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Hettich

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Hybrid event platform “HettichXperiencedays” 2021 shows know-how worldwide

It’s a turning point for Hettich: to reach customers and partners around the globe even under pandemic conditions, the company is organizing a hybrid event for 2021: the “HettichXperiencedays”.

As long as developments remain unpredictable, Hettich’s main concern is to minimize the risks for all players. “With our ‘HettichXperiencedays’, we are sending a decisive signal in 2021”, says Hettich Managing Director Uwe Kreidel. “The new, dynamic event platform is revolutionary for our industry. In these uncertain times, it offers all those involved the greatest possible flexibility and thus creates maximum reach. We cordially invite our customers and partners from all over the world to take part according to their conditions and wishes”.

The ‘HettichXperiencedays’ will run for several weeks from spring 2021 as a “hybrid” overall program. This means: In addition to the physical presentation of new products and on-site visits, numerous virtual formats with exciting live acts are also planned. At Hettich, there will be a worldwide mix of information, inspiration, show elements and networking. “Our event platform contains various building blocks that can be combined variably. With the support of our international sales teams, we can offer a tailor-made program for every target group throughout the event,” explains Kreidel. “Despite Covid-19, this gives us the opportunity to talk intensively with our customers and partners from all regional markets and to inspire them with our solutions – whether ‘offline’ on site or online.

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Bosch

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Presents results of a survey on the acceptance of AI

A clear majority of Germans (60 percent) would like to see more use of industrial AI, for example in the manufacture of cars or aircraft. More than two-thirds of Germans are also in favor of AI-based solutions in the diagnosis of machine faults and in high-tech areas such as space travel.

The data can be found in the “Bosch AI Future Compass”, for which 1,000 Germans aged 18 and over were asked about their attitude to artificial intelligence. “Germany and Europe have what it takes to be a world leader in industrial AI,” said Dr. Michael Bolle, Bosch board of management member and Chief Digital Officer and Chief Technology Officer, today at the digital presentation of the “Bosch AI Future Compass”. Especially when it comes to AI use in industrial environments, for example in quality control, to improve energy efficiency or manufacturing efficiency, the specialist and domain knowledge is unique in Germany and Europe, said Bolle. In this respect, the relatively high approval of industrial AI is encouraging: “For the German and European business location, the support of the population and the decisive institutions is of enormous importance.

In other areas of application, such as nursing or investment advice, approval rates for AI deployment are significantly lower, at 40 percent and 31 percent respectively. Germans also trust a human being much more than a machine when it comes to legal decisions or the pre-selection of candidates for an open position. Across all areas, 53 percent of Germans rate the use of AI positively, while 36 percent have a rather negative attitude.

This is why clear, morally based guidelines are needed not only in Germany but also at the European level. Bosch had already set itself a clear ethical framework at the beginning of the year with an AI code of conduct, according to the company’s technology and digital boss: “We have made a clear commitment that AI should serve people and not the other way around. People must always be in control of AI”.

Two thirds of the survey participants demand that artificial intelligence should only serve the common good. Likewise, around two thirds would like to see decisions on the legal and ethical standards for the use of AI made at the international level (38 percent globally and 27 percent in Europe), while only 35 percent are in favour of a national strategy. And 85 percent of those surveyed demand that humans should be the last resort in the use of artificial intelligence.

According to the “Bosch AI Future Compass”, a majority of Germans (53 percent) think that the use of artificial intelligence is necessary for companies to survive in international competition. 42 percent of those surveyed believe that major problems, such as diseases or climate change, can be better solved by artificial intelligence.

Irrespective of their basic attitude towards AI, those surveyed are largely in agreement about the opportunities and risks. The most frequently cited benefits include keywords such as “efficiency”, “progress” and “better (work) results”, while terms such as “surveillance”, “insensitivity” or “lack of data protection” top the negative scale.

“The Bosch AI Future Compass shows that we need to talk even more about artificial intelligence,” says Michael Bolle: “Customers and users need to be able to understand the basis on which an AI makes certain decisions. This is a discourse that should be conducted on a social level, and not just on an economic level.

The “Bosch AI Future Compass” shows The more pronounced the knowledge in the field of AI, the higher its acceptance among the population. For example, 81 percent of all respondents who consider themselves to have an affinity for technology and who, in their own opinion, have sound knowledge in the field, rate artificial intelligence as fundamentally positive. In the group of those who consider themselves to have little affinity for technology and are rather uninformed, the approval rate is only 27 percent.

“Opportunities and risks of every AI must be discussed openly and on the basis of facts,” says Bolle. For a constructive and unprejudiced exchange, he said, it was necessary to improve the way artificial intelligence functions. “AI must be included in the school curriculum,” said Bolle, “at least as a voluntary additional offer.

Bosch is also acting: Within the next two years, the company will train 20,000 associates in AI. Bosch is also planning to have AI in all Bosch products from 2025, so that they can be developed or manufactured. “This is not about using AI as an end in itself – but about further increasing the quality and benefits of our solutions for customers and users,” says Michael Bolle.

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Surteco Group SE

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Significant earnings improvement in the third quarter of 2020

In the third quarter of 2020, the business situation recovered significantly as planned after the sharp slump in the second quarter. Surteco Group SE’s consolidated sales of 162.2 million euros in Q3 were only 3 percent below the previous year’s sales. This brings total revenues to EUR 459.3 million as of September 30, 2020 compared to EUR 519.3 million in the previous year. Adjusted for currency effects and the North American impregnation business, which was sold in July 2019, the comparable decline was 7 percent. The high degree of cost flexibility and the success of the efficiency improvements realized in the recent past are reflected in the increase in EBITDA in the third quarter to EUR 24.6 million (Q3-2019: EUR 22.4 million). The EBITDA margin thus rose to 15.2 percent. EBITDA for the first three quarters was EUR 59.9 million, compared to EUR 64.6 million in 2019. The operating result (EBIT) in the third quarter climbed by 26 percent to EUR 14.4 million (Q3-2019: EUR 11.4 million). In the first three quarters of 2020, the Group generated an EBIT of EUR 28.8 million compared to EUR 31.6 million in the previous year. As the financial result also improved significantly, earnings before taxes at September 30, at EUR 27.1 million, were only slightly below the 2019 figure (EUR 28.0 million). After taxes, Surteco reported a nine-month profit of EUR 18.6 million after EUR 19.5 million and earnings per share of EUR 1.20 (9M-2019: EUR 1.26).

“Our business has picked up significantly in Q3, as announced, after the previous quarter was weak due to corona. Thanks to our high cost efficiency, we were even able to improve earnings substantially in the quarter under review. We are therefore also cautiously optimistic for the final quarter, provided that the situation does not deteriorate significantly due to the pandemic,” comments Wolfgang Moyses, CEO of Surteco Group SE, on the situation.

Surteco’s segments were affected by the corona pandemic to varying degrees in the first three quarters. While Profiles, at EUR 77.9 million, achieved a 10 percent increase in sales and EBIT to EUR 8.1 million (previous year: EUR 7.9 million) thanks to strong demand from the construction and renovation sector, the Decoratives segment suffered from the effects of the pandemic, particularly in the UK, Italy and France. As a result, segment sales fell by 7 percent to EUR 331.0 million and the nine-month result to EUR 21.6 million (previous year: EUR 26.9 million). Sales in the Technicals segment stabilized in the third quarter. After nine months, however, at EUR 50.4 million, they were 28 percent below the previous year’s level, mainly due to the disposal of the American impregnation business. By contrast, the operating result rose significantly to EUR 3.3 million (previous year: EUR 1.7 million).

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Swiss Krono

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Solid business result despite pandemic

Despite the difficult conditions, the Swiss Krono Group has come through the 2019/20 business year well: As the Corona crisis hit the economy hard and customers had to close down due to the lockdown, the company had to cope with a drop in sales of over 30 percent in April and 20 percent in May compared to the previous year. In the following months, however, the situation was stabilized and improved. For example, the Group closed the fiscal year as of September 30, 2020 with gross revenues of EUR 1.7 billion, only about four percent below the 2018/19 fiscal year with EUR 1.8 billion.

In the Flooring division, gross sales were even slightly higher than in the previous year at around EUR 715 million. Sales volumes in the Building Materials (OSB) segment remained strong – but due to price factors gross sales were down five percent year-on-year at around EUR 518 million.

The Interiors business unit was hardest hit by corona-related shutdowns in industry, with gross sales falling by 13 percent. This brings the figure for the past financial year to 391 million Euro.

“Despite the difficult market conditions of the last few months, we are pleased to be able to look back on a result that is satisfactory, given the circumstances. We have achieved this not least thanks to a crisis management system that was implemented quickly and efficiently, enabling us to adapt to the new conditions,” says Georg Mäder, CSMO of the Group.

Martin Brettenthaler, CEO and Chairman of the Executive Committee, is cautious about the coming business year: “The ongoing pandemic situation worldwide is a major uncertainty factor that we simply cannot assess. We are therefore planning cautiously for 2021. Nevertheless, as a Group we are confident about the medium-term future: We are convinced that even in a difficult global economic situation, demand for high-performance, CO2-neutral and therefore sustainable engineered wood will develop favorably for us”. The Group has therefore resumed the investment projects interrupted in the spring in order to further equip the company for the future. Investments of around 180 million euros are planned for fiscal 2020/21. The largest investment project is the start of OSB production at the Russian site in Sharya.

Following the death of company founder Ernst Kaindl in 2017, his daughter and Chairman of the Board of Directors Ines Kaindl-Benes has finally settled all outstanding inheritance issues and consolidated the shareholder base in recent months. Ines Kaindl-Benes is now 100 percent owner of the Swiss Krono Group. With this important step, the future as a family business is secured.

Since the Group’s management team under the leadership of Martin Brettenthaler has proven its worth, Ines Kaindl-Benes decided to step down from this body after twelve years as Chairman of the Board of Directors. The chairmanship of the board will be taken over by Dr. Wilhelm Hörmanseder, a long-standing and experienced board member. Georg Benes will also join the Board of Directors.

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VDMA Woodworking Machinery

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Outlook 2021 – Slightly optimistic, but no substantial improvement

After 10 long years of growth, the sales boom for the woodworking machinery industry is coming to an end this year. In addition to the economic slowdown already indicated in 2019, the corona pandemic acts as a significant brake. By September 2020, around 20 percent less orders are on the books than in the previous year. “The pandemic has put an additional damper on those customer industries that were also previously in an economic downturn. However, we are also observing that some customer segments such as the small shop businesses, the sawmilling industry and the further processing businesses in the construction-related sector are still investing in times of the Corona crisis,” explains Pekka Paasivaara, Chairman of the VDMA Woodworking Machinery Association, at the virtual general assembly.

The corona pandemic alone offers considerable potential for uncertainty about the future economic development. This is compounded by the incalculable risks of the approaching Brexit, as well as increasing trade restrictions, which are having an impact on the export-oriented machinery industry. All in all, VDMA anticipates a 15 per cent drop in production in the current year in Germany. “In addition to the sharp drop in orders, travel restrictions – to China, for example – continue to hurt the industry. We are only getting our service technicians to the customer with a delay. This further contributes to the drop in turnover as payments are delayed,” Paasivaara continues.

For 2021, VDMA expects a slight recovery with an increase of 3 percent, despite all the restrictions that must be made at present to make a forecast meaningful. The level will thus remain well below that of previous years. “We expect the current situation to stabilise. A substantial improvement is not expected in the foreseeable future. But there is reason to hope that we have passed the low point. The number of enquiries with concrete investment plans from customers has now risen significantly again, but uncertainty continues to slow down many decisions,” says Paasivaara.

In the first eight months of the current year, the export value of German woodworking machinery fell by 15 percent year-on-year to 1.3 billion euros. Among the top-10 export destinations, only Austria, Brazil and Lithuania were able to increase their exports. In the case of the latter two, the increase is the result of deliveries of individual large-scale plants. The two most important markets, China and the USA, suffered above-average losses of 18 and 42 percent respectively. The Chinese market is currently showing encouraging signs of recovery. This will have a positive impact on export figures in the coming months.

In the same period, German imports fell by 7 percent to 360 million euros. Of the most important supplier countries, only China was able to increase its imports by 11 percent to 114 million euros.

In these challenging times, further investments are being made in future viability of the machinery industry.  The number of cooperations and acquisitions in companies and start-ups dealing with the manifold topic of digitisation is high. And in the VDMA, too, digitalisation is the focus of cooperation between companies in the various working groups. OPC-UA as the world language of production is being driven forward at full speed, as is the digitised exchange of data between tooling and machine.

Even if climate change is not currently at the top of the political agenda, the topic will pick up speed again. “It is a breakthrough for our customer industries and thus also for us machine suppliers that wood as a construction material is now receiving the recognition it deserves at all political levels. The positive contribution that wood as a renewable raw material can make to reducing the CO2-footprint, especially in the field of sustainable construction, is enormous. The woodworking machinery industry will do everything in its power to further develop this topic. So, we can look ahead optimistically”, Paasivaara sums up.

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"Ligna" 2021

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Does not take place in May but at the end of September

“Ligna” 2021 will be held in the fall, postponing its original date from May to 27 September to 1 October 2021. Following intensive deliberations and discussions and in view of current developments in the global infection situation in the wake of the corona pandemic, Deutsche Messe and the VDMA have decided to postpone “Ligna” by around five months next year.

“Due to the ongoing pandemic, increasing restrictions and the renewed lockdown, there is great uncertainty in the market. We take this very seriously,” emphasises Dr. Andreas Gruchow, member of the Board of Management of Deutsche Messe AG. “The decision to postpone ‘Ligna’ was very difficult for us, but it is the only logical measure to give all those involved planning security and the necessary lead time for preparations. The corresponding hygiene and protection concept is in place, and with the holding of ‘Infa’ now in October, it has also been proven in practice that events in pandemic times can be carried out safely. At the ‘Ligna’, we have to take into account that entire machine parks are designed, assembled and presented in live operation with a long lead time and at great expense. This requires trade fair planning of many months. This can only be achieved in conjunction with a sufficient number of international decision-makers on the visitor side. In order for the “Ligna” as the world’s leading trade fair to do justice to this, both suppliers and users must be given sufficient planning security for participation – and this is significantly higher for September/October than for May 2021″.

The VDMA, as co-organiser of “Ligna”, also sees the postponement of the event date as the only proven means of successfully staging the world’s most important trade fair for the international wood industry in the interests of all participants. “The postponement of ‘Ligna’ is absolutely necessary. For our companies and the customers of the woodworking and processing industry, it is the world’s most important platform,” says Dr. Bernhard Dirr, Managing Director of the VDMA Woodworking Machinery Association. “The industry needs this marketplace. With the ‘Ligna’ in September 2021, we want to send a signal for new beginnings that will trigger new impulses and investments in the global market.

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Homag Group

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Signs of recovery in the third quarter

In the third quarter of 2020, the Homag Group recorded a significant improvement in order intake (+43%) and an economic recovery compared to the second quarter of 2020. Nevertheless, the nine-month figures are also affected by the corona pandemic.

“Like the rest of the engineering industry, we are still feeling the effects of the corona pandemic,” explains CEO Pekka Paasivaara. “However, in the third quarter there was a noticeable recovery in order intake. Whether this positive trend will continue in the long term depends very much on how the pandemic develops worldwide.

In the first nine months of 2020 as a whole, Homag Group’s sales revenue decreased by 13 percent to 833 million euros (prior year: 957 million euros) and order intake by 16 percent to 763 million euros (prior year: 907 million euros). As of September 30, 2020, the order backlog stood at 461 million euros (December 31, 2019: 546 million euros). In the first three quarters of 2020, the Homag Group generated operating EBIT of EUR 20.8 million (prior year: EUR 58.5 million). As of September 30, 2020, the Homag Group employed 6,482 people (September 30, 2019: 6,615).

According to Paasivaara, business development in the various market regions varies. “We see a recovery especially in China and in Northern and Eastern Europe. The trend is also positive in other regions, although there we are still below pre-crisis levels”.

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Nowy Styl Group

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Launches global rebranding process

The world has changed, it is changing further and faster than ever before. The Nowy Styl Group has also changed a great deal over the past 28 years, developing extremely dynamically and positively – both organically and through a series of international acquisitions.

Step by step, the company has been able to enter new market segments, strengthen its position in export markets and acquire local brands. Increasingly, the company worked together with large international companies and was able to reach renowned architects.

“Nowy Styl has developed in recent years from a seating furniture manufacturer to a furnishing expert for offices and public spaces. We are constantly growing and want our development to be reflected in our strategy and communication. This is why we have decided to rebrand. The aim of the change is to emphasise our strengths and character, without which we would not have been able to become one of the leading manufacturers in Europe. Building a strong, global brand is of strategic importance to us. Having several brands in different markets blurs – despite some advantages – the image of our company and causes us to share our skills and resources, says Adam Krzanowski, Chairman of the Board and co-founder of Nowy Styl.

From now on, the manufacturer is breaking new ground and announcing a gradual rebranding process. In addition, the company name will be changed globally in all markets from Nowy Styl Group to Nowy Styl and will appear with a new brand strategy and an innovative, visual identification.

“The Nowy Styl name is authentic because it tells the story of the people who built the company, their entrepreneurial spirit, the values they stand for and ultimately their success story,” said Adam Krzanowski.

The rebranding provides for the following brand changes:

“Nowy Styl” – the global brand with a new visual identity takes over the function of the former umbrella brand Nowy Styl Group and at the same time stands for a comprehensive, professional product portfolio on the project-oriented market.

With its focus on design, “Kusch+Co by Nowy Styl” primarily addresses architects and project furnishers and also offers special products for passenger terminals and the healthcare sector.

As a new international brand, “Sohos by Nowy Styl” stands for product solutions with basic functions and an attractive price-performance ratio.

“Forum by Nowy Styl” (formerly Forum Seating) presents an extensive portfolio of project seating for auditoriums, cinemas and stadiums.

“Sitag by Nowy Styl” will in future only be active on its home market, Switzerland.

The rebranding process is also designed to make the continuous and dynamic growth more transparent and effective for customers and partners. The brands “BN Office Solution”, “Grammer Office” and “Rohde & Grahl” will thus gradually merge with the international “Nowy Styl” brand.

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"Bau China“

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Increases its status in the construction and architecture industry with 636 Exhibitors and 48,000 visitors

“Bau China”, the leading trade fair in the Asia-Pacific region for “Building Systems Solutions, High-End Technologies and Materials” was held from October 29 to November 1, 2020. Since its premiere in 2017 as “Fenestration Bau China”, exhibition segments have been integrated, similar to “Bau”in Munich. With the newly created RealTech Expo, the Real Estate segment is to be further expanded in the future. “Bau China” is organized by MMU BAU Fenestration, a holding subsidiary of Messe München.

“Despite the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and the associated international travel restrictions, we are very satisfied with the results of ‘Bau China’,” reports Dr. Reinhard Pfeiffer, Vice Chairman of the Board of Management of Messe München. “With an exhibition area of 39,000 net-square meters (95,000sqm gross）and over 48,000 visitors (90,000 visits), the result is below the previous year’s figure, but exhibitors are highly recognised the result of ‘Bau China’. They said: ‘Bau China’ attracted so many professional visitors, it is the most successful exhibition in Asia market this year.´ It also shows that ‘Bau China’ is becoming increasingly important for the construction and architecture industry. ‘Bau China’ is the market place for the future and innovation”.

The importance of the event is also underlined by Hubert Aiwanger, Deputy Bavarian Minister-President and Minister of Economic Affairs, who personally opened the fair a year ago and who this year sent his greetings by video message: “Especially in Corona times, we see how important it is that construction improves, that we have the best properties and that we increase energy efficiency. People are once again concentrating more on their individual living environment, and this trade fair fits in perfectly here”.

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