Summary
¦ More than 80,000 visitors are expected.
¦ German machinery makers are in profit again.
¦ Surface technologies, lightweight construction and biomass are key themes.
¦ Solid and engineered timber innovations will be displayed.
¦ A Ligna iPhone app is available.
It’s the beginning of summer, the location is Hannover and the buzz of woodworking machinery is about to fill the air.
It is of course Ligna, the world’s largest woodworking machinery and equipment exhibition and the place where manufacturers come to show their latest technology.
The atmosphere in Hannover for the show – May 30-June 3 – should be more buoyant this year compared to two years ago, when the recession was in full flow and uncertainty gripped markets.
And the fact that 2011 is International Year of the Forests and the show will be visited by Germany’s federal president could mean Ligna will attract more attention in the media.
Dominik Wolfschütz, from Ligna co-organiser the VDMA – German Woodworking Machinery Association, said large German machinery producers were reporting profits again and this, coupled with the success of other exhibitions this year, meant Ligna could be well attended in 2011.
“It is really looking good and the halls are looking full,” he told TTJ. “Hall 27 for sawmilling and panel production equipment has been sold out for the first time.
“The likes of Dieffenbacher and Siempelkamp had all-time highs last year in terms of orders.”
He put this down to strong business in the BRIC countries and South-east Asia.
Investments
“In the last three to four months the sawmilling industry has also started investing again, particularly in Russia. For sawmilling machinery manufacturers Ligna is the only international and big show, because they only go to five to six shows a year, unlike Weinig and Homag who can attend more than 50 a year.”
Many of the larger manufacturers are taking increased stand sizes this year, though the weaker trading performance of many smaller firms will mean that the overall size of the show may be marginally smaller on 2009 (just over 128,000m² booked as of May 6 compared with a final total of 130,152m² in 2009).
Some 1,732 exhibitors are booked, compared with 1,758 two years ago.
“There were 80,000 visitors last time but we think there will definitely be an increase,” said Mr Wolfschütz.
Investment in woodworking machinery by UK companies has taken a knock in recent times. Exports of all stationary woodworking machines to the UK halved in 2009 to €109m, of which 34% of the total came from Germany. Preliminary 2010 figures show German exports bounced back by 26% to €39m in 2010.
This is against a background of a worldwide wood machinery market growing by an estimated 5% in 2010 (2009: -37.7%).
What’s on offer
So what can visitors expect to see at Ligna?
There are 13 halls covering the entire timber chain, from felling to final processing for the end user. Two halls are dedicated to solid wood working (12 & 13), while joinery and carpentry has five halls (11 & 14-17) and materials handling, forestry technology and mobile bandsaws will be in the open-air area.
The Ligna show motto “Making more out of wood” demonstrates the continuing emphasis on resource efficiency in the face of future scarcity of timber supplies and increasing costs.
Machinery producers will have a stronger emphasis on increasing yield and reducing waste. And this directly relates to another show theme – lightweight solutions.
Machinery manufacturers and timber/ chemical companies have teamed up on a joint stand to promote lightweight construction wood-based panels which generally do the same job as traditional panels but with less raw material content. Participants include IMA, Rehau, Dieffenbacher, BASF and Egger, showing innovative production and lightweight construction concepts, mainly aimed at the furniture/worktop sectors.
The longer, non-sagging horizontal spans of lightweight boards open up possibilities which would not be possible using traditional products.
Days two and three of the fair will premiere the “Think Light – International Conference on Lightweight Panels”, featuring presentations on topics including the production, processing and finishing of lightweight wood panels, their physical characteristics, commercialisation options and acceptance of lightweight furniture by end users.
It’s always difficult to judge how many UK and Ireland visitors will be visiting, especially as some of the larger machinery companies have held their own in-house shows recently. But TTJ has secured a number of free tickets for readers to give access during the show duration (as well as free public transport in Hannover) (see p10 for details).
On the exhibitor front, JJ Smith continues to be one of the few UK machinery companies making the trip to Ligna, where it will show the Mobi-One assembly system for small and medium-size timber frame manufacturers.
“In 2009 there were visitors to the show from more than 90 different countries so we see it as not only an excellent opportunity to showcase the new machine to potential German customers but also the rest of Europe and potentially further afield,” said JJ Smith’s Graeme Stanley.
“Although we are predominantly in attendance looking for new international clients, we would also welcome and hope to see any UK customers as this is the primary launch of the machine at any exhibition and the first chance to see it in full operation.”
New additions
New additions to the 2011 special display line-up include a presentation by the German Association of the Sawmilling & Timber Industry (BSHD) in Hall 27 themed “Sawmiller meets supplier”, and a showcase by specialist hardwood sawmill operators in Hall 12.
Several German sawmills will be exhibiting such as Decker Holz and Keck, in the BSHD pavilion in Hall 27, though some of the really big names are absent.
The Handwerk, Holz & mehr section of Ligna showcases everything the market has to offer joiners, cabinetmakers, carpenters and the timber-based construction sector. This “fair-within-a-fair” in Halls 11 & 12 and 14 &17, will be in its fourth season and will host all the big-name suppliers.
Visitors from the skilled woodworking trades will be able to survey a range of machinery, tools and accessories, innovative processes, techniques and applications for natural and engineered woods, software solutions, services and training programmes.
Timber-based construction is also a big theme at Ligna, especially in Hall 17, which will feature tailored turnkey wood solutions for all kinds of building projects, including extensions, adding new storeys, loft conversions and energy-efficiency measures, as well as the construction of single-family homes and large-scale buildings.
Other products include wood-based panels with integrated soundproofing and cabling, advanced preservative treatment processes, modified timbers and wood-plastic composites.
The Association of Lower Saxony Carpenters (VNZ) will showcase a host of innovations in its Timber-based Construction pavilion. This theme will be further underscored by the awards ceremony for the German Timber Construction Award, to be held on May 31 in Hall 17.
Integrated data flow
A new section is dedicated to integrated data flow infrastructure spanning the entire timber production chain, from forest floor to finished product. Situated in Pavilion 33 and on the pavilion forecourt under the Expo canopy, it will show everything from systems for inventories and grading timber to billing IT solutions.
IN2WOOD will also make a debut. IN2WOOD is an EU project involving 13 partners who are developing a strategic action plan to meet the challenges of innovation, competitiveness and sustainability in the wood industry.
The aim is to formulate new approaches to forest management, foster innovation systems for the sustainable and energy-efficient use of wood, and optimise and develop logistics and information systems.
For something a little bit different there is also a spot of sanding belt racing and the Stihl Timbersport series, pitting the best chainsaw operators in the world against each other.
Ligna has also moved with the times by creating a Smartphone link and iPhone App at www.ligna2go.de, where exhibitor and product databases can be accessed, as well as fair maps, a personal trade fair planner and navigation tools.
• TTJ and Deutsche Messe have teamed up to offer readers a limited number of free Ligna entrance tickets for the duration of the show.
