What To Expect From The LIGNA Expo in 2017

This year, the LIGNA expo is given a breath of fresh air, with all new exhibitions that will feature a thematic showcase layout, the latest drone technology used in forestry and other innovations revolving around the world of “Industry 4.0”.

What is LIGNA?

The LIGNA expo is considered to be the global hub for woodworking industry innovations and networking. The event is annually hosted, in Hannover, Germany, and runs for five days, featuring everything from live machine showcases to discussion rounds and workshops.

Each year, the event features over 1500 exhibitors from over 40 countries and draws a crowd of up to 100,000 visitors.  At LIGNA 2015, a key demonstration was the furniture production simulation, giving visitors a first-hand glimpse of integrated manufacturing in a factory simulation setting.

As for LIGNA 2016,  an internationally attended conference was staged in the Robotation Academy of Hannover. The conference addressed the importance of new business processes and the coming digital revolution for development, production and distribution in the woodworking industry (Industry 4.0)

So What’s New for LIGNA 2017?

LIGNA 2017 is expected to be the best to date, with a visitor-centric approach to be one of the expo’s biggest draw cards. The LIGNA organisers have revamped the previous layout plan and this new one is expected to provide visitors faster and easier access to exhibitions. The new layout has also allowed for more exhibition space, giving room for smaller providers to showcase themselves next to major players.

The LIGNA organisers have revamped the previous layout plan and this new one is expected to provide visitors faster and easier access to exhibitions. The new layout has also allowed for more exhibition space, giving room for smaller providers to showcase themselves next to major players.

“The new approach and, more importantly, the new physical layout have been extremely well received. The business climate in the wood industry is positive, offering a wealth of market opportunities. LIGNA captures those opportunities perfectly,” Dr. Andreas Gruchow, Managing Board Member, LIGNA

In terms of exhibitions, a new “Forestry from the air” (using aircraft’s to support forestry work) will be on display as one of many live demonstrations. There will also be a focus on specialised heli-loggers, forest liming and forest firefighting displays and the event area will also feature a live demonstration of cable haulier tests, using the latest inspection and testing systems.

Moreover, there will also be an array of displays themed around “Integrated Manufacturing” that showcases some non-wood uses of today’s woodworking machines, a series of training courses for joiners, cabinetmakers, carpenters, assemblers and installers.

What The Hell Is Industry 4.0?

The central focus of the upcoming show is to provide visitors information on all the latest innovations pathing the way to success in an Industry 4.0 world. But what exactly is Industry 4.0? 

Basically, Industry 4.0 conceptualises the inevitable shift towards the industries robotics future and the rapidly growing network of interconnected machinery. As the industry gradually continues to innovate its process and move towards machinery automation, leaps in efficiency and the technology behind integrated production process solutions are greatly beneficial for both large industrial manufacturers and small-scale firms.

At LIGNA 2017, you can expect showcases that put all of this and more on show with showcases centred around VR and real-world solutions, the latest in robotics technology and presentations on Industry 4.0

Can’t Make It To Germany?

If you can’t make it to LIGNA 2017, but are interested in all the new methods and machinery that are on full show, we recommend keeping updated on the website’s news page or subscribe to the site’s newsletter. Unfortunately, there’s no suggestion that the event will feature any live streams.

For now though, here is a video highlight of some of the amazing machines at work at LIGNA 2015.