Views: 0 Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 2026-06-23 Origin: Site
From June 4 to 6, 2026, Messe Düsseldorf opened its doors to the global funeral community for FORUM BEFA Düsseldorf — the 17th International Funeral Fair and a landmark 75th-anniversary edition of Europe's most important gathering for the funeral profession. Among the 250-plus exhibitors from more than 40 countries, Jiangxi Dongsheng Intelligent Equipment Group Co., Ltd. (Dongsheng Group) presented its full portfolio of cremation equipment and related cremation equipment, filtration solutions, filtration solutions, columbarium niches, incinerators, and memorial products, engaging in three days of intensive dialogue around cremation equipment around cremation equipment with European funeral directors, cemetery operators, municipal authorities, and industry associations.
This article recaps Dongsheng's presence at BEFA FORUM 2026, examines Dongsheng's approach to cremation equipment, including cremation machine and filtration technology the group brought to the showfloor, explores the trends reshaping the European cremation market, and reflects on what the fair's 75th anniversary — paired with the special exhibition "150 Years of Cremation in Germany" — means for international partners investing in sustainable, dignified end-of-life infrastructure. For cemetery and crematorium professionals evaluating new projects or retrofits, Düsseldorf 2026 offered a uniquely complete view of where the global industry is heading.
For Dongsheng Group, BEFA FORUM 2026 represented a deliberate strategic step into the heart of the European funeral industry and cremation equipment market. As a global manufacturer of trusted cremation equipment headquartered in Yichun, Jiangxi, with ISO-certified production and a worldwide research and development network, the group has spent years building a reputation as a trusted one-stop partner for buyers of cremation equipment from crematoria, cemeteries, and funeral homes across Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and the Americas, supplying cremation equipment that balances throughput with environmental responsibility. Düsseldorf, as a landmark gathering for the global cremation equipment industry, offered the ideal stage to deepen existing European relationships and to introduce the company's latest cremation equipment — human cremation machines and emission control systems to an audience that places environmental compliance, operator safety, and long service life — the hallmarks of premium cremation equipment — at the top of its purchasing criteria.
The Dongsheng delegation arrived in the days leading up to the opening, finalizing a booth designed around the fair's three guiding keywords — vielfältig (diverse), innovativ (innovative), nachhaltig (sustainable). A warm red carpet guided visitors from the aisle onto a blue-branded presentation area, where a reception desk, product display cases, and dedicated consultation tables set the tone for professional B2B exchange around cremation equipment and memorial solutions. Five large-format product posters dominated the back wall, each telling a distinct part of the Dongsheng story: Advanced Cremation Solutions, Future of Memorial Spaces, Premium Columbarium Niches, Modern Columbarium Solutions, and Natural Choices — the last of which showcased the group's wooden and eco-cardboard coffin lines.
Positioned at the CCD Ost entrance to Messe Düsseldorf — Stockumer Kirchstraße, 40474 Düsseldorf — the booth sat along one of the main traffic arteries connecting the entrance hall to the main exhibition halls. This prime placement ensured that the Dongsheng team was able to capture attention from the very first minutes of the show, drawing visitors from Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, the Nordic countries, Central and Eastern Europe, and further afield. For many European operators, this was their first opportunity to examine Dongsheng's furnaces at close quarters and to discuss project-specific requirements directly with the engineering and sales teams behind the products.
To understand the significance of BEFA FORUM 2026, one must place the fair in its historical context. Organized by Forum BEFA GmbH & Co. KG in close cooperation with the Bundesverband Deutscher Bestatter e.V. (BDB, the German Federal Association of Funeral Directors), FORUM BEFA traces its origins back to 1949 — making the 2026 edition the official 75th anniversary of the event. Since 1970, the fair has been hosted at Messe Düsseldorf, where it has grown into a quadrennial meeting point for the entire funeral value chain and a reference point for every manufacturer of cremation equipment serving the European cremation equipment market.
The 2026 edition was the largest in the fair's history: more than 25,000 square meters of exhibition space, over 250 exhibitors (approximately 25 percent more than in 2022), more than 10,000 professional visitors, and representation from across five continents and more than 40 countries. The increase in scale reflected a broader industry reality — the funeral and cremation sectors are modernizing rapidly, and trade fairs have become essential marketplaces for comparing cremation equipment and cremation machine technology, sourcing partners, and aligning on regulatory direction.
Several parallel events gave the 2026 edition particular depth. The special exhibition "150 Years of Cremation in Germany" traced a century and a half of cremation history in the host country — from the first modern cremations in the 1870s, through the turbulent twentieth century, to today's high-technology, low-emission crematoria. The European Cremation Network (ECN) held its annual meeting on-site, bringing together national cremation associations to compare regulatory developments and operational best practices. The European Federation of Funeral Services (EFFS) and the International Cremation Federation (ICF) convened board meetings in the margins of the fair, and FIAT-IFTA presented its Manifesto of Visibility and Voice, calling for greater recognition of the funeral profession's role in society.
For an international manufacturer such as Dongsheng, this rich program offered more than networking — it provided a window into the values and priorities that will define European procurement decisions over the next four-year cycle. Sustainability, emissions reduction, dignified service, digital memorialization, and personalized remembrance emerged as consistent themes across booths, stages, and side events, all of which map directly onto Dongsheng's cremation equipment design principles of Dongsheng's cremation equipment portfolio.
Walking onto the Dongsheng stand, visitors encountered a carefully curated narrative of the group's capabilities. To the left of the entrance, a "Who We Are" roll-up banner presented the company mission in clear, direct language: Dongsheng is a leading provider of innovative funeral solutions, specializing in columbarium niches, urn storage, and cremation equipment, and a trusted one-stop manufacturer whose mission is to combine technology and tradition, making funeral services safer, more organized, and more meaningful.
The five main posters behind the consultation area translated that mission into concrete product categories. "Advanced Cremation Solutions" introduced the group's flagship cremation equipment and human cremation machines, with emphasis on fuel efficiency, dual-chamber combustion, and emissions control — the core of any modern cremation equipment installation. "Future of Memorial Spaces" previewed digital and holographic approaches to commemoration — an area of growing interest across European cemeteries exploring how to engage younger generations. "Premium Columbarium Niches" and "Modern Columbarium Solutions" showcased the range of stone-front, glass-front, and metal-front niche systems that the group manufactures, including holographic-projection niches that combine physical memorialization with digital tributes. Finally, "Natural Choices" highlighted wooden caskets and eco-cardboard coffins, responding to the rising European demand for environmentally responsible funeral merchandise.
Throughout the three days, Dongsheng's multilingual team — combining product engineers, international sales specialists, and after-sales managers — conducted continuous product briefings, answered technical questions, and scheduled follow-up visits for interested partners. The booth layout, with its open reception zone and semi-private consultation tables, proved well suited to the confidential nature of many B2B conversations in this sector, where purchasing decisions often involve multi-year planning cycles and close coordination with local authorities.
At the heart of Dongsheng's offering for the European market is the human cremation machine — the centerpiece of Dongsheng cremation equipment, a product line engineered around the very priorities that European operators emphasized at BEFA 2026: fuel efficiency, low emissions, quiet operation, and operator safety. The company's Human Cremation Machine — the flagship Dongsheng cremation equipment — uses a dual-chamber design that has become a global benchmark for clean cremation. The cremation equipment has been deployed in crematoria across multiple continents.
The primary chamber operates across a temperature range of 400 to 950 degrees Celsius, driving the initial combustion of the coffin and the deceased. A secondary after-chamber, operating between 800 and 1,300 degrees Celsius, completes the combustion of flue gases and particulate matter. The elevated temperature in the secondary chamber is of particular relevance to European buyers, because temperatures at or above 1,100 to 1,200 degrees Celsius are widely recognized as necessary for the effective thermal destruction of dioxins and furans — compounds that are closely regulated under EU environmental frameworks. By sustaining secondary-chamber temperatures up to 1,300 degrees Celsius, the Dongsheng platform supports operators in aligning with the strict emissions expectations that define modern European crematoria.
For European crematoria managing rising annual caseloads, throughput and fuel economy are critical commercial metrics when selecting new cremation equipment. The Dongsheng human cremation equipment supports continuous operation at a cycle time of 40 minutes or less per case, allowing high-volume facilities to maintain dignified scheduling without compromising combustion completeness. Fuel consumption is equally competitive: in continuous operation the machine consumes no more than 7.5 liters of light diesel per case, while single-cycle consumption ranges between 6 and 12 liters depending on operating conditions. These figures position the platform favorably against European expectations for energy-conscious cremation equipment, particularly at a time when energy costs and carbon accountability are driving investment decisions across the continent.
European workplaces are governed by robust occupational health and safety expectations, and Dongsheng has engineered this cremation equipment accordingly. Noise levels in the waiting area and operating room are held at or below 50 decibels — roughly the level of a quiet office — reducing fatigue for staff and preserving a respectful acoustic environment for mourning families. The outer surface temperature of the furnace body does not exceed 42 degrees Celsius, and the observation-port handle remains at or below 60 degrees Celsius, minimizing the risk of contact burns during routine operation.
The furnace chamber measures L2200 × W700 × H750 millimeters (with a tolerance of plus or minus 20 millimeters), yielding an internal volume of at least 1.12 cubic meters — generous dimensions that accommodate the range of coffin sizes encountered in European practice. The outer frame dimensions are L3600 × W2300 × H3250 millimeters (tolerance plus or minus 10 millimeters). Working pressure inside the chamber is maintained between -1 and -400 Pascals, with an empty-furnace negative pressure greater than -200 Pascals, ensuring that flue gases are reliably drawn through the combustion path rather than leaking into the operator environment. This cremation equipment platform is also fuel-flexible, supporting 0# to -40# light diesel, city gas, natural gas, and liquefied petroleum gas — a meaningful advantage for European partners whose facilities connect to different local energy infrastructures.
Even the most efficient cremation chamber cannot, by itself, satisfy the most stringent European emissions expectations. That is why Dongsheng presented its integrated Cremation Filter System as a complementary offering at BEFA FORUM 2026. Across European markets, emission thresholds for particulates, mercury, dioxins, furans, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen oxides continue to tighten, and funeral operators are increasingly expected to invest in flue-gas treatment as part of new cremation equipment installations and major retrofits.
The Dongsheng filtration portfolio is designed as a modular solution that can be matched to the specific regulatory profile of each market. The system combines particulate capture, adsorption stages for heavy metals and organic micropollutants, and neutralization stages for acid gases, providing crematorium operators with a single-vendor solution that integrates cleanly with the company's cremation equipment and cremation machines. For European customers, the appeal of a single-source package lies in simplified project management, aligned commissioning, and streamlined after-sales support across both the combustion island and the flue-gas treatment train.
Interest in filtration was one of the clearest signals from the showfloor. Representatives from German, Dutch, Belgian, and Nordic crematoria asked detailed questions about retrofit compatibility, maintenance intervals, monitoring interfaces, and the documentation available to support environmental permit applications. These conversations confirmed a market shift that Dongsheng has been tracking for several years: procurement in Europe is no longer a decision about the furnace alone; it is a decision about a complete, documented, compliant emissions chain.
While cremation equipment and technical systems drew much of the engineering conversation, Dongsheng's memorial products generated some of the most emotional and creative exchanges at the booth. As cremation rates continue to rise across Europe, cemeteries and crematoria are rethinking their memorial landscapes. Traditional earth burial is being complemented — and in some regions overtaken — by columbaria, scattering gardens, memorial walls, and digital commemoration spaces. Dongsheng presented a full range of columbarium niche systems to meet this demand.
The group's columbarium niche product line includes stone-front, glass-front, and metal-front options, allowing cemetery operators to match the aesthetic of existing buildings or to create contemporary new memorial halls. Stone fronts lend themselves to classic, timeless installations that harmonize with historic cemetery architecture — a common requirement across Germany, France, and Central Europe. Glass fronts provide a clean, luminous aesthetic and allow families to place personal mementos in view. Metal fronts offer durability and a modern design language well suited to urban crematoria and recently built memorial facilities.
A notable focus of the Dongsheng display was its holographic-projection columbarium system, which couples a physical niche with a digital display capable of presenting portraits, life stories, and recorded tributes. This technology resonated strongly with European cemetery managers who are actively seeking ways to make columbaria more engaging for younger families and to extend the commemorative experience beyond the nameplate. Across several European markets, cemetery operators report that families increasingly expect digital elements to be part of the memorial offering.
Complementing the core product lines, Dongsheng also presented a portfolio of wooden caskets and coffins, eco-cardboard coffins, and cremation urns. The "Natural Choices" display drew attention from funeral directors looking for responsibly sourced, aesthetically understated merchandise suitable for both traditional and contemporary services. European interest in eco-friendly funerals has accelerated over the past decade, driven by consumer preference for simpler, lower-impact ceremonies and by municipal strategies to reduce the carbon footprint of public services.
The inclusion of incinerators — for medical waste, general waste, and ritual/cremated remains processing — rounded out the one-stop value proposition. For cemetery and crematorium operators managing multiple waste streams, the ability to source cremation equipment, filtration, memorial products, and ancillary incineration from a single partner simplifies procurement, training, and lifetime service.
Walking the halls of Messe Düsseldorf and speaking with visitors from more than 40 countries, several clear trends emerged that will define the European cremation market over the coming years. For Dongsheng, these trends validate the product development direction the company has pursued and frame the long-term opportunity for European partnership.
First, cremation rates continue to rise. Cremation has become the dominant mode of disposition across much of Western Europe, a story powerfully told in the "150 Years of Cremation in Germany" special exhibition. The Netherlands, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the Nordic countries, and parts of Central Europe report similarly high or rising rates. This structural shift creates sustained demand for new and upgraded crematoria, additional cremation equipment and cremation machines, modernized flue-gas treatment, and expanded columbarium capacity and new cremation equipment installations.
Second, environmental regulation continues to tighten. National regulators and municipal permitting authorities are applying ever-closer scrutiny to emissions, including particulates, mercury (largely from dental amalgam), dioxins and furans, acid gases, and greenhouse gases. Crematoria that invested in first- or second-generation filtration a generation ago are now evaluating upgrades, and greenfield projects are being specified with best-in-class treatment from the outset.
Third, families are demanding greater personalization and digital memorialization. For cemeteries and crematoria, this translates into demand for flexible memorial spaces and digital tributes alongside reliable combustion systems. Fourth, sustainability is expanding beyond the stack to encompass fuel consumption, coffin materials, and the broader carbon footprint of cemetery operations. Fifth, workforce challenges across the European funeral sector are driving interest in equipment that is quieter, cooler on the outside, and easier to operate — exactly the engineering priorities reflected in Dongsheng's current platform.
Across the three show days, the Dongsheng booth recorded strong engagement from funeral directors, cemetery managers, and crematorium operators. The quality of conversations was notably high: visitors arrived with technical questions, project timelines, and clear procurement objectives, rather than general curiosity. German operators, many of whom are navigating the current wave of emissions-permit renewals, focused particularly on the integration of furnaces with filtration packages and on service and spare-parts infrastructure within Europe.
Dutch and Belgian visitors showed strong interest in columbarium systems, particularly glass-front and holographic niches suitable for the compact, design-forward memorial facilities common in densely populated Benelux markets. Nordic operators asked detailed questions about fuel flexibility and winter-operation performance, reflecting the colder climates and diverse municipal energy infrastructures of Scandinavia. Central and Eastern European partners were focused on turn-key solutions, combining cremation equipment, cremation machines, filtration systems, and after-sales support for cremation equipment as they expand and modernize national cremation capacity.
Beyond Europe, visitors from the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America used the fair as an opportunity to compare platforms for upcoming projects in their home markets. The presence of such a geographically diverse audience at BEFA FORUM 2026 reinforced the event's position as a truly global meeting point and confirmed that the European showfloor continues to set benchmarks that influence purchasing decisions far beyond the EU.
A memorable moment of the show came when a senior German municipal representative — identifiable by the ceremonial chain of office — visited the Dongsheng booth, accompanied by industry delegates, for an extended discussion about international cooperation in cremation technology and cemetery infrastructure. The visit was emblematic of the broader openness that characterized BEFA 2026: European municipal authorities and industry associations are actively seeking international partners that can help them deliver modern, environmentally responsible end-of-life services to their communities.
During the conversation, the Dongsheng team walked the delegation through the human cremation equipment and cremation machine performance data, filtration system architecture, and columbarium product range. Discussion touched on the role of international manufacturers in supporting European crematorium modernization, the importance of long-term service relationships, and the shared value of dignified, accessible funeral services for all communities. The exchange underscored a point that the team emphasized throughout the fair: Dongsheng does not see itself as a vendor delivering containers of machinery, but as a long-term engineering partner standing behind every installation for years after commissioning.
Participating in BEFA FORUM 2026 at such a historic moment — the fair's 75th anniversary, coinciding with 150 years of cremation in Germany — was a deliberate statement of intent. The Dongsheng presence in Düsseldorf signaled that the company is committed to the European market for the long term and that it is investing in the relationships, certifications, and service capabilities that European partners expect.
This commitment rests on several pillars. First, the company's company profile reflects a global manufacturer with international quality management systems, ISO-certified production facilities, and an R&D network that benchmarks continuously against European, American, and Asian technical standards. Second, the product portfolio is engineered around compliance with strict emissions expectations — including the 1,300-degree-Celsius secondary chamber that supports dioxin and furan destruction — rather than being adapted after the fact for demanding markets. Third, the one-stop model, spanning cremation equipment, cremation machines, filtration, columbaria, incinerators, caskets, and urns, allows European partners to consolidate suppliers and reduce project complexity.
In the weeks following BEFA FORUM 2026, Dongsheng's international team is following up on every qualified conversation held at the booth. The follow-up process includes detailed technical proposals, emissions documentation, layout planning support, and — where appropriate — invitations for European partners to visit the group's production and R&D facilities to inspect the cremation equipment firsthand. Factory visits have historically played an important role in building trust with international partners, because they allow buyers to verify build quality, observe machines in test operation, and meet the engineering teams who will support cremation equipment installations over the equipment's lifetime.
Looking further ahead, the Dongsheng team is using the insights gathered in Düsseldorf to shape its participation in upcoming European and international funeral and cremation events, to refine product specifications for European regulatory requirements, and to expand after-sales and spare-parts capabilities in support of growing European installations. For European funeral directors, cemetery managers, and municipal authorities exploring the next generation of cremation equipment solutions, BEFA FORUM 2026 made one thing clear: the global cremation technology landscape is evolving rapidly, and international manufacturers of proven cremation equipment like Dongsheng are bringing meaningful innovation, efficiency, and environmental performance to the table. At a moment when the European cremation market is balancing rising demand, tightening regulation, and a strong cultural commitment to dignity and sustainability, the partnerships formed on the Düsseldorf showfloor stand to shape the future of cremation across the continent.
BEFA FORUM 2026 (the 17th International Funeral Fair, or FORUM BEFA Düsseldorf) took place from June 4 to 6, 2026, at Messe Düsseldorf in Germany, with entry via the CCD Ost entrance at Stockumer Kirchstraße, 40474 Düsseldorf. The fair is held every four years, and the 2026 edition marked its 75th anniversary.
Dongsheng presented its full portfolio of cremation equipment, including human cremation machines, emission filter systems, columbarium niches with stone, glass, and metal fronts (including holographic-projection niches), incinerators for medical and general waste, wooden and eco-cardboard caskets, and cremation urns.
The machine uses a dual-chamber design. The primary chamber operates at 400 to 950 degrees Celsius, while the secondary after-chamber reaches 800 to 1,300 degrees Celsius. High secondary-chamber temperatures support the thermal destruction of dioxins and furans, and the system can be paired with the Dongsheng Cremation Filter System for comprehensive particulate, heavy-metal, and acid-gas control.
In continuous operation, fuel consumption is no more than 7.5 liters per case. In single-cycle operation, consumption typically ranges from 6 to 12 liters per case depending on operating conditions. The platform is fuel-flexible, supporting light diesel (0# to -40#), city gas, natural gas, and liquefied petroleum gas.
In continuous operation, the cremation machine supports a cycle time of 40 minutes or less per case, allowing high-volume crematoria to maintain efficient scheduling while preserving dignified service standards and complete combustion.
Yes. Noise levels in the waiting area and operating room are held at or below 50 decibels, the furnace body outer surface temperature does not exceed 42 degrees Celsius, the observation-port handle remains at or below 60 degrees Celsius, and the chamber operates under negative pressure (between -1 and -400 Pascals) to prevent flue-gas leakage into the operator environment.
Yes. Dongsheng offers integrated cremation equipment packages — turnkey cremation equipment that combine human cremation equipment with the Cremation Filter System, simplifying procurement, installation, commissioning, and after-sales support for crematorium operators who need to meet strict European emissions standards for cremation equipment.
Yes. Dongsheng manufactures a comprehensive range of columbarium niches, including stone-front, glass-front, and metal-front options as well as holographic-projection niches that combine physical interment with digital commemoration. The company also supplies wooden caskets, eco-cardboard coffins, and cremation urns to complement its core product lines.
