LIGNA, the world’s leading trade fair for machinery, plant and tools for the woodworking and timber processing industry, is gearing up for its 2017 season (22 to 26 May).
While the opening day is still about six months away, the organizers, Deutsche Messe and the German Woodworking Machinery Manufacturers’ Association, can already speak of an excellent turnout: 90 percent of the available exhibition space has been booked.
“LIGNA is on track for success. In fact, compared with the same stage in the planning cycle for the last show, we are well ahead in terms of booked space,” commented Christian Pfeiffer, the Director in charge of LIGNA at Deutsche Messe. “For the upcoming show we are partnering with the German Woodworking Machinery Manufacturers’ Association and our regular exhibitors to develop a new thematic layout that reflects the changing ways in which customers of all sizes use woodworking and timber processing technology. And I’m pleased to say the initiative has really paid off.”
The upcoming LIGNA will see smaller providers showcasing themselves alongside major players, to the benefit of all concerned. Exhibitor locations at the show are now based on salient aspects of technology use, giving rise to completely new display clusters. Visitors, in particular, will benefit considerably from this revamped layout plan, which is designed to make their visit even more efficient by giving them quick, convenient access to the themes that matter most to them.
Exhibitors have given a resounding “thumbs up” to the new hall layout scheme, which in some cases has even led to exhibitors booking more space for enlarged presentations. Repeat exhibitors with a significantly greater footprint in 2017 include Biesse, Bürkle, Cefla, Felder, IMA, SCM and UNIMAK.
Also among their number will be Festool, which will be represented at two separate stands. But it’s not just repeat exhibitors who have put LIGNA’s organizers in an upbeat mood: LIGNA 2017 will also feature numerous first-time exhibitors, such as RS Wood from Italy, Aigner-Werkzeuge from Austria and Vector Systems from New Zealand. Newcomers in LIGNA’s surface technology display area also include many internationally renowned companies, such as Intergroup Plastik (Turkey), Unison (Poland) and IVM Chemicals (Germany).
The Wood-Based Panel Production, Sawmill Technology and Energy from Wood displays will likewise benefit from a strong showing of repeat and first-time exhibitors, many of them global market leaders. The repeat exhibitors include German companies Akzo Nobel, Brüninghaus Verpackungssysteme and Heizomat, and Italian company Itipack. Well-known first-time exhibitors include Scheuch LIGNO (Austria), Rotodecor (Germany) and Signode Industrial Group (Sweden).
The central focus of the upcoming show will be on intelligent concepts for integrated manufacturing across all links in the wood processing chain. Integrated manufacturing opens up major opportunities for companies seeking to develop new business areas, boost productivity and build their competitive edge.
LIGNA 2017 will showcase the close interplay between and ongoing integration of the virtual and real worlds – across the entire value chain of the timber processing and woodworking industries.
Other big highlights at next year’s show include a comprehensive display of solutions for processing plastics and composites, a series of training courses for joiners, cabinetmakers, carpenters, assemblers and installers, the Wood Industry Summit and the “Fibers in Process@LIGNA” showcase.
“Fibers in Process@LIGNA” is a technology transfer event in two parts – one featuring processes and technologies from the pulp and paper industry that are relevant for the wood industry, and the other featuring materials made from paper, pulp and wood.
In 2017, LIGNA – the world’s leading trade fair for machinery, plant and tools for the woodworking and timber processing industry – is once again expected to attract around 1,500 exhibitors, with more than half from outside Germany.
