World Printers Summit 2025 envisages smarter future of print media

Under the theme ‘Future of Newspaper Production: Smarter, Leaner, Greener’, delegates from the print media industry from all over the world came together to exchange knowledge, spark ideas, and tackle shared challenges at the recent World Printers Summit 2025 held on October 8-9 at Design Offices in Munich, Germany. Beyond the inspiring sessions and lively discussions, the gathering strengthened collaborations and united all as a global print community.

Yet again, set as a platform for world’s print media professionals from leading publishing houses, World Printers Summit 2025 brought together the industry’s most forward-thinking minds and bold innovators to shape what comes next in the segment. The two days of summit provided once again that innovation thrives when everybody in the industry worked together.

Print media sector is an area defined by disruption and reinvention. World Printers Summit 2025 was designed for those who embrace change and are ready to lead the transformation towards smarter, leaner, and greener newspaper production. The summit provided an exceptional platform for networking and showcasing the services within the print industry. Throughout the event, there was an opportunity to engage with numerous prospective suppliers and industry leaders.

Welcome speeches were addressed by keynote speakers including Vincent Peyrègne, CEO, WAN-IFRA, France, and Ingi Rafn Olafsson, Director of World Printers Forum, WAN-IFRA, Iceland. In the keynote titled, ‘How will AI influence the future of print media?’, Thomas Schultz-Homberg, CEO of Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger Medien, offered exclusive insights into the AI strategy of the Cologne-based media company and shows how artificial intelligence can revolutionize processes in traditional publishing houses.

In the session, ‘Industry Insights: Trends in Newspaper Production’, a panel of speakers comprising Ingi Rafn Olafsson, Director of World Printers Forum, WAN-IFRA, Iceland; Flemming Heding Pedersen, COO & Production Director, Erritsø Tryk, Denmark; and Dick Ranzijn, CEO, Rodi Groep, Netherlands, presented the findings of the annual World Printers Forum survey, a longstanding initiative that gathers insights from production executives across the industry. The session was moderated by Sally Pirri, Vice President – Print Operations, The Globe and Mail, Canada.

Sustainability and Print Innovation Awards was a moment of cheers and funs with the identification of the world’s most innovative print advertising products, publications about sustainability as well as sustainable working processes.

Second day of the summit was opened with the ‘Tackling Material Shortages in Print Production’ in which speakers including Dr Michael Has Partner, Monopteros GmbH, Germany; Bengt Föbker, Managing Director, Pressedruck Potsdam, Germany; and Jennifer Ellinger, Managing Director, VRM Druck, Germany, discussed about the production companies are increasingly challenged by shortages of essential materials.

In a follow-up session, representatives from Pressedruck Augsburg and Ferag presented a case study on retrofitting Multidisc winding units in the mailroom. Ferag also addressed the challenges faced by the few remaining suppliers—such as investment uncertainty, capacity planning, and alternative sourcing—and explore solutions for long-term sustainability, including potential industry alliances with expert Karl Friesenbichler as speaker.

With a digital-first mindset, the opportunity to automate page-layout system enables publishers to reduce costs and increase speed in the production of e-papers and printed newspapers. VRM has together with Protecmedia developed and implemented Aida with success achieving spectacular results. Adrian Baldamus, Project Manager, Protecmedia and Jörgen Karlsson, Head of Sales, MWM Group AB/Protecmedia, talked about the opportunity.

In the session on ‘Retrofit. Upgrade. Transform. – How to future-proof your printing business – a case study by manroland Goss, was presented by Alexander Karl, Head of Sales Aftermarket Europe, manroland Goss and Sylvain Lepinay, Vice President Engineered Solutions, manroland Goss.

In the Sponsored Session – The Value of Paper Today, UPM offered the widest range of graphic papers from 10 mills in Europe and North America. Kati Murto, VP, Marketing, Sustainability and Communications, shared the insights on the value of paper today and UPM’s commitment to innovation, reliability, and ambitious climate targets.

The summit concluded with a forward-looking panel featuring publishers sharing their experiences and perspectives on the upcoming EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). In the panel were Gundula Ullah, Vice-Chair, World Printers Forum and Chief Sustainability Officer, FUNKE Mediengruppe, Germany and Lars Ole Eichelberg, Head of Strategic Purchasing, FUNKE Mediengruppe, Germany.