Ausgabe zur LIGNA 2019

Ausg.Nr._10/2019 5 Ligna 2019 T his May, over 1,500 com- panies will be gathering in Hannover, Germany, to showcase the future of the woodworking and timber pro- cessing industries. Whether it's about digitization, automation, IoT platforms or collaborative systems, LIGNA is where innova- tions are shown for the first time – and on an unrivalled scale. 130,000 square meters (nearly 1.4 million square feet) is the to- tal net display area that will be occupied by exhibition stands featuring the latest woodwork- ing and timber processing plant, machinery and tools. "From 27 to 31 May 2019, exhibi- tors from over 50 countries will gather here at the Hannover Exhi- bition Center to showcase state- of-the-art processing solutions, applications and concepts for the entire forestry & wood industry. The presence of all the world's leading technology providers will make Hannover the global hotspot for the wood-based industries dur- ing those five days. No other fair compares in terms of international appeal", asserted Dr. Andreas Gru- chow, Managing Board member at Deutsche Messe, during the LIGNA Preview press conference on 5 Feb- ruary in Hannover, adding: "Once again in 2019, LIGNA will serve as the industry's showcase of choice for unveiling their innovations, with a great many exhibitors even timing their development cycles to coincide with the show's staging every two years." Visitors can expect to see innova- tions across all display categories, from forestry technology, furni- ture and window manufacturing, through to tooling systems and surface technology. They will also see live demonstrations of fully functional furniture production plants, learn about IoT platforms for Industry 4.0 plants and the lat- est R&D projects, and be able to participate at networking events throughout the show. Dr. Andreas Gruchow: "One of the big chal- lenges is the ever greater trend to product individualization – a trend that is putting pressure on manufacturers to deliver custom- ized products at least as quickly, profitably and efficiently as with series production. It's these sorts of challenges for which LIGNA ex- hibitors will be presenting solu- tions." LIGNA 2019 has three focus themes: "Integrated Woodworking – Customized Solutions", "Smart Surface Technology" and "Access to Resources and Technology". The latter is also the keynote theme of the Wood Industry Summit . "Integrated Woodworking – Customized Solutions" In the wood industry, there is keen interest in IoT application scenar- ios, such as condition monitoring and predictive maintenance, as a means of further boosting produc- tion plant efficiency. In such sce- narios, humans remain an integral part of the production process but are supported by cyber-physical assistance systems, such as col- laborative robots, automated guided vehicles and smart worker support technologies. The trend is thus towards hybrid human-ma- chine production systems in which the product is inextricably linked to the production plant and the hu- mans who operate it. Smart Surface Technology Themed "Smart Surface Technol- ogy", the surface finishing exhib- its at LIGNA 2019 will span all the intelligent processing solutions needed to cater for today's surg- ing demand for haptic, matt and reflective surfaces. That's digital printing and decorative gravure printing systems, inspection systems, the latest generation of spray coating machines, robotics systems, and much more besides. Here, too, digitization and auto- mation are the key to achieving greater flexibility while keeping costs to a minimum. The full range of the latest surface technologies, applications, innovations and so- lutions will be on display in halls 16 and 17. "Access to Resources and Tech- nology" at the Wood Industry Summit Providers of technology for the forestry and/or primary wood processing industry, in particu- lar, will have an unrivalled op- portunity to tap into new growth markets at next year's Wood In- dustry Summit, which is themed "Access to Resources and Tech- nology". Complete with forum, lounge and exhibition area, the summit is all about international communication and technology transfer. Among much else, its fo- cus will be on ways of optimizing the entire forest-wood-logistics value chain – from standing trees through to final processing in the factory – as well as on protecting forests from biotic and abiotic damage, and on climate and en- vironmentally friendly harvesting processes and the future of the forest and wood industry. Digi- tal technologies, such as drone- based data capture systems, mobile applications, laser scan- ners and highly sophisticated IT programs, now span the entire forestry value chain, from forest information and integrated har- vesting systems right through to modern forest management sys- tems. And in each case, the focus is squarely on efficiency and pro- ductivity. Digitization will there- fore be a prominent theme at the discussion forms and throughout the exhibits at LIGNA 2019.  Text & Image: Deutsche Messe Messegelände D-30521 Hannover Future showcase for the woodworking and timber processing industries 27.–31.05.2019