Members of the Wood Machinery Manufacturers of America gathered high-quality business leads from Europe and other world regions at a major trade fair held in Hanover, Germany, May 30 to June 3.

Ligna, the World Fair for the Forestry and Wood Industries, is held every two years, and the 2011 edition saw a 16 percent jump in attendance from 2009. A total of 1,766 exhibitors from 52 nations greeted 90,000 visitors at the fair. Of 34 exhibitors from the United States, 24 were members of the WMMA.

“The exhibition exceeded our expectations in terms of both quantity and quality of visitors,” said Allen Turk, chairman and CEO of Precision Drive Systems in Bessemer City, N.C.

Precision Drive Systems gained more than a dozen new customers at the fair, Turk said, and saw a 50 percent increase in high-quality leads from the 2009 edition.

“The bigger crowd and the higher levels of interest indicate a strengthening economy and a much more serious level of demand,” he said. “The quality of the inquiries was noticeably better.”

The company’s booth had visitors from Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Brazil, Argentina, Russia and Eastern Europe, China and the Pacific Rim.

“It’s the most important exhibition worldwide in the woodworking industry,” Turk said. “It’s extremely well managed and very cost effective. They deliver an audience that has value.”

Precision Drive Systems had its own 500-square-foot booth and displayed a full range of products the company designs in the U.S. and at its German subsidiary, PDS GmbH.

Nine of the WMMA members banded together to put up exhibits in a large, shared exhibit area sponsored by the WMMA which offered an exhibitors’ lounge, the services of two translators, and shared video displays, booth assistants and other services.

Super Thin Saws of Vermont was among the WMMA members who signed up for the association’s booth. President John Shultz said the firm got about 35 business leads he deemed “solid,” from throughout Europe, North and South America, East Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

Shultz said the WMMA booth offers a significant price advantage over an individual booth, allowing smaller companies to participate in the fair.

Clyde Reed, sales manager at Baker Products of Missouri, also opted for the WMMA booth, where his company not only landed a number of high-quality leads but also sold a sawmill and log deck to an Austrian firm on the spot. The company also agreed to sell equipment to a New Zealand company and agreed to test run band blades from a South African firm.

“We spoke with customers, dealers and potential customers from Austria, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia and all of Europe,” Reed said.

The WMMA also sponsored a group of 10 members who attended a March trade show in Brazil, and is preparing a pavilion in the upcoming WMS show in Toronto, Canada October 27-29, 2011.