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The magazine for furniture production and related fields

Special 01|11

Quality Inside

M_sp0111_Titel_Haefele.indd 1 17.08.11 08:48

Quality Inside

6 material+technik möbel - special 01|11

The international supply fair inter­zum, held from 25 to 28 May 2011 in Cologne (Germany), revealed an enthusiastic mood among organis­ers, exhibitors and visitors. In par­ticular, the Koelnmesse as organis­ers had every reason to be pleased: with a total of 1,434 ex­hibitors from 61 countries, the ten exhibition halls were filled to ca­pacity. Compared with the inter­zum 2009, the event exceeded the previous exhibition space by 8%, and the number of exhibitors by almost 6%. As a result, an addi­tional hall was necessary. At the same time, the exhibition area “in­novation of interior”, with which the organisers addressed archi­tects as an additional visitor cate­gory, was enhanced with a whole row of renowned exhibitors.Even more successful was this year’s interzum in terms of the number of visitors. The Koeln­messe had done an excellent job in the run­up to the fair, and ar­ranged for vigorous advertising campaigns worldwide for the sup­ply fair. With 52,400 trade visitors, the visitor figures for the previous interzum in 2009 were exceeded by 13%. In view of the number of foreign visitors that was 24% higher than in 2009, the fair could rightly claim to be an international leading fair for the furniture supply industry. The proportion of foreign­ers among the visitors amounted to roughly 66%. Most of the exhibitors agreed with the positive final balance an­nounced by the organisers. The in­dustry itself had made a decisive contribution to the comeback achieved by the interzum. The event revealed itself to be an even stronger international meeting point and showcase of the supply industry than in previous years, with global players from almost all product areas having come togeth­er in Cologne. The success of the event was not least due to the re­turn of renowned manufacturers from the various segments, who – because of the economic and fi­nancial crisis in 2009 – had taken time­out from the interzum or, as in the case of the Austrian wood­based panels manufacturer Egger, had not been among the exhibi­tors for 18 years. In contrast to the regional supply fairs in Europe, e.g. the ZOW in Bad Salzuflen

(Germany) or the SICAM in Porde­none (Italy), the international furni­ture industry has an opportunity to study such a wide range of supply products for furniture production only once every two years: the in­terzum takes place only every two years, whereas the ZOW and the SICAM are held each year, with both attracting only roughly one third of the number of exhibitors. Furthermore, the international visi­tors profit from the temporal link

between the interzum and the ma­chinery fair Ligna in Hanover (Ger­many). Within only a few days, visitors are able to obtain informa­tion not only about new furniture components – in Cologne – but al­so about innovations in wood­working machinery – in Hanover.

Complete range of products

At the interzum, it was not only among the woodbased panels that the return of prominent manufac­

turers made a positive appear­ance. On this occasion, in the area of furniture hardware, the com­plete range of products was on of­fer, thanks to the participation of the Italian company Salice as well as further leading Italian hardware

The interzum 2011 in Cologne put the industry in an enthusiastic mood. The German specialist fair for supply materials to the furniture industry scored highly among exhibitors and visitors alike. With its wide range of products, the event offered purchasers from the domestic and foreign furniture industries an extensive, up-to-date overview of furniture hardware, surface materials, wood-based materials and supply products for upholstered furniture manufacture.

Showcase for supply products

Major woodbased panel manufacturers exhibit their products once again, in some cases after a long pause.

Photos: Koelnmesse

M_sp0111_Interzum.indd 6 12.08.11 14:19

Quality Inside

­material+technik möbel - special 01|11 7

specialists.­ In­ the­case­of­decora-tive­ surfaces,­ also,­ no­ gaps­ were­to­be­seen.­With­the­return­of­the­Spanish­ decor­ printer­ Lamigraf­ to­the­ interzum,­the­entire­constella-tion­of­decor­paper­suppliers­was­now­ assembled­ in­ the­ exhibition­halls.­

Comfortable hardware

Admittedly,­ the­ interzum­ 2011­was­not­to­be­counted­among­the­most­ innovative­ editions­ of­ its­kind.­The­number­of­genuine­new­developments­in­the­hardware­and­surface­sectors­kept­within­limits.­Rather,­ most­ companies­ present-ed­ sophisticated­ further­ develop-ments­ of­ their­ previous­ products,­which­ will­ provide­ advantages­ in­many­ways­for­their­users.Although­ the­ furniture­ hardware­industry­had­come­up­with­one­in-novation­ after­ another­ in­ past­years,­ the­ development­ depart-ments­of­the­hardware­specialists­had­ on­ this­ occasion­ dedicated­themselves­to­optimisation­of­the­running­characteristics­of­pull-outs­and­ simplification­ of­ installation­processes.­ Or,­ only­ the­ product­“families”­ were­ completed,­ so­that­ the­ living-room­and­kitch-en­ furniture­ industry­ will­ in­future­have­better­differenti-

ation­possibilities­both­outside­and­within­ their­ assortments.­ Here,­however,­ the­ manufacturers­ had­certainly­ not­ lost­ sight­ of­ trend­themes­such­as­comfort­and­ indi-vidualisation.­ But­ this­ time,­ their­motto­ is­ not­ “Comfort­ at­ any­price”.­Pull-out­systems­based­up-on­a­platform­concept,­as­offered­by­the­leading­German­and­Austri-an­ hardware­ manufacturers­ Het-tich,­Häfele,­Blum­and­Grass,­ena-ble­kitchen­manufacturers­to­offer­not­ only­ individualisation­ and­ dif-ferentiation,­ but­ also­ an­ apprecia-ble­ reduction­ of­ stockholding­ lev-els­ and­ component­ variety.­ Espe-cially­remarkable­here­was­that,­at­the­interzum­2011,­not­the­double-walled­ frames­ as­ in­ previous­years,­but­in­the­case­of­most­sup-pliers,­ new­ silent­ under-floor­guides­ were­ in­ the­ limelight.­ The­material­ variety,­ which­ is­ thus­made­ possible,­ results­ in­ even­wider­possibilities­of­use­for­such­drawers­in­the­living­area.

The interzum is the world leading fair for suppliers to the furniture industry.

In 2011, the interzum scored highly with an unusually wide range of surfaces and haptical effects played an important role.

M_sp0111_Interzum.indd 7 12.08.11 14:20

­­­14­ material+technik­möbel­-­special­01|11

Quality­Inside

With a wide range of new decors and haptic surface effects, the Renolit Group, based in Worms/Germany, presented itself at this year’s interzum in Cologne to an international trade public. The spe-cialist for thermoplastic furniture foils appeared with – among other items – a completely new collec-

tion based on PET foils, which are available with wood decors, solid colours and in various surface structures. With its successful ap-pearance at the world leading fair for suppliers to the furniture indus-try, this German company regis-tered a particularly positive re-sponse to two oak decors and the surface structure “Sawcut”.

Robust oak

As a new member, “Burlington Oak” – a light-coloured, appealing oak decor with a rich interplay of colours – enhances the stock pro-gram of Renolit Design. With nu-merous cathedrals and knots, the decor creates a very natural effect, and can be elegantly combined with brown and white. The light farmhouse oak decor “Lancelot C”, on the other hand, has a highly rustic appearance, following the current trend to naturalness. The decor is combined with a domi-nant structured effect, which pro-duces a 3D-effect with palpable grooves in the grain, and thus the uneven structure of naturally grown wood.“Sawcut”, on the other hand, cre-ates a haptic effect of a complete-ly different kind. “The new struc-tured look recalls the surface of freshly sawn timber,” says prod-uct developer Claudia Hiepel, de-scribing the structure. The basis of this decor is a deeply embossed

oak structure, which combines with the sawcut effect. Groovings of varying depth, left by the teeth of the saw blade, interchange with the surface smoothness of the oak pores, imparting to a white surface a natural degree of fine-ness.

Quality offensive

With the demands and options of the customer always in mind, the “Central Technical Support Team” of Renolit is dedicated to the tech-nical perfectioning of furniture components. One example of its activities is the introduction into the market of “Renolit Covaren HP”, a 3D-foil modified by the R&D department. This is proc-essed at considerably higher tem-peratures, so that the PUR adhe-sives used are particularly effec-tive, and the heat resistance of the adhesive joint is about 20 °C high-er than previously.The “Central Technical Support Team” also participated to a large

degree in the foundation of the Gütegemeinschaft Dreidimensio-nale Möbelfronten (“Quality Asso-ciation for 3D Furniture-Fronts”), which took place on 14 March 2011 in Munich (Germany). The aim of the association is to im-prove the quality of the entire product, and thus emphasise the attractiveness of the 3D-technolo-gy. The measures used in process quality and control affect the en-tire added value chain, from raw materials to the completed prod-uct. For next year is planned the award of the RAL seal of quality, which the manufacturers of 3D-furniture fronts will probably be able to use with effect from the second half of 2012 onwards. ba

Feel free to touch!The quality demands made on decorative surfaces are increasing continually, while pronounced haptic effects as well as natural, high quality decors are permanently in demand. On this basis, at this year’s interzum, the Renolit Group presented 30 new stock-decors together with numerous new develop-ments.

1| The surface structure “Sawcut” recalls the surface of freshly sawn timber.

2| “Burlington Oak”, with numerous cathedrals and knots, creates a highly natural effect.

Photos: Renolit

3| The light farmhouse oak decor “Lancelot C” follows the current trend to naturalness.

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­material+technik möbel - special 01|11 11

Quality Inside

Product highlightsIn May 2011, at the interzum in Cologne (Germany), the internation-al supply fair for the furniture industry, an entire range of future- oriented products made their debut. Furthermore, on the occasion of the specialist fair, every two years, outstanding innovations are honoured with the “interzum award”. On the following two pages, we present some of the product highlights.

Award-winning real-wood decorThe­ innovative­ wood­ decor­ “Larix­ Grey­ Matt­Schnitzer­kurz”­by­the­woodbased­panels­man-ufacturer­ Homapal­ (Germany)­ won­ the­ inter-zum­ award­ 2011­ for­ “high­ product­ quality.“­The­award­winning­product­ is­a­high­pressure­laminate­(HPL)­panel­with­a­surface­of­genuine­wood­ veneer­ (reconstituted­ veneer)­ that­ cre-ates­ the­ impression­ of­ having­ been­ carved­straight­ from­a­ log­with­a­wood-chisel.­ It­pro-duces­ alternating­ light-and-dark­ effects,­ de-pending­on­the­viewing­angle­and­the­distance.

Photo: Homapal

Design orientedAt­ the­ interzum,­ in­ order­ to­ sup-port­ the­ many­ and­ varied­ design­demands­ made­ on­ furniture­ with­appropriate­ hardware­ solutions,­and­as­an­extension­of­its­existing­program,­ the­ hardware­ manufac-turer­ Blum­ (Austria)­ presented­ its­new­drawer­system­“Legrabox”­in­a­plain­and­simple­look.­The­design­was­ honoured­ by­ an­ international­jury­ with­ the­ “interzum­ award:­Best­of­the­Best”.­The­award­was­made­for­such­features­as­innova-tive­design,­intelligent­details,­aes-thetic­qualities­and­functionality.

Photo: Blum

Structure and colour Furniture­design­has­rediscovered­conifer­wood.­However,­you­need­to­ take­a­second­ look­ to­see­ that­the­new­decor­“Thuja”­from­Inter-print­(Germany)­shows­the­perfect­larch.­A­distinct­stripy­structure­ is­an­ excellent­ quality­ feature.­ Half-cut­ flowers­ and­ soft­ annual­ rings­enhance­the­high-quality­look.­Sin-gle-colour­metallic­in­green­makes­the­ decor­ stand­ out.­ The­ effect:­clear,­strong­and­refreshing.­

Photo: Interprint

M_sp0111_Highlights_Interzum.indd 11 12.08.11 14:21

­­­18­ material+technik­möbel­-­special­01|11

Admittedly, during the worldwide economic and financial crisis, the industry had had to suffer serious setbacks. In 2008 and 2009, the companies lost roughly a quarter of their sales. In the case of world market leader Schattdecor, for ex-ample, sales for 2009 fell from EUR 420 million to EUR 350 mil-lion. Meanwhile, most of the lost ground has been regained once more, with the leading companies reporting in some cases 2-digit growth figures in sales for 2010. Hornschuch, for instance, record-ed a sales increase in excess of 21% in 2010, with total sales high-er than those of the pre-crisis years. Among the decor printers, sales by Interprint during the peri-od under review rose by as much as 30%. In 2010, Impress Decor recorded an increase in sales of al-most 17%, while Schattdecor was again able to increase its sales from EUR 350 million to EUR 440 million. Despite a positive start, however, for the entire year 2011

the surface materials specialists do not expect similar high growth levels as in 2010. At the same time, the production and company structure today reveals itself as quite different from that in the years before the crisis.

Foreign investments

As from this year, Impress Decor is no longer engaged in decor printing activities in Germany. The printing lines from the company’s headquarters in Aschaffenburg (Germany) have been transferred to the foreign production facilities in Poland and Brazil; two older printing lines have been scrapped. In autumn last year, Impress De-cor had already extended its Rus-sian facility in Uwa with a third im-pregnating line.Other decor printers also have ex-tended printing capacity at their foreign locations, and in the case of Schattdecor, the production net-work has even been extended to other countries. Since the end of

last year, for example, the compa-ny runs its brand new decor print-ing facility in Turkey. In January 2011, the first roll of decor paper was printed at the new factory in St Louis (USA). At almost the same time a new lacquering line was put into operation at the Glu-cholazy factory in Poland,. In June this year, the third paper machine started up, increasing the capacity for high quality decor papers to 80,000 tonnes p.a. at the joint-ven-ture company Kingdecor in Quzhou (China), Already in April the company has extended its pro-duction capacity for melamine films with the purchase of two im-pregnating lines from a Russian manufacturer in Tjumen (Russia).With this new facility, Schattdecor is now supplying the region of West Siberia with melamine films. At its other location in Shatura (Russia) near Moscow, three im-pregnating lines have been in op-eration since 2008. With two addi-tional impregnating lines, the de-

cor printing specialist intends to upgrade its Italian location Rosate in the near future. Further printing machinery investments are planned for the factories in Sao José dos Pinhais (Brazil) and in Tur-key. In recent months, Interprint also has extended its production capac-ity outside Germany. Only a few weeks ago, at its Egorievsk facto-ry near Moscow (Russia), a sec-ond printing line supplied by Kochsiek went into operation. Par-allel to this event, a third impreg-nating line is under construction at the Interprint location in Samara (Russia). Interprint acquired the Samara factory from Coveright in 2010, and now has full-range pro-duction facilities in the Russian market, providing decor printing as well as impregnating facilities.

High-tech for Germany

The German decor printer Südde-kor is one of the few companies that have concentrated on the

European decor industry records continuing growthIn 2010 and the first half of 2011, the European surface materials industry once again experienced continuing growth. Almost all companies in the industry are signalling the end of the crisis years with new investments in machinery and foreign subsidiaries.

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Quality Inside

­material+technik möbel - special 01|11 19

home­ market­ in­ its­ investment­program.­In­late­summer­last­year,­at­ its­ headquarters­ in­ Laichingen­(Germany),­the­company­commis-sioned­ a­ new­ electron-beam­ lac-quering­ line,­ on­ which­ finish­ foils­with­additional­surface­effects­can­be­ produced.­ The­ annual­ produc-tion­capacity­of­ the­ line­ is­55­mil-lion­m².German­manufacturers­of­thermo-plastic­decor­foils­also­have­invest-

ed­heavily­at­their­company­head-quarters.­ During­ the­ last­ few­months,­ Klöckner-Pentaplast­ has­commissioned­ several­ new­ pro-duction­lines­at­its­factories­in­Ger-many­ and­ Portugal.­ At­ the­ Burg-kirchen­ (Germany)­ location,­ for­­example,­a­state-of-the-art­PET­ex-truder­ line­ for­ furniture­ surfaces­was­ started­ up­ in­ early­ summer­2011.­German­suppliers­in­this­ar-ea­are­going­further­afield­in­other­markets­too.­In­2010,­for­example,­Hornschuch­ acquired­ the­ North­American­ foil­ manufacturer­O’Sullivan­ Film­ Inc.­ in­ Westmin-ster/Virginia­ (USA).­ While­ the­ US­factory­ is­ at­ present­ being­equipped­ with­ new­ machinery,­Hornschuch­ is­ planning­ to­ install­new­production­lines­at­its­main­lo-cation­in­Weissbach­(Germany)­by­the­end­of­2011.

Growth market Turkey

The­German­thermofoils­manufac-turer­ Renolit­ SE­ recently­ estab-lished­ its­ own­ sales­ subsidiary­ in­Istanbul­(Turkey).­Supported­by­its­own­warehouse­there,­the­compa-ny­­intends­to­strengthen­its­posi-tion­in­this­region,­which­for­Reno-lit­represents­one­of­the­most­im-portant­ growth­ markets,­ both­ for­furniture­foils­and­for­foils­used­in­exterior­ applications.­ In­ autumn­last­ year,­ Renolit­ had­ already­strengthened­ its­ position­ in­ the­Italian­ market­ by­ acquiring­ the­

business­ of­ the­ foil­ manufacturer­Eurogloss,­ based­ in­ Perschiera­Borromeo­ (Italy).­ With­ Eurogloss,­Renolit­now­has­a­further­produc-tion­ facility­ for­ high­ gloss­ foils­ as­well­as­2D­foils­for­flat-coating­and­foil­wrapping.In­contrast­to­the­decor­printing­in-dustry,­ many­ members­ of­ which­are­based­in­Germany,­the­supplier­network­ of­ thermoplastic­ foils­ in­Europe­is­more­widely­spread.­­In­addition­ to­ the­ German­ suppliers­mentioned­ above,­ further­ manu-facturers­of­thermoplastic­foils­are­established­ in­ Italy,­ the­ United­Kingdom,­ Poland,­ Austria­ and­Sweden.­Admittedly,­the­Swedish­foil­ manufacturer­ Gislaved­ Folie­AB­ meanwhile­ forms­ part­ of­ the­Surteco­Group,­based­in­Germany.­By­ means­ of­ acquisitions­ and­mergers,­ the­ European­ manufac-turers­ are­ reacting­ to­ the­ in-creased­ competition­ from­ furni-ture­ foil­ suppliers­ from­ the­ Asian­regions­who­have­been­encroach-ing­ upon­ the­ European­ market­with­ their­ products­ during­ recent­years.­ In­ fact,­ in­ 2008,­ the­ Japa-nese­manufacturer­C.I.­Kasei­even­established­a­European­facility­un-der­the­name­of­Bonlex­Europa­in­Motta­di­Livenza­(Italy).

Investments in digital printing technology

In­ addition­ to­ investments­ in­ the­core­business­of­printing­technolo-

gy,­the­age­of­digital­printing­tech-nology­has­meanwhile­also­begun­for­ the­surface­materials­ industry.­During­ the­ last­ six­ months,­ a­number­ of­ surface­ materials­ spe-cialists­ have­ started­ up­ new­ pro-duction­lines­using­inkjet­technolo-gies,­ with­ which­ the­ industry­hopes­ to­ improve­ customer­ serv-ice­ and­ gain­ economic­ advantag-es.­ Already­ in­ July,­ Schattdecor­started­ up­ a­ new­ digital­ printing­line­(160­cm­working­width)­at­ its­­headquarters­facility.­Since­the­be-ginning­of­ the­ year,­ Interprint­ has­been­ supplying­ digitally­ printed­decors­ realised­ in­ cooperation­with­ a­ partner­ company.­ In­ the­next­ few­months,­ it­ is­planned­ to­start­ up­ a­ self-developed­ digital­printing­ line­ employing­ innovative­laser­ technology.­The­ thermoplas-tic­ foils­ specialist­ Klöckner-Penta-plast­ also­ is­ investing­ in­ digital­printing­technology,­and­during­the­summer­ installed­a­digital­printing­line,­ from­ which­ the­ company­plans­to­supply­its­customers­with­printed­3D-foils,­also­in­small­order­quantities.However,­ the­decor­printers’­ cus-tomers­ themselves­ are­ also­ seri-ously­ looking­ into­ the­ new­ tech-nology.­ The­ woodbased­ panels­manufacturers­ Westag­ &­ Getalit­(Germany)­and­Egger­(Austria),­for­example,­ have­ been­ using­ such­digital­printing­lines­for­a­consider-able­time­already.­­­ Richard Barth

1| Interprint is installing a second printing line at its Egorievsk factory in Russia. Photo: Interprint

2| At the end of 2010, Schattde-cor inaugurated its new facility in Istanbul (Turkey). Photo: Schattdecor

3| At its headquarters in Germany, Süddekor invested in a new electron-beam system for the manufacture of finish foils. Photo: Süddekor

4| In 2010 Hornschuch acquired the American company O’Sullivan Films. Photo: Hornschuch

5| At the beginning of 2011, the first roll of decor paper was printed at the new factory of Schattdecor in St Louis (USA). Photo: Schattdecor

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Quality Inside

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Many visitors and satisfied exhibi-tors – this, in brief, summarises the Ligna 2011, which was held at the beginning of June at Germa-ny’s No. 1 fair location, Hanover. The German special fair for wood-working machinery always takes place in odd years, alternating with the two smaller Italian fairs Xylex-po (Milan/Italy) and Technodomus (Rimini/Italy). The next Ligna will be held 6 – 10 May 2013.Throughout the world, the wood industry seems to be sailing on an upwind. Machine manufacturers from the forestry industry are rep-resented at the Ligna, but also plant construction firms such as Siempelkamp (Krefeld/Germany) who supply press systems for the manufacturers of woodbased pan-

els. A further focal point are the German companies such as IMA Klessmann (Lübbecke/Germany), Homag (Schopfloch/Germany) and the Italian firms SCM and Biesse, which develop and produce for the furniture industry individual ma-chines as well as complete produc-tion lines. From the first day of the fair onward, the fair was beginning to throb with excitement; even early in the morning; the stands of many exhibitors were filled with customers and interested parties, at such levels as had not been seen for a very long time.

High increase in number of visitors

Altogether, some 90,000 visitors attended the Ligna on the five days of the fair – 13% more than the previous edition in 2009. What was particularly important for the fair – and also for the visitors – was this: the Ligna continues to gain in internationality; roughly 40% of the visitors were from abroad, from 90 different countries all over the world. It is not surprising that,

once again, many visitors from Russia were present; the BRIC states Brasil, Russia, India and Chi-na are at present a powerful motor for the export-oriented investment goods industry. At the same time, large increases in the number of visitors from Finland, UK, Austria and Sweden were registered. And again, considerably more visitors than before came from the USA, which at least allows us to hope that the investment reluctance prevailing in the USA, which is ex-tremely strong because of the present economic crisis, will grad-ually disappear, and that the US in-dustry will gradually recover. “That was a splendid fair, all divisions of our branch of industry are satisfied to highly satisfied. Especially the number of foreign visitors was ex-cellent. Whereas many other over-regional fairs in the industry are suffering from dwindling numbers of exhibitors and visitors, the Ligna is glittering with increased fig-ures,” says Dr Bernhard Dirr, presi-dent of the German VDMA, special association of manufacturers of

woodworking machinery, who is very satisfied with this year’s re-sults.

1,765 exhibitors from 52 countries

Apart from the quantity of visitors, the quality of visitors also was very high this year. More than 50% of the visitors were decision makers from the upper echelons of man-agement. “Numerous projects have been initiated, concrete busi-ness deals concluded, and valua-ble business contacts established. The number of orders placed in-creased by 30% as compared to 2009 – a considerable increase,” reports Stephan Kühne, board member of the Deutsche Messe AG. Most of the 1,765 exhibitors were satisfied also. Homag’s head of communications Alexander Prokisch confirmed this: “Even on the first day of the fair, it was unu-sually full in “Homag City”. The mood worldwide is excellent, as is evident from the highly internation-al character of visitors. Especially the BRIC countries are flourishing

Ligna set new accents for machinery constructionThe Ligna is the worldwide largest fair for manufacturers of machinery for the woodworking industry. The 2011 edition of this event was a complete success for exhibitors and visitors alike.

1| The Ligna 2011 was attended by far more visitors than in the crisis year 2009.

2| At its stand at the Ligna, IMA Klessmann presented complete Lot Size 1 production lines in operation. Photos: Ligna

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at present.” Homag was the big-gest exhibitor at the Ligna, with approx. 6,000 sqm of stand space. On the area known as “Homag City”, 60 machines for woodworking and furniture pro-duction were in operation and could be viewed under realistic production conditions.

Ligna – going green

Among the absolute trend themes of the Ligna 2011 was the efficient use of the resources Wood and Energy. The increasing costs of energy and raw materials, as well as the in part extremely problem-atic availability of raw materials, are making customers worldwide enormously sensitive to this theme. This has now spread to

the machinery manufacturers, so that there was scarcely one major supplier who had not made it his business to optimise the energy consumption and the raw materi-al use of the machines and pro-duction lines. “We want to sup-port our customers with regard to the theme ‘Cut the Cost’, ex-plained Ralf Griesche, from the plant construction firm Siem-pelkamp. “Resin, wood and ener-gy are becoming increasingly ex-pensive; this especially affects the woodbased panel manufac-turers.” For this reason, many companies have optimised their existing machines and production lines, so that materials and ener-gy are used far more efficiently. These innovations not only save

money, but also, in the long-term, benefit the environment.

Lasers and proven technology

Two opposing developments could be seen in plant construction on the one hand, and in the machines rather designed for the craft trades, on the other. Whereas ef-forts are being directed more and more intensely to HiTec process-es – laser edgebanding, Lot Size 1 lines with automatic control – as seen at IMA Klessmann, Homag and Biesse – in the field of craft trades, a trend towards “Back to the Basics” was to be observed. This trend is represented, sym-bolically, by the new “Cube” plan-er from Weinig (Tauberbischof-sheim/Germany), specialist for machinery for the processing of solid wood. By determinedly dis-pensing with complex extras and additional functions, Weinig has developed a planer, which produc-es perfect, right-angled and straight workpieces in one work operation, at a very competitive price, which makes the invest-ment meaningful for smaller firms too. At the same time, by the use of intelligent technology, the out-put of the dust extraction unit is reduced by up to 60%, which again saves energy. In the field of surfaces, digital printing was once again a focal point. Digital printing technology is becoming better, more economical and more versa-tile, so that it can meanwhile be employed for the most varied ar-eas of application. The experts from the industry all agree that this will result in more and more individualisation of the surfaces. Whether Lot Size 1 or small se-ries production, exclusive surfac-es tailored to single projects from the edging to the floor will be used more and more simply and economically. Arnd Schwarze

3| Laser edgebanding techno­logy was a focal point of interest at the Homag stand. For many visitors, this was the first opportunity to see such a production line in operation.

4| Modern digital printing lines, as seen here at the Hymmen stand, represent high quality and individualisation in production.

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