Looking for “Fakuma 2025”? There wasn’t one — Fakuma runs every two years, and the most recent real edition was Fakuma 2024 in Friedrichshafen. Here’s what that show’s officially documented themes actually mean for injection molders.
Fakuma is one of the most significant trade fairs for plastics processing worldwide — but it only takes place every two years. The most recent edition ran October 15–19, 2024, in Friedrichshafen on Lake Constance; the next one follows in October 2026. This article covers which themes officially documented at Fakuma 2024 are genuinely relevant for Swiss and European injection molders, based on the official show results and the announcements of the leading machinery and recycling suppliers.
Fakuma 2024: the numbers and the frame
According to the organizer’s official post-show report, 1,639 exhibitors presented their work across twelve nearly fully booked halls. 778 exhibitors (47.5%) came from outside Germany — including 170 companies from China, 142 from Italy, 81 from Switzerland, 77 from Austria and 51 from Turkey. Switzerland was the third-largest exhibitor group after Germany and China. The show drew 36,675 trade visitors.
Circular economy as the central theme
Per the official recap, the circular economy sat at the center of the technical program. Prof. Dr. Michael Braungart presented the “cradle-to-cradle” approach, with the core message that materials should be designed to fully return to appropriate cycles rather than becoming waste at the end of their use.
For Swiss B2B customers this is not just a sustainability topic — it’s a regulatory one. Requirements for recycled content in technical parts are rising across Europe, and running early trials with post-consumer recyclate (PCR) compounds in injection-molding grade means gathering real experience before the requirement becomes mandatory. One caveat matters here: not every PCR compound reaches the mechanical values of virgin material without adjustment — a trial on a clearly scoped, non-critical part is the right first step, not a direct swap on a safety-relevant component. General criteria for that kind of material selection apply here too.
Process stability and efficiency over buzzwords
Per the official recap, exhibiting machinery and peripheral suppliers focused heavily on increasing efficiency, process stability, reproducibility, and minimizing set-up times — not on a single spectacular new feature, but on incrementally improving existing processes. That lines up with what actually reduces scrap in practice: not one new piece of equipment, but a cleanly documented, repeatable process window across mold temperature, holding pressure, and cooling.
Digitalization: “top or flop?”
An official program item at the show was a Fakuma Round Table titled “Digitalization — Top or Flop?” According to the recap, panelists concluded that digitalization is no longer an optional future topic but a necessary tool for effectiveness and efficiency on the shop floor. For Swiss SMEs, the practical takeaway is that digitalization pays off most where it solves a specific, well-defined problem — gaps in process documentation, or inconsistent part quality across a production run — not as a blanket investment without a concrete use case.
Workforce: an underrated theme
The show also actively addressed the skills shortage: at “Career Friday,” more than 400 young people learned about career opportunities in the plastics industry, per the official recap. For Swiss companies also struggling with a shortage of skilled toolmakers and process engineers, that’s a sign the industry treats talent development as a strategic theme, not an afterthought.
Swiss perspective
With 81 exhibitors, Switzerland was the third-largest international exhibitor group at Fakuma 2024 — a real indicator of how closely the Swiss plastics industry is networked with the southern German region. For Swiss injection molders, that confirms quality, specialization, and regulatory compliance remain the competitive edge against pure cost competition from further afield — not adopting every show trend at once.
Turning show themes into real projects
Trade-show themes only create value once they’re applied to a specific, current problem: high scrap, long lead times, rising material costs, excess part weight, or uncertainty around the next tool build. Any one of those can become a clearly scoped test project — one part, one goal, one measurable result — instead of a long list of non-binding ideas. That’s especially true for circular economy and digitalization: both were discussed with real substance at Fakuma 2024, but their value only materializes through technical implementation in your own operation.
When the next Fakuma runs
The 30th Fakuma returns to Friedrichshafen in October 2026. Until then, the themes documented in 2024 — circular economy, process stability, digitalization — remain the relevant benchmark for the industry. A similarly fact-checked look at another major plastics trade fair is available in our article on K 2025 in Düsseldorf.
Questions about how these themes affect your production? Contact us.
Sources
- Fakuma (official organizer): Fakuma 2024 got off to an excellent start — official recap with exhibitor/country figures, hall occupancy and theme focus
- Fakuma (official organizer): schedule — confirms the biennial cycle and the dates of the 29th (2024) and 30th (2026) editions
- ETMM Online: Fakuma 2024 — Leading International Trade Fair for Plastics Processing — independent trade press, confirms visitor count and theme focus