Thursday, November 21, 2024
Marking its 50th anniversary, LIGNA is taking a moment to reflect on its storied origins. Established in 1975 as an independent trade fair branching off from HANNOVER MESSE during the oil crisis, LIGNA has a history of rising to meet industry challenges. Now, five decades later, as the woodworking and wood processing sector faces new economic pressures, LIGNA once again offers a beacon of optimism and forward-thinking solutions. With six months remaining until its opening, the world’s leading trade fair for woodworking and wood processing has already secured commitments from 1,423 exhibitors across more than 113,500 square meters of exhibition space. For comparison, LIGNA 2023 hosted 1,300 exhibitors over 114,000 square meters and drew 80,000 visitors.
“The excellent registration numbers for LIGNA 2025 are a tremendously important signal for the entire woodworking community. It’s far from guaranteed that companies would commit to their leading trade fair given the current, often extremely challenging economic climate,” says Stephanie Wagner, Head of LIGNA at Deutsche Messe. She continues, “Participating in a trade fair is a significant investment. LIGNA exhibitors require large spaces and intricate stand designs to showcase their large, complex machines and systems in live operation. That our customers are willing to make this investment despite the current economic situation underscores the high significance LIGNA enjoys. As organizers – VDMA and Deutsche Messe – we are both grateful and proud to host LIGNA in its 50th anniversary year, serving the entire industry.”
Dr. Bernhard Dirr, Managing Director of VDMA Woodworking Machinery, highlights LIGNA’s pivotal role in driving investment and innovation: “The anticipated recovery is still delayed, but our surveys show that most companies expect a clear upturn from the second quarter of 2025—perfectly timed for LIGNA. Confidence and trust are key to overcoming the current investment backlog. It’s equally essential that politicians establish clear frameworks post-elections to foster innovation and investment. LIGNA’s timing could not be better – I am confident our industry will gain significant momentum.”
LIGNA 2025 focus topics
During the five days of the trade fair in May 2025, exhibitors will showcase innovative solutions around the LIGNA focus topics: “CONNECTIVITY,” “SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION,” and “ENGINEERED WOOD.” With a strong international presence – two-thirds of exhibitors coming from abroad and one-third from Germany – LIGNA offers the industry a comprehensive platform to explore design options for essential transformation processes.
Stephanie Wagner: “With the LIGNA focus topics, we address both craft businesses and industrial groups, as the entire industry is dealing with complete digital networking, the establishment of a circular economy, and the development of intelligent products”. The focus topics bring together international solution providers to tackle these three key challenges. LIGNA.CONNECTIVITY provides solutions for achieving vertical and horizontal integration by creating interfaces with existing systems to enable seamless digital networking. LIGNA.SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION highlights economically viable approaches for the woodworking trade and industry, focusing on protecting the environment, preserving resources for future generations, and improving working conditions. LIGNA.ENGINEERED WOOD delves into the development of intelligently designed wood products, such as composite materials created by binding or fixing wood strands, particles, fibers, veneers, or panels for diverse applications. With these themes, LIGNA continues to drive innovation and transformation across the woodworking and wood processing sectors.
The LIGNA exhibition program
A look at the ten LIGNA halls and the open-air site reveals a familiar structure: Halls 11 to 15 and 27 will feature Tools and Machinery for Custom and Mass Production, demonstrating how craftsmanship and industrial applications can successfully converge through innovative technologies. Halls 25 and 26 will focus on Sawmill Technology, Wood Based Panel Production, and Energy from Wood. The open-air site and pavilions will be dedicated to Machinery for Forestry, Roundwood and Sawntimber Production. A key highlight of the outdoor exhibition area will be the new format LIGNA.TruckStop, which will serve as a central hub for skilled trades. Show trucks, vans, and transporters will allow suppliers to present their products directly to trade visitors in an engaging and accessible way. For those seeking Machine Components and Automation Technology – such as efficient drive solutions, control systems for CNC machines, energy-efficient transport and handling systems, and high-performance robotics – Hall 16 will be the go-to destination. Additionally, state-of-the-art Surface Technology will be showcased in Halls 16 and 17.
LIGNA special formats
The special formats for LIGNA 2025, tailored to the woodworking and wood processing industry, include established presentations such as LIGNA.FutureSquare (Hall 12), LIGNA.Recruiting (Hall 12), and LIGNA.Campus (Hall 11), along with two new additions: LIGNA.Circular (Hall 12) and LIGNA.TruckStop (open-air site). The latter will make its debut at the anniversary edition of LIGNA in Hanover in 2025.
LIGNA.FutureSquare: Conceptualized by the VDMA Woodworking Machinery Association, this platform showcases clever innovations from industry suppliers and emerging companies in the VDMA Startup Machine network. LIGNA.Recruiting: This format serves as a matchmaker, connecting young professionals and experienced specialists with employers. Activities like “speed dating” on the LIGNA.Stage make it an interactive and engaging experience. LIGNA.Campus: A well-established platform for technical colleges, universities of applied sciences, and universities to present their educational programs. Attendees unfamiliar with the woodworking industry as a career field can learn about training paths, degree programs, and further education opportunities. Visitors can also interact with students and trainees to explore career options in the industry. These formats ensure that LIGNA 2025 is not only a hub for technology and innovation but also a key venue for networking, recruitment, and education.
“Thinking in Circles” is the motto of the new LIGNA.Circular format in Hall 12. As a hub for a community dedicated to the circular economy in the woodworking and wood processing industry, LIGNA.Circular serves as a vital bridge connecting users, service providers, manufacturers, and craftspeople. This special format aims to enhance collaboration with relevant cross-sector and service industries, fostering interdisciplinary networking to drive practical solutions and advance the circular transformation effectively. The exclusive media partner of LIGNA.Circular is the international trade journal HK Holz- und Kunststoffverarbeitung, published by DRW-Verlag Weinbrenner.
Another innovative format, LIGNA.TruckStop, specifically targets the craftsmanship. Joiners, carpenters, and woodworkers will find plenty to explore, as the spotlight will be on power tools, fittings, and fastening technology. Suppliers such as Festool, Hettich, and Saw Stop will showcase their products from roadshow trucks, vans, and transporters located in the southwestern open-air site of the LIGNA exhibition grounds. Daily practical and expert knowledge will also be shared from a show truck at the LIGNA.TruckStop, which will serve as an interactive stage. Networking activities are planned for the indoor area of the format, designed like a “wagon castle”, complete with a relaxed catering zone. The media partners of LIGNA.TruckStop are the trade publications BM and dds, both from the Konradin Media Group.
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