Tuesday, February 14, 2017
A full three months before the largest woodworking trade show, LIGNA, to be held between May 22 and 26 at Hannover, Germany, journalists around the world got a sneak peek of how grand LIGNA would be at the LIGNA preview held today at Hannover Messe. At this special curtain raiser, hosted by the organiser, Deutsche Messe, around 80 journalists around the world were given a overview of what 30 top companies in the industry would be demonstrating at LIGNA.
LIGNA 2017 will be showcasing exhibits from more than 1500 exhibitors, with 50% of them coming from outside Germany spanning over 122,000 sq m of display area covering all the defining wood industry innovations on 10 halls and on the open air site. With pleasing growth in terms of its exhibitor lineup and a significant upswing in the amount of space booked by various exhibitors, the upcoming LIGNA is set to once again serve as the global wood industry’s top summit and source of innovative technology.
The show’s organizers, Deutsche Messe and the German Woodworking Machinery Manufacturers’ Association, have successfully implemented a new thematic layout in time for the 2017 season. “The new approach and, more importantly, the new physical layout have been extremely well received. The business climate in the wood industry is positive, offering a wealth of market opportunities. LIGNA captures those opportunities perfectly,” remarked Dr. Andreas Gruchow, the Deutsche Messe Managing Board member responsible for LIGNA, at the LIGNA Preview in Hannover, adding that: “This year, the exhibitors are presenting a wide array of innovations for intelligent, networked manufacturing systems, not to mention new ideas and strategies for the many value-creation networks at play in the wood processing and woodworking industries.”
LIGNA also scores highly in terms of international participation, with Italy, Austria, Spain, Turkey, Denmark, China, Sweden, Switzerland and the Netherlands following Germany as the show’s top 10 exhibiting nations.
According to the presentation by VDMA(Verband Deutscher Maschinen- und Anlagenbau, Mechanical Engineering Industry Association), German production of woodworking machinery is in a full swing with record growth in 2016 and continued growth in 2017 as well.
Digitalization being the driver of growth with western Europe investing heavily, southern Europe bolstered by tax incentives and cheap loans and eastern Europe remaining a constant, VDMA has reported that the industry is on a growth trajectory.
Providing market insight VDMA pointed out ASEAN region to remain strong with India building up steam. Chipboard industry in China is on the up with stiff competition in standard machines segment, with high end machines remaining in demand. Iran also looks hopeful. Despite good opportunities in primary processing market in Russia, secondary processing market remains weak. South America is expected to return to growth in 2018.
The other big highlights at LIGNA 2017 include an array of displays themed around “Integrated Manufacturing,” a “Processing of Plastics and Composites” showcase that profiles the non-wood uses of today’s woodworking machines, a series of training courses for joiners, cabinetmakers, carpenters, assemblers and installers, and, of course, the Wood Industry Summit. The many highlights of the Wood Industry Summit include innovative solutions for timber harvesting and primary processing, advanced technologies for integrating all the processing steps involved, and a strong showing by international delegations.
Gruchow concluded the Preview by saying: “LIGNA encourages a progressive approach to the possibilities of new networks. New technological opportunities lead to great gains in efficiency.”
Tags: deutsche messe, largest woodworking industry, ligna, ligna preview
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