GERMANY – The upcoming LIGNA in Hannover, Germany, that runs from 11 to 15 May 2015, will feature more than 1,500 exhibitors from over 40 countries, whose displays will fill some 120,000 square meters (over 1,290,000 sq. ft.) of space and impress solution-seekers in need of the latest furniture industry plant and equipment and innovative technologies for the wood and forestry industries.

“Quite a lot of first-time exhibitors will be using this year’s LIGNA to present their innovations to the world. They include providers of solutions for the joinery and cabinetmaking trades, manufacturers of machinery for the furniture industry, production automation specialists, and suppliers of technology for processing solid wood and for sawmilling. These newcomers –and the fact that some of our regular exhibitors have markedly increased their booked space – bode well for LIGNA 2015,” said Köckler. “LIGNA features a wealth of information on the latest products, trends and innovations. It provides the ideas, inspiration and solutions that wood industry professionals need in order to future-proof their business models.”

LIGNA’s strong level of international participation sets it apart from rival shows. This year, its top ten exhibiting nations, apart from Germany, are Italy, Austria, China, Sweden, Taiwan, Switzerland, Turkey, France, Spain and the USA. Much of the growth in terms of leased exhibition space has come from Italy, China, Turkey and the USA.

One of the exciting new developments at LIGNA 2015 is that some of the fair’s exhibitors of woodworking and processing equipment will be showcasing the non-wood capabilities of their machines. In other words, visitors will see machines that can handle not just wood, but plastics, composite panels, composites, insulation and construction materials as well.

CNC technology is also growing in importance in these trades. More and more joiners and cabinetmakers are investing in CNC processing centers in order to be able to deliver on the most exacting customer specifications and produce custom furniture and joinery quickly and at highly competitive rates. This growth is due in part to the increasing range of compact, high-performance options available at the trades end of the market and will be reflected at LIGNA, with its solid lineup of state-of-the art CNC technology. The exhibitors in halls 11, 12, 14 and 15 will present innovative solutions and entry-level CNC options for joinery and cabinetmaking firms of all sizes, from tech-savvy niche craftsmen to SMEs engaged in series production.

The other major new development at LIGNA 2015 is the premiere of the Wood Industry Summit, an intelligent, integrated platform comprising an exhibition area, a matchmaking platform, and a dialogue forum. The Summit targets exhibitors from international companies and economic regions that provide large-scale forestry machinery and other primary wood processing technologies. These exhibitors will have the opportunity to network directly with visitors from integrated companies operating in areas such as pulp and paper, forestry and log and timber processing. They will also meet forest owners, wood/timber merchants, investors, researchers and representatives of the timber-rich regions of Russia, China, Eastern Europe and North and South America. In this way, the Wood Industry Summit will broker new opportunities in growth markets.