A good but stressful year

The discussion at BIFE-SIM 2021 with Adrian Echert, manager of Wood-Mizer Romania, revealed to me the current picture of the entire industry: a state of wellbeing in terms of orders and sales, in an uncontrollable and uncertain world, with no predictions, neither in the short term, nor in the long term, a daily adaptation to the economic, industrial and medical reality.

In spite of the lack of expectations, Wood-Mizer came to the fair because it has been doing so for 12 years, since the subsidiary of the American manufacturer of saws for primary wood processing was established in Romania. They saw the fair more as an opportunity to meet market partners, old customers, than as an opportunity to find new customers, an objective for which they are now accessing other sales channels.

The main problem - long delivery times

The lack of new machines on the stand compared to previous years is explained by the focus on production and delivery at the expense of innovation. However, there are improved versions of the old machines, especially those that customers have particularly appreciated, but no spectacular appearances.

The difficult period in terms of shortage of raw materials and semiconductors led to considerable increases in production time. Paradoxically, the delay is also due to a very good period for the wood industry which led to a significant increase in demand.

The promises are that starting next year things will improve for Wood-Mizer customers in Romania. The machinery for Europe is made in the factory in Poland, which has been concentrating on increasing production. Another hall has been built and will be commissioned soon, so delivery times will be more reasonable.

However, compared to the parent company in the US, where production lead times exceed a year and a half, 2-3 months is much more acceptable.

The complicated times we are going through haven't spared us either. Restrictions have meant that we have traveled less and meetings have been less frequent than in other years. That's why, in addition to our impressions of the fair, we wanted to know what 2021 was like for Wood-Mizer.

In terms of orders, Adrian Echert is satisfied. The main challenge of the year was not finding customers, but fulfilling orders. Wood-Mizer is now a well-known and appreciated brand in Romania and customers are not very hard to find. Especially at a time when everything has led to an increase in demand.

What made 2021 a stressful year were late deliveries as everyone was rushing. High demand for lumber for furniture production and industrialized lumber for construction, rising lumber prices made it necessary to increase supply. Unfortunately the machines could not be delivered as fast as the customers wanted which was a major stress factor.

Watch the full interview with Adrian Echert from BIFE SIM 2021 below.