The 2014 International Woodworking Fair in Atlanta, Georgia August 20-23, shed light on the positive future ahead for U.S. wood component manufacturing. Attendance to the show was estimated to be 20,000, a growth of approximately 10% over prior years. More than 900 exhibitors occupied about 448,000 sq. ft. of floor space with more than 200 new exhibiting companies.

Stiles Machinery’s booth was the largest exhibit at the fair, occupying 20,173 sq. ft. Stiles’ space included nearly 50 machines, each fully-functioning and representing a well-rounded marketplace from the small shop and craftsman market to the nation’s largest industrial manufacturers. Technology highlights and major interests from the show included ‘Zero Edge’ edgebanding processes such as HOMAG Group’s airTec and innovative operational efficiencies including HOMAG’s new powerTouch controller, which improves the interface experience between operators and their production machines.

More than 2,000 people visited the Stiles booth over the four day event, up 61% from 2012 IWF figures. From the floor, it was very apparent that customers are eagerly seeking ways to expand their business and improve efficiencies and technologies. Traffic in the Stiles booth stayed extremely busy and very engaged through a variety of presentations including daily demonstrations on intelligent manufacturing processes, new tooling upgrade options, Stiles’ educational START seminars, and much more. Overall, the fair once again proved to be an excellent opportunity to showcase the latest in manufacturing to an industry that is thriving in a healthy economy.