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Author: Hahn, Sebastian

Ligna

Excellent booking status for the anniversary edition of the trade fair

At the end of May 2024, the organizers of Ligna, Deutsche Messe AG and VDMA Woodworking Machinery Association, recorded an excellent booking status – both in terms of the number of companies registered and the amount of space rented.

“80 percent of the net stand space – based on the total area of Ligna 2023 – has already been booked for Ligna 2025 with the end of the early booking discount,” says Stephanie Wagner, Project Manager Ligna at Deutsche Messe. “We also have almost two thirds of the exhibiting companies on board compared to 2023. These figures prove that exhibitors’ commitment to Ligna remains high, even though the industry is currently navigating through difficult times. We are very pleased with the result and it confirms Ligna’s position as the world’s leading trade fair for the woodworking community,” adds Wagner.

In addition to the market leaders from Germany, Italy, Austria, Turkey and Spain, numerous registrations from Asia – above all from China and Japan – have also been received for the anniversary edition of Ligna.

VDMA Woodworking Machinery Association considers the current rental status of Ligna and the very good participation of companies at the trade fair to be an extremely important sign from the industry, which is thus demonstrating its willingness to take a united path out of the crisis. Dr. Bernhard Dirr, Managing Director of the VDMA Woodworking Machinery Association, Frankfurt am Main: “We are currently at the bottom of a pronounced economic downturn. The fact that the companies registering are so unanimously looking forward to the upcoming Ligna underlines the expectation that things will pick up again from 2025 at the latest and that many new orders can be discussed at Ligna”.

Pfleiderer

Published Sustainability Report 2023

Pfleiderer has published its sustainability report for 2023. In this report, the company provides a detailed overview of its ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) activities, which are an integral part of its corporate strategy, for the second time.

For Pfleiderer, 2023 was the most successful year in terms of sustainability work thanks to numerous awards. The company won another gold medal from EcoVadis and, according to the rating agency Morningstar/Sustainalytics, is the second-placed company in the building materials industry category, ranking among the top two percent of 15,000 globally rated companies. The highlight was also the presentation of the German Sustainability Award (DNP) 2024 in the raw materials/wood processing category, which crowned an extraordinary year.

Dr. Frank Herrmann, CEO of the Pfleiderer Group, summarizes: “The performance of the Pfleiderer team in terms of sustainability and ESG cannot be overestimated, especially in an economically difficult year. This is a great success, especially as we have far exceeded some of the targets we set ourselves. I am particularly pleased that we have convinced various juries of the company’s strategy and performance in the area of sustainability, which is so important to us, and have been recognized accordingly.”

The complete sustainability report is available at the following link www.pfleiderer.com/nachhaltigkeit

CEO Dr. Frank Herrmann emphasizes: “Of course, we are by no means resting on our laurels. We have set ourselves further ambitious goals for the new financial year and beyond. Above all, we want to improve our resource efficiency, feed the waste heat from our power plants into municipal supply grids, introduce special measures to protect biodiversity and make our supply chain even more transparent.”

The SCM team at Xylexpo
SCM Group

Presented holistic solutions at Xylexpo

The SCM Group did not exhibit any machines at Xylexpo. To see these, customers could take a shuttle service to a nearby showroom. However, visitors to the Group’s stand were treated to an exciting new experience and were able to experience the wide range of technical and digital innovations in a fully multimedia format. At the trade fair, SCM presented the Group’s new concept of demonstrating its own expertise entirely without machines: A strategy that underlines both the Group’s commitment to sustainability and environmental protection as well as its leading role in market communication. The new stand follows a precise vision of SCM to go more and more “beyond the machine” to support customers’ business needs in all aspects.

Pietro Gheller, Director of the Woodworking Division at SCM, summarized this at the press conference on the stand: “The many innovations on display at Xylexpo show that SCM is able to build lasting and fruitful relationships with its customers, keeping an eye on their needs not only over the life cycle of the machines, but over the entire duration of their business activity. We can provide this service not only thanks to technology – which of course remains the core of the Group’s brand – but by complementing it with an ecosystem of software, services, skills and experience with very high added value.”

The focus has therefore shifted from the customer’s pure product to their requirements in terms of support, control, advice and productivity: this was also the area in which the new “WIN MES”, a complete software for controlling the system information flow, was presented.

Finally, the centerpiece of the stand was SCM’s new “Digital Control Room”, a fully functional digital embodiment of the Group’s values: Customer relationship (“you will never walk alone”) through a proactive service with IoT support from the “Maestro Connect” system, environmental sustainability through new energy monitoring functions, operational sustainability through predictive maintenance and business sustainability through optimized productivity with our service packages. Last but not least, our understanding of sustainability also encompasses the workforce, which is reflected in easy access to technical skills and continuous training programs.

Another objective in SCM’s vision concerns the provision of automated, integrated and complete processes for the entire timber construction sector. Multimedia and immersive tools allowed visitors to immerse themselves in the heart of the entire boundless SCM offering. For each application area – furniture and kitchen, windows, doors, floors, construction, surface treatment, joinery, shipbuilding and mobile homes – pioneering innovations were presented, integrated with solutions from CMS, another of the Group’s brands specializing in technologies for processing other materials such as glass, marble, metal, plastic and composites.

Direct links to SCM’s Technology Centers in Italy showed the new flexible production cells for panel sizing, nesting, edge banding and drilling, equipped with automatic storage systems and anthropomorphic robots, as well as integrated sanding and lacquering units for processing cabinet doors, windows and parquet flooring.

“The new products presented show the major role that innovation plays in SCM’s strategy. The Group continues to invest 7°% of its annual turnover in research and development. According to the European Patent Office’s Epo Patent Index, SCM is among the ten companies in Italy with the most patents registered in 2023,” added Pietro Gheller at the press conference. “The woodworking division’s R&D investments are increasingly focused on the processing phases that are decisive for the quality of the final product, such as edge processing, joinery machines and the entire surface treatment, for which SCM, together with Superfici, offers a range of complete and integrated solutions”.

Logo Siempelkamp
Siempelkamp

First board produced at Century Plyboards (India) Ltd.

Century Plyboards (India) Ltd (CPIL) is cooperating with Siempelkamp to set up its largest MDF plant in Andhra Pradesh. This plant has a remarkable daily production capacity of 950 cubic meters. CPIL is a leading company in the wood-based materials industry. It is the first ISO 9002 certified company in India in the plywood and veneer industry. CPIL has a wide range of products including plywood, laminates, veneers, doors, MDF, particleboard, fiber cement board, PVC and exterior laminates. The brand is known for its commitment to quality and stands for a success story of customer orientation and innovation. CPIL has always demonstrated its commitment to excellence and technological progress.

From the customer’s point of view, the Siempelkamp team has proven itself in this project: “The proactive approach is commendable, tasks were accomplished despite all challenges. The team adapted to all circumstances during the ongoing process and showed commitment to driving the project forward. Whether it is with the prompt deployment of established machines or the willingness to accelerate schedules and work overtime, it all represents a commitment to efficiency and customer satisfaction,” says Ankit Banthia, Assistant Managing Director, Century Plyboards (India) Ltd.

Michael Betz
Sonae Arauco

Michael Betz becomes COO for the North East Europe region

Michael Betz takes over the position of Managing Director and COO of the North East Europe region at Sonae Arauco on June 1. With more than 20 years of experience as COO and CEO, he will represent the NEE region within the Executive Committee of Sonae Arauco

“Given the importance of the German market for Sonae Arauco and its specific characteristics, we have opted for a new hybrid system that will give this region more agility and flexibility in the implementation of Sonae Arauco’s strategy,” says Rui Correia, CEO of Sonae Arauco. “Michael Betz will play an important role in our strategic endeavors in the dynamic NEE region. With him, we have someone at our side who knows the various facets of the market and production and can therefore make a valuable contribution to the development of our company.”

Michael Betz joined Sonae Arauco on May 1 and brings with him extensive expertise in related industries. Among other things, he was most recently CEO of the Real GC Group since 2006, where he gained experience in the furniture, interior design and construction industries. Prior to this, he held the position of COO at Vitra AG after working for several years in the areas of production, planning and technology at ABB Elektromotoren. Betz has a degree in mechanical engineering from Kaiserslautern University of Applied Sciences.

Logo of the leading Italian trade fair Xylexpo 2024
Xylexpo

More than 11,000 visitors in Milan

The 28th edition of Xylexpo came to an end on May 24. According to IsfCert, an institute for the certification of exhibition statistics(www.isfcert.it), 11,288 visitors came to Milan to find out about new technologies in woodworking. 27 percent of these came from abroad. Of these, 70 percent came from Europe, 18 percent from Asia, 5 percent from America and 5 percent from Africa.

“We have to admit that we had expected lower figures given the difficult times for trade fairs. But it seems that the long tradition of Xylexpo has once again proven its appeal,” said Dario Corbetta, Director of the trade fair, immediately after the end of the event.

Xylexpo’s online activities recorded very good figures: From April 24 to May 25, there were 58,000 contacts on Facebook, 77,000 on LinkedIn and 145,000 on Instagram. Xylexpo-Digital’s YouTube offerings were also used extensively and the organizers assume that this will increase considerably. Because during the trade fair, of course, more content was created.

Carsten Bungard deceased
Likora

Company founder Carsten Bungard passes away

Likora GmbH in Horn-Bad Meinberg mourns the loss of Carsten Bungard. The founder and long-standing managing director of the company passed away on April 29 at the age of 70.
Carsten Bungard founded Likora GmbH in 1983, laying the foundations for a successful family business that has established itself as a global manufacturer of surface solutions over the last 40 years.

With further growth in mind, Carsten Bungard decided in 1990 to move to a newly built hall in Horn-Bad Meinberg in East Westphalia, where Likora is based today.
Since the beginning of his career, service, flexibility, personality and individual solutions have had top priority – values that are still deeply rooted in the Likora philosophy today.
In 2010, Carsten Bungard and Lamigraf laid the foundations for the first expansion stage of the now intensified, successful collaboration with the Spanish decor printer.

Unfortunately, due to the gradual deterioration of his health, the family decided to make the generational change in 2012. His son Christian Bungard took over the management and has been running the company ever since.
During this time, Carsten Bungard celebrated his second birthday thanks to an organ transplant, became a grandfather and was able to enjoy the development of his company from a new perspective. He followed all of Likora’s development steps with great interest until the very end.

“With the loss of my father, we are losing an incredibly charismatic and esteemed personality who will be sorely missed by us and many long-time companions,” says Christian Bungard.

Schattdecor

Sales in 2023 slightly below the previous year

In the 2023 financial year, the Schattdecor Group generated preliminary total sales of over EUR 900 million. This puts the decor and surface specialist slightly below its previous year’s sales. At around 1.4 billion square meters in printing and 725 million square meters in finished surfaces, the Group’s output remains at the previous year’s level.

According to CEO Roland Auer, the industry is still in a phase of uncertainty: “The year 2023 was characterized by clear contrasts, a year of constant ups and downs.” A rapid and sustainable recovery of the situation is still not foreseeable. “All the more reason for us to continue full of energy and passion,” says Auer. “With contemporary new products, partnerships and a global network, we are continuing to pave our way through these difficult times.”

For the current financial year, the company is investing EUR 40 million in the expansion of production capacities and technologies as well as the maintenance and expansion of the international infrastructure. The projects are a response to market and customer requirements. “It remains the order of the day to constantly focus our best efforts on efficient, innovative technologies and processes as well as a modern, contemporary product range,” says Auer.

Surteco logo 2023
Surteco

Successful first quarter

At EUR 222.3 million, the Surteco Group’s sales in the first quarter of 2024 were 8% higher than the previous year’s figure of EUR 205.7 million. The acquired Omnova divisions were only included for one month in the first quarter of the previous year.

Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) rose by 44% to EUR 27.6 million (previous year: EUR 19.1 million) and earnings before taxes (EBT) by 90% to EUR 9.8 million (previous year: EUR 5.1 million), mainly due to margin improvements from the Performance Plus program and the absence of transaction costs from the acquisition.

Consolidated profit also increased by 90 percent to EUR 6.9 million after EUR 3.6 million in the previous year, resulting in earnings per share of EUR 0.44 (previous year: EUR 0.23). In this respect, the forecast from the 2023 Annual Report is confirmed. Accordingly, Group sales for the full year 2024 are expected to be in the range of EUR 860 million to EUR 910 million and EBITDA adjusted for the Group is expected to be in the range of EUR 85 million to EUR 105 million.

“In a persistently difficult market environment, we have made a good start to the 2024 financial year. Our measures from the Performances Plus program have contributed significantly to the improvement in earnings,” says Wolfgang Moyses, CEO of the Surteco Group.