The only disappointment of my first Ligna was losing my souvenir Weinig wooden elephant and squeezy stress ball (both promotional give-aways, honest). They vanished in the big top where Weinig hosted a bash, complete with real elephant and acrobats, for 2000 customers. My bag exploded under the weight of press releases, and my toys were gone.
Apart from that, the show was awesome. First, there was the sheer scale of the event. The big machine makers’ stands covered thousands of square metres and some of their dozens of personnel took to microscooters to get around. Complete production lines undertook mock processing, sorting and stacking of sheet materials and timber. And many (far more than previous years, according to an old Ligna lag) featured robot handling.
What especially impressed was the latest machines’ combination of ultra hi-tech and ease of use. One manufacturer even allowed this mechanically-challenged journalist to switch the easy-change cutting blocks on a brand new moulder (although woe-betide the customer who bought that particular machine).
Another hall featured timber houses in various states of construction. Particularly interesting was a Munich University project featuring a ratchet system which not only locked timber frame panels together, but incorporated service connections. You just build your house and plug it in.
Between the halls, the forestry section was covered by the glulam, wood and panel ‘Expo’ canopy which towered above like a soaring timber cathedral.
The abiding impression you got from the size, energy and dynamism of Ligna – not to mention the huge investment in technological development – is that Europe has seen the future, and the future features wood in a very major way. It was a heartening experience – although I still miss my elephant and stress ball.
