to demonstrate this; one of them being the traceability of productions through the possibility of making the flow of materials transparent by collecting and using the most relevant data in this regard. This process also stimulates the continuous development of appropriate analysis tools and professionalism.

The date for the 30th edition of the Fakuma is set for 13 to 17 October 2026, as the Friedrichshafen trade fair is notorious for not taking place in K-years, the next edition of which will take place from 8 to 15 October 2025.