LIGNA runs in Hannover from 11 to 15 May 2015, and all the market leaders will be there to impress solution-seekers with a tremendous array of products and services. Together, they will present key technologies for every single links of the wood value chain – i.e. plant, tools and machinery for industrial furniture manufacturers, carpenters, joiners and cabinetmakers; solutions for processing and working with solid wood; sawmill technology; systems for wood panel and veneer production; forestry equipment and machinery; and a range of technologies for extracting energy from wood. And as diverse as the technologies on display may be, they are united in promoting greater efficiency for every stage of production and processing. “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. 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. Jochen Köckler, the member of the Management Board at Deutsche Messe responsible for LIGNA. “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.” The theme of integrated production is central to many areas of the upcoming LIGNA show. Among much else, it will have its own Guided Tour and be addressed at a series of talks to be held within the on-site Robotation Academy. The upcoming show will feature more than 1,500 exhibitors from over 40 countries, whose displays will fill some 120,000 square meters (over 1,290,000 sq. ft.) of space and impress solution-seekers in need of the latest furniture industry plant and equipment and innovative technologies for the wood and forestry industries. One of the exciting new developments at LIGNA 2015 is that some of the fair's exhibitors of woodworking and processing equipment will be showcasing the non-wood capabilities of their machines. In other words, visitors will see machines that can handle not just wood, but plastics, composite panels, composites, insulation and construction materials as well. The other major new development at LIGNA 2015 is the premiere of the Wood Industry Summit, an intelligent, integrated platform comprising an exhibition area, a matchmaking platform, and a dialogue forum. The Summit targets exhibitors from international companies and economic regions that provide large-scale forestry machinery and other primary wood processing technologies. These exhibitors will have the opportunity to network directly with visitors from integrated companies operating in areas such as pulp and paper, forestry and log and timber processing. They will also meet forest owners, wood/timber merchants, investors, researchers and representatives of the timber-rich regions of Russia, China, Eastern Europe and North and South America. In this way, the Wood Industry Summit will broker new opportunities in growth markets.