Ligna 2023 begins! The strike in Germany has turned our plans upside down

The train to Hanover was canceled. We found out on Friday about the strike affecting the German rail system from Sunday, May 14 until midnight on Tuesday, May 16, and within a few hours we had reworked our itinerary so as not to miss the event. We're in the area - we visited Interzum last week - so it wasn't too complicated for us. But if you've just found out about the strike and are planning a visit to Ligna, I recommend see here all the options you have to get there. The organizers are constantly on the lookout for changes and eager to help anyone interested in getting there. Because yes, Ligna begins!

More than 114,000 square meters of exhibition space in 2 pavilions, 10 halls, an outdoor area and more than 1,300 exhibitors will be in Hannover. LIGNA 2023 takes place from May 15-19, 2023 and brings together renowned companies from 47 countries. They all come together to showcase machinery and equipment, smart solutions and new technologies. In addition to companies from Germany, firms from Italy, Austria, Turkey, Spain, China, Sweden, Slovenia, Denmark and the Netherlands have the highest proportion of exhibitors per zone.

Solutions for the wood and furniture industry, primary and secondary wood processing will be presented. The focus is on the megatrends of sustainability, digitalization, the topic of wood as a renewable raw material, as well as the focus topics of wood construction and bioeconomy.

"LIGNA provides a unique overview of the entire value chain of the woodworking industry. It is the international showcase for innovations and the stage for world premieres. We have received an outpouring of euphoria from the community from the very beginning of the planning. The industry is looking forward to the face-to-face experience in Hanover," says Dr. Jochen Köckler, CEO Deutsche Messe AG, underlining the importance of the event, at the LIGNA.Preview on February 16 in Hanover. "At LIGNA 2023, visitors will meet exhibitors from 44 countries. Trends that are shaping the industry and pointing the way to the future are set and discussed here."

LIGNA 2023 will also fulfill its role as a trendsetter in its choice of topics of interest. The theme of digitization is shaping the development of the industry and is a prerequisite for production that is as resource-efficient as it is flexible. Under the title "Woodworking Transformation", it receives a great deal of attention at LIGNA. Exhibitors will show how far the network of machines, tools, components and materials has already come and will present innovations in robotics, automation and software. The buzzwords Smart or Connected Factory, Industry 4.0 or Internet of Things and IoT platforms will continue to become tangible at LIGNA with concrete examples.

On the road to a renewable resource-based economy, wood, as the most important renewable raw material, forms a central basis. The wood-based bio-economy is seen as an innovative technological driver. The framework conditions for expanding the resource-efficient use of wood are part of the European Ecological Pact and the pillars of a circular bioeconomy. This is a topic that will rightly be in the spotlight at LIGNA 2023. The development lines of the wood-based bioeconomy and technological innovations for the responsible use of natural resources, as well as process technologies for shaping chemically digested wood fibers will be on display.

Wood is also steadily gaining importance as a recyclable building material in the construction industry. The share of the total construction volume accounted for by timber buildings and mixed timber structures is steadily increasing globally. LIGNA reflects this industry trend in the central theme "Prefab Building Processes" as the growing importance of timber construction also results in new technology and equipment requirements. At LIGNA.Preview, Bernd Oswald (GROPYUS) and Prof. Achim Menges (University of Stuttgart) spoke on this topic. The conclusion was that the construction industry needs a technological boost to produce in a contemporary and efficient way both in prefabrication and on site. At LIGNA, those interested can discover appropriate solutions and approaches that will determine the future of timber construction.

We'll be there from Monday, May 15 to Thursday, May 18, to get the latest industry news. We'll have the most interesting ones here or on video on VideoRDL. So watch the Wood Magazine for the latest news in the field.

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