That was the verdict of Dr Bernhard Dirr, managing director of the German woodworking machinery association the VDMA. The show was busy and sales were up, he said.
Dr Dirr was not a lone voice. Feedback from visitors – and attendance hit a record 107,000 – and exhibitors alike was that the May show was the most upbeat and profitable in years.
The Homag Group concluded a record e50m of orders, while Weinig’s sales rose 40% on the last Ligna, with 290 machines sold. Weinig UK managing director Chris Osborne said that the wood machine market was at its most buoyant for over 15 years.
Manufacturers attributed the spring in the market’s step to several factors. With more than half the visitors and a large section of the 1,879 exhibitors being German, the recovery of their domestic construction and manufacturing sectors clearly played a role.
But the more important influences in the market were the rising price and soaring international demand for timber.
“Customers are enjoying strong demand and rising profits and they’re investing in new technology to capitalise on this,” said one exhibitor. “But it’s not only that they are getting more money for their products so have more to spend; they’re also having to pay more for their raw material and they need the latest technology to get maximum yield.”
