GERMANY - Germany’s woodworking machinery manufacturers had a record year in 2016, topping the all-time high of 2007. Provisional figures indicate that the industry surged past the forecast 5 percent mark to achieve double-digit sales growth. 

They also point to further, moderate, growth for 2017. "That puts our industry on track for record sales of around 3.4 billion euros, meaning it is set to significantly outperform Germany’s mechanical engineering industry as a whole," Wolfgang Pöschl, CEO of WEINIG AG and Chairman of the German Woodworking Machinery Manufacturers’ Association (VDMA), told the international media at the LIGNA Preview in Hannover.

"One of the key drivers of this growth is digitalization, which is experiencing rapid uptake across all sectors," Pöschl added. In woodworking, the resulting increase in integration across all production steps is enabling firms of all sizes to meet market demand for maximum flexibility and individualization in terms both of product dimensions and design. This digital integration of functions encompasses all areas within and across company boundaries. Even small stand-alone machines can now be digitally integrated into the production flow, and large industrial plants are able to "learn" and continually self-optimize so as to reduce the consumption of wood and other resources".