The woodworking industry’s two largest trade shows, interzum and LIGNA, will take center stage in May before a global audience, with tens of thousands expected to converge for the events in Germany.

The leading show for furniture making materials, components, design and interior finishing, interzum runs May 5-8 in Cologne, Germany. Sponsored by Koelnmesse, this year’s show features the “innovation of interior” piazza, where visitors can see live displays of 3D printing and other material transformations. The biennial event also features a wide array of program of seminars, special shows and conferences.

The 2015 event is expected to surpass the previous show, which was attended by 53,000 visitors from 148 countries. The 2013 show also featured displays by

1,512 exhibitors from 62 countries, spread over 152,000 square miles.

The show’s international character is also getting a boost, as exhibitors from Columbia will be at the show for the first time, said Matthias Pollmann, project manager.

“interzum is the world’s leading fair in the furniture supply and interior construction industry. In 2015, we are confident that the fair will once again live up to its high standards,” Pollmann added.

LIGNA: Advancing Technology

More international business, more innovations and more technology integration. According to show sponsor Deutsche Mess, that’s what visitors and exhibitors alike can expect at this year’s event for primary and secondary woodworking. LIGNA takes place May 11-15 in Hannover, Germany.

The show will present new and key technologies for improving the efficiency and productivity of companies involved in the manufacture of solid wood and composite panel products, including finishing. Also featured will be new developments for extracting energy from wood.

“LIGNA is championing the cause of greater efficiency and integration in production by means of advanced technology. Like no other trade fair in the world, it features entire production lines in action – as tangible proof that integrated production and Industry 4.0 are indeed within reach,” said Dr. Jochen Köckler, the member of the Management Board at Deutsche Messe.

He added, “Survival in today’s competitive markets belongs to those who master the latest strategies, systems and solutions. The ‘fourth industrial revolution’ has reached the wood and furniture industries, sparking a move towards total integration that shows no signs of abating. To take advantage of this trend and remain competitive, manufacturers need to optimize their data flows. And that’s true whether they are engaged in mass or one-off production. In the near future, workpieces, machines and logistic systems will be able to ‘talk’ to one another, and IT, telecommunications technology and manufacturing will merge to form a seamlessly integrated system. It’s a new production paradigm and it offers enormous opportunities for everyone concerned.”

According to show management, 2015 attendance is expected to surpass the 90,000 professionals, from 100 nations, who were at the previous event.

This year’s LIGNA also will feature more than 1,500 exhibitors from over 40 countries, whose displays will fill an estimated 1.3 million square feet of space. Aside from Germany, the top 10 exhibiting nations are Italy, Austria, China, Sweden, Taiwan, Switzerland, Turkey, France, Spain and the USA.

Advances in CNC technology and fabricating with plastics and other composites, are among the new developments for the show. “LIGNA is an absolute must if you want to find out about the latest developments and advances in automation and digitization in the wood industry,” said Dr. Köckler.

Also new at LIGNA 2015 is the Wood Industry Summit, an integrated platform consisting of an exhibition area, a matchmaking platform, and a dialogue forum. The Summit will target exhibitors from international companies and economic regions that provide large-scale forestry machinery and other primary wood processing technologies. LIGNA 2015 also features the Fibers in Process@LIGNA marketplace — a group pavilion that will provide a wood industry perspective on the various processes and technologies used in the pulp and paper industry.

For more information on interzum and LIGNA, visit interzum.com and ligna.de.