Fakuma 2026: Promoting technologies – shaping the future – connecting people
Five eventful trade fair days full of technological innovations, intensive technical discussions, ceremonial awards and special encounters lie behind the international plastics industry. The 30th Fakuma, the international trade fair for plastics processing, was a lively, innovative industry meeting in Friedrichshafen from October 12 to 16, 2026 and a complete success.
The anniversary Fakuma ended with great success and an enthusiastic atmosphere. Over five days, 1,547 exhibitors presented innovations and further developments in plastics processing to the 36,278 trade visitors at the fully occupied Friedrichshafen exhibition grounds. In addition, the trade fair week was filled with a considerable supporting programme. The last day of the trade fair was a concluding highlight as „Career Friday” with the campaign to promote young talent and a strong signal for the future of the plastics industry. With guided tours and exclusive insights into technologies and manufacturing processes, participating companies gave young people an understanding of topics in the plastics industry and opportunities for the future. „The response from all sides was overwhelming,” emphasizes Annemarie Schur, Fakuma project manager at trade fair organizer P. E. Schall. „Career Friday was a great finale. Many young guests took part in the various activities with great interest. Our thanks go to all companies that have shown ways into the future with their support.”
Award for companions from the very beginning – First Paul Eberhard Schall Medal
Bettina Schall, Managing Director of the Schall trade fair company, presented a personal award to 12 companies that took part in the first Fakuma in 1981 and are still among the current exhibitors today. This honour went to Arburg, Engel Austria, Getecha, Technotrans Solutions, Hasco Hasenclever, Ihne & Tesch, Kistler Instrumente, Werner Koch Maschinentechnik, Mold Masters Europa, Schuma Maschinenbau, Single Group and Wittmann Battenfeld. A special award – the first Paul Eberhard Schall Medal – was accepted with great pleasure by today’s Arburg Managing Director Juliane Hehl. Paul-Eberhard Schall and her father Eugen Hehl, then Managing Director of the world’s leading manufacturer of plastic injection moulding machines, had jointly launched Fakuma in 1981. Thanks to their entrepreneurial and personal cooperation, the two personalities have promoted technologies, shaped the future and connected people. They set milestones and shaped an industry – they founded a unique success story. The awarding of the first Paul Eberhard Schall Medal took place atmospherically during the opening of the fair. Prof. Dr. Martin Bastian, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the „SKZ Das Kunststoffzentrum” in Würzburg, emphasized in his laudation: „The success story of Fakuma was not born in a strategy paper. It was created through entrepreneurial spirit, through trust, through handshake quality, through people who were willing to take responsibility. And it is therefore only logical that the first Paul Eberhard Schall Medal goes to the company that has been one of the closest companions of this trade fair from the very beginning.”
Fireworks of innovations at the first Fakuma Innovation Award
The first Fakuma Innovation Award, which was presented by the trade fair organiser P. E. Schall together with the media partner K ZEITUNG on the occasion of the anniversary Fakuma, met with huge interest. The aim was to honour technological excellence, innovative strength and team performance within the plastics processing industry and to present it on an appreciative platform. An expert jury had to process an overwhelming number of applications and was finally allowed to select the winners. The award ceremony of this innovation competition on the afternoon of the first day of the fair turned into an impressive firework of innovations: A total of 18 companies were celebrated in 3rd, 2nd and 1st place respectively in the six categories of injection moulding, extrusion, recycling, tool and mould making / thermoforming, compounding and materials as well as peripherals.
Strong start-up community, especially in the field of bioplastics
Over all days of the fair, 18 young companies – more than ever before! – in the start-up area, new solutions and ideas for the plastics industry will be shown. Biomaterials were strongly represented, for example for packaging, household goods or medical devices. Bioplastics made from natural and renewable resources such as algae, corn or potato starch are degradable and recyclable and help to avoid plastic waste in the environment. Since material performance and quality and thus the wide range of applications increases, the solutions of the young companies can be expected in the future.
This year’s „Round Table on Fakuma” also provided strong impetus for the future viability of companies. „Strengthening the strengths” was the motto of the panel of experts on the second day of the fair, at which Eva Söhnlein, Managing Director of the Geiger Group, Dr. Johannes Kilian, Vice President Process and Application Technology at Engel Austria, Günther Klammer, CTO at Next Generation Holding, and Michael Weigelt, Managing Director of TecPart – Association of Technical Plastic Products, discussed fields of action. Last but not least, all visitors were able to take advantage of knowledge transfer, know-how exchange and networking at the daily specialist lectures as part of the forum.
„We are grateful and happy that we were able to celebrate this anniversary fair with all those involved,” says Bettina Schall, summarizing Fakuma 2026. „It was a wonderful industry festival with valuable technical discussions and many beautiful encounters. There was a positive response to the new sequence of days with the duration of the fair from Monday to Friday. And the usual and appreciated spirit of Fakuma could also be felt on all sides this year: thematic relevance, pragmatic orientation, solution-orientation and the exchange always at eye level. We continue on this path by promoting technologies, shaping the future and connecting people. So we are looking forward to seeing you again at the 31st Fakuma from 11 to 15 October 2027.”
64 Years of Trade Fairs for Markets – The Recipe for Success of Schall Trade Fairs
Schall has developed successful business platforms with the internationally recognised trade fairs for quality assurance (Control), optical technologies, components and systems (Optatec), stamping technology (Stanztec), production and assembly automation (Motek), bonding technology (Bondexpo), plastics processing (Fakuma) as well as sheet metal processing (Blechexpo) and joining technology (Schweisstec). This has given rise to completely new markets in various industries, whose protagonists are characterized by a high level of innovation, comprehensive system expertise and practical application solutions.
Visit the trade fair website: https://www.fakuma-messe.de/news-stories
