The 44th International Fair of Graphic, Paper and Creative Industry Grafima was officially opened on Wednesday, September 18, in Hall 4 of the Belgrade Fair. At the same time, in the same space, the 30th International Information and Office Equipment Fair – BIROEXPO and the 3rd Packaging and Packaging Fair – PAK AM started working.
Under the slogan “More colors”, this oldest and largest regional fair manifestation intended to promote technological achievements in the graphic industry, publishing, printed media, production, finishing and processing of paper, design and advertising industry, gathered about 70 exhibitors of different profiles from a dozen countries.
On behalf of the hosts of the event, Difol and Brother, Regina Wilhelm, manager of communications and environment, and Ćesare Galo, sales director of Brother Internationale Industriemaschinen, and Đorđe Lukić, executive director of Difol, and Oliver Lepori, executive director of the Japanese Business Alliance in Serbia, participated in the opening ceremony of Grafima.
Addressing the audience, Regina Wilhelm noted that Grafima has positioned itself over the years as a place where innovative technologies and solutions are promoted in the fields it deals with. “Grafima is focused on the quality and needs of its clients, and at the same time it provides all of us with the opportunity to expand our knowledge together, find new clients and develop our business”.
Đorđe Lukić pointed to the fact that Difol has become one of the leaders in this industry and a reputable promoter of several world brands. He especially recommended machines for printing on textiles, large-format printing and advertising material from the company’s assortment, which visitors could also see at the company’s stand.
Oliver Lepori recalled the importance of such a fair platform for strengthening business and cultural ties between Serbia and Japan. He emphasized that Japan, as the epicenter of technological innovation, recognized Serbia as a valuable partner.
The Grafima fair offers a rich selection of graphic machines and devices, which support a wide range of printing, design and creative needs, including digital printers, including large-format printers (designed for printing on large formats of paper, foil, banners, posters and other large media, with advanced technologies such as solvent, latex or UV-LED inkjet printers); offset printers; screen printing machines; finishing machines (foilers, bending machines, punching machines, laminators…); digital cutting systems and perforators (including those that combine laser or plotter cutting with sophisticated software for design and automatic control); label printers; digital printers for textiles; 3D printers; plasticizing machines; bending and stapling machines etc.
A significant part of the fair is dedicated to software solutions that include programs for graphic design, image processing, 3D modeling, animation and other creative tools. Presentations of design services are not rare either, from graphic design, through branding and marketing, to web design and multimedia content.
One of Grafima’s missions is to present global trends, which in recent years indicate significant progress in digitization and automation of processes, as well as an increasing focus on personalization and sustainability. Perhaps the most striking trend is the rise of digital printing, which enables highly customizable, small-batch products with fast lead times, which is particularly important in sectors such as packaging and personalized promotion. In addition, 3D printing continues to grow, enabling the creation of complex shapes and structures that were previously impossible to manufacture, revolutionizing industries such as fashion, medicine or architecture. Software tools are becoming more and more advanced, with a special emphasis on automation and robotics, and artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI), which are becoming undisputed in optimizing design processes, automating repetitive tasks, analyzing data, adapting marketing campaigns and generally improving the user experience.Virtual and Augmented Reality (VR/AR) are becoming increasingly important tools in the creative industries, providing new opportunities above all for interactive user experiences, especially in areas such as education, entertainment and marketing. Inkjet technology, high-resolution image processing, hybrid printing are also on the rise… Environmental sustainability is becoming a central aspect in all segments of the graphic industry, with the development of new materials and technologies that reduce the ecological footprint of production processes. Grafima strives to show that the future of the graphics industry lies in smart manufacturing and the Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing and collaborative tools, blockchain technology, adaptive design (enables the creation of content that automatically adapts to different devices and screens, improving the user experience).
The emphasis of the professional and associate program is on printing technology, graphic design and advertising material. The outline plan of this part of the event is given below.