There are times when an industry can no longer think in terms of silos. The printing and converting sectors are currently undergoing precisely this kind of transition: a work in progress, where companies continue to produce, invest, innovate, and serve customers even as rules, costs, technologies, and skills evolve.
In such a complex construction site, no one builds alone.Solid foundations are needed, but above all, scaffolding is required: a shared structure that allows everyone to work safely and look further ahead. For our supply chain, that scaffolding is called an alliance. This theme emerged strongly in the interviews conducted in the lead-up to Print4All 2027 and at events where Converting Magazine was invited to moderate the discussion. The more we listen to companies, the clearer it becomes that challenges cannot be overcome with just one machine, one material, or one software solution.
They are overcome by combining expertise, experience, and responsibility. Regulations – the PPWR to begin with- are calling for more effectively designed packaging, with greater measurability and stronger documentation. At the same time, economic pressures are forcing companies to defend margins increasingly squeezed by energy costs, transport expenses, tariffs, volatility and rising prices. Incentives, such as the new hyper-depreciation measures, create opportunities, but require planning and discipline. Meanwhile, innovation continues to accelerate: automation, process control, digital technologies, colour management, AI, more sustainable materials, waste reduction and new efficiency-driven approaches are reshaping the way production takes place.And then there are the people: technicians to train, young talent to attract, skills to retain, and customers to support in the practical adoption of technologies.
Trade fairs, open houses and industry events are also regaining a central role, not only as showcases but as spaces for sharing, tuning in and building trust. Converting Connection was created precisely with this purpose in mind: not as a simple collection of company profiles, but as an editorial infrastructure for relationships. A place where suppliers, converters, printers, consultants and partners can recognize themselves as part of the same supply chain, interpret change and identify common ground.
Browsing these pages means entering an ecosystem in motion. The future of converting will not be shaped by the strongest individual link, but by the quality of the connections between every link in the chain. Because today, competing also means knowing how to collaborate. And for a structure to stand, every pillar matters.
