Making more out of wood

Ligna 2009 has a motto produced by the organisers Deutsche Messe. It is: “Making more out of wood – technologies for efficient resource management”.
As always, the exhibition covers all areas of the wood processing industry, under eight broad categories:
• Forestry and forestry technology
• Sawmill technology
• Solid woodworking
• Wood panel products and veneer production
• The furniture industry
• Joinery and cabinet making, carpentry
• Materials, accessories, services
• Special presentations

The target figures set by Deutsche Messe and announced at a February press conference in London by its representative Andreas Züge, were 1,800 exhibitors on 148,000m2 of total display area (including special presentations); and 100,0000 visitors from around the world.
The last event, staged in 2007, had 1,832 exhibitors on the same area.
The organisers forecast a slightly higher percentage of German exhibitors this year than two years ago, reflecting the rather different economic circumstances.
It now seems more than two years ago that Hannover Fair Grounds buzzed with excitement and optimism. In our review of the show (WBPI August/September 2008, p28), I reported: “Having visited all the companies involved in supplying machinery and services to the panel sector, I am unable to report a single negative comment”.
Regrettably, no such positive response will be forthcoming from this year’s event.
However, this exhibition remains the most important in the woodworking industry’s calendar and that is demonstrated by the continued support of machinery and service suppliers. Ligna has reached the happy position for an exhibition where, if an exhibitor fails to turn up in Hannover, questions are inevitably asked about the health and or commitment of that company.
Having said that, these are unprecedented economic times and some companies have been forced to decide, albeit reluctantly, that they cannot justify the expenditure on even this exhibition, at this time.
Other companies have taken the route of cancelling their participation at other exhibitions and/or scaling down their commitment to Ligna by taking smaller exhibition stands/booths to save money.
What a difference two years can make!
But life goes on and we must assume – and hope – that the markets will recover. There is still demand for housing worldwide and the downturn in construction of the last two years must be assumed to be exacerbating the shortage of homes. They will have to be built some time and the woodworking businesses which will do well when the recovery comes are the ones who are geared up to meet that demand.
It is that need to stay competitive that drives visitors to the exhibition halls of Ligna to see the latest innovations for themselves. It is also likely that many suppliers will be concentrating on ways to make your factories more efficient, perhaps more flexible in terms both of energy consumption and rapid response to changing market emphasis.
As someone involved in the panel industry, the major part of your time at the exhibition will probably be spent in Hall 27 where the majority of suppliers to the panel and veneer industries are to be found. However, don’t forget that suppliers of much of the value-adding equipment will be exhibiting in other halls too. Our preview entries, starting on page 42, will help you to ensure that you do not miss out on those suppliers.
The special presentations this year cover a wide range of topics including energy from wood (biomass); innovative solutions in timber frame housing; lightweight construction technology; teaching and research; forestry and forestry technology products and trends; and a variety of congresses and forums.
But it is not all about work. Allow yourself some time for enjoyment and relaxation too. The portable belt sander racing looks like fun; and the 2nd Ligna Cup in the Stihl Timbersports Series will give you the opportunity to see just how skilfully a chain saw can be used – in the right hands!
For the exhibitors, there is little doubt that at Ligna you will be meeting the right people – the decision makers. In 2007, according to Deutsche Messe, 43% of visitors came from outside Germany and 92% were ‘qualified’ trade visitors.
If you are a new visitor planning to go to Hannover for the first time, there are some reassuring statistics from the organisers on the accommodation front – there are said to be 17,000 hotel beds in the greater Hannover area and 10 hotels (2,500 beds) within two kilometres of the exhibition grounds. Then there are a further 39,000 beds within a 45 minute drive and nearly 62,000 within an hour.
Oh and 20,000 bed and breakfast places in greater Hannover. Deutsche Messe will help you to find your bed if you wish (www.ligna.de).
Back to that February press conference and Dr Eckhard Licher of the VDMA (the German machinery manufacturers’ association) said that Ligna 2009 was intended to be “the lighthouse in heavy waters”.
Dr Licher pointed to the steep increase in wood prices in 2007-8 and linked this to the need for resource efficiency mentioned by Andreas Züge.
Dr Licher said that one cubic metre of wood could produce 25m2 of 38mm thick particleboard or 60m2 of 38mm lightweight panel with an 8mm thick surface layer. If that same lightweight panel had a
surface layer of only 3mm, one could produce 160m2 of it, he claimed.
“Investing in resource-efficient production technologies now guarantees a competitive edge for the next growth phase,said the speaker.
Reviewing the economic situation, Dr Licher said that the world machinery market was worth approximately e13bn, with Europe accounting for around 55% of that figure. The biggest manufacturing countries were Germany, Italy, China, the US, Taiwan, Japan and Austria.
The VDMA in October 2008 forecast a 5% fall in production.
However, forecasts in the current unprecedented economic crisis are either brave, or foolish.
So, we enter Ligna 2009 with a very different outlook to 2007, unfortunately.
The optimism of that time has been replaced with deep-seated uncertainty. Several projects for new panel production mills have been delayed, or cancelled in some cases, and very few are talking of expansion for the foreseeable future.
However, at some point, the market will pick up and this year’s Ligna will see the machinery companies offering anything that will help their customers to overcome the difficult times. That may be by increasing efficiency of your production process or cutting the costs of your production. Or it may be by offering ways to refurbish or upgrade the machine you had hoped to replace. Efficient resource management would seem to be a good all-encompassing theme for this exhibition.
What is certain is that those who are able to prepare for the upturn during these quiet times will be the ones who will recover profitability the soonest.