Founded in 1862 as a steel producer, today’s Sandvik AB still produces highly specialised steels for a wide variety of global markets. Göran Fredrik Göransson, founder of Högbo Stål & Jernwerks AB, known as Sandvik AB since 1972, was the first person to successfully implement Englishman Sir Henry Bessemer’s famous method for steel production on an industrial scale. He modified the original, unsuccessful, Bessemer Converter design and it then became the basis for modern steel manufacture for many years to come. Mr Göransson produced his first steel by this process 150 years ago – on July 18th 1858 to be precise.

For many years, the Sasmil exhibition for accessories and semi-finished products for the furniture and interiors industry has been held alongside the Xylexpo (formerly Interbimall) exhibition for woodworking machinery. The venue has always been Milan and the date mid- to late-May.

It was the 34th trip down the aisles for visitors to this traditional show in Portland, Oregon. Portland was, for many years, a capital of the US forest industry, but federal timber harvesting clamp-downs, along with a weaker wood market, knocked a few jewels off the crown.

Headquartered in St Johann in Austria's Tyrol region, family-owned company Egger has panel manufacturing facilities in Austria, France, Germany, Romania, Russia and the UK. These factories variously produce MDF, particleboard and OSB, as well as a wide range of value-added products.

L aunched at Ligna 2007, Pallmann's latest-generation refiner, designated the ECO Advanced, went into operation at the Kastamonu City plant of Turkish MDF maker Kastamonu Entegre in March this year. A further seven models have also been sold by Pallmann.

Worldwide in 2006, the 20 member companies of the Association of European Producers of Laminate Flooring (EPLF), which is based in Bielefeld, Germany, achieved sales of 468 million m² of flooring manufactured within Europe.

Rosskopf & Partner AG is a European market leader in fabricating innovative surfaces. Apart from its own manufacturing activities the company is also the exclusive German partner for the solid surface material LG HI-MACs of LG CHEM, South Korea.

ZOW 2007 will display a diversity of products in every product group, thematically arranged under the categories: 'Fittings: Furniture in Motion', 'Elements & Systems: Furniture with Added Value' and 'Materials & Surfaces: Furniture Protection and Style' with 'Logistics' being a new sector to be introduced this year.