Monday, July 16, 2018
The next LIGNA to be staged between May 27 and 31, 2019, and its organisers, Deutsche Messe and the German Woodworking Machinery Manufacturers’ Association (VDMA Holzbearbeitungsmaschinen), have announced that exhibitor registrations are coming in at a very pleasing pace.
“I’m pleased to say we’re getting lots of first-time exhibitors, not to mention plenty of repeat exhibitors, many of whom are staging bigger displays this time around,” commented Christian Pfeiffer, Deutsche Messe’s Global Director LIGNA& Woodworking Events. “What’s more, the outstanding response exhibitors are showing for the event serves as confirmation that we made the right move in 2017, at which time when we completely revamped the site, the layout of display categories and thus the locations of virtually every single exhibitor,” he added. “Next year, the majority of the exhibitors will be retaining the locations they had in 2017 following the big change. The Surface Technology display launched in 2017 will be home to a number of first-time exhibitors in 2019. Companies from around the world are so eager to exhibit at LIGNA because they know it is the very best option when it comes to showcasing new products, presenting full-fledged plant and machinery in action, as well as for networking and comparing notes with industry peers.”
One of the regular LIGNA features is the Wood Industry Summit. Just looking at the summit’s three focus themes – “Integrated Woodworking – Customized Solutions”, “Smart Surface Technologies” and “Access to Resources and Technology” – it is clear that the upcoming show will be strong on high-tech highlights and innovations. From various angles, each of the show’s display categories will explore digitization as the engine and driving force of innovation in the wood industry. Pfeiffer remarked, “Timber processing and woodworking are no longer just about standalone machines. Instead, what we have now are digitally integrated processes and systems built around machines. LIGNA 2019 will thus traverse a wealth of real-life applications, with a strong focus on machine demonstrations and the innovative power of digitization and automation.”
There is a great deal of interest in these technologies at the moment, with the business climate looking very positive and the German Woodworking Machinery Manufacturers’ Association reporting healthy order books for 2018. The USA and China – the two most important export markets for high-tech woodworking machinery – are forecast to grow 8 percent this year. Apart from digitization, the main drivers of this boom for wood-industry technology suppliers are the worldwide megatrends of sustainable building and urbanization.
In terms of attendance, the organizers are predicting a strong turnout, particularly from Germany, Poland and China – countries which in 2017 ranked among the show’s Top Five visiting nations.
Tags: Christian Pfeiffer, integrated woodworking, LIGNA 2019, smart surface technologies, woodindustry summit
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