material + technik möbel Special 02/2012 - Quality Inside

New wood-based panels with Kaurit® Light

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® = registered trademark of BASF SE

With Kaurit® Light to new, light wood-based panels. A wood-based panel manu-factured with Kaurit® Light technology is ideal for industrial furniture production. It consists of wood chips, a foamed polymer (Kaurit® Light) and a binder (Kaurit® Glue). As a result, the new wood-based panel weighs 30 % less than a conventional particle board and can be manufactured using existing particle board machinery.

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BASF_AZ_Kaurit_Light_220x297_e_RZ_cs.indd 1 11.07.12 10:57M_sp0212_Anz_BASF_ts.indd 1 30.07.12 13:20

The magazine for furniture production and related fields

Special 02|12

Quality Inside

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M_sp0212Titel_Kesseboehmer.indd 1 07.08.12 13:56M_sp0212_Umschlag.indd 1 07.08.12 14:01

Hettich hardware technology brings your furniture to life. With unmatched product diversity that picks up on

international furniture trends. And with innovative functions that are trendsetters in their own right. At Hettich,

you’ll fi nd the perfect hardware solution for your design of furniture. And comprehensive service support that’s

available whenever you need it.

www.hettich.com

Hettich: Technology that moves

German quality you can trust

M_sp0212_Anz_Hettich_ts.indd 1 30.07.12 13:18

17 - 19 OCTOBER 2012SINGAPORE EXPO, HALL 2

furniPROAsia

Unlock Opportunities for the Woodworking and Furniture Production Industry in ASEAN

www.furniproasia.com

Endorsed by Supporting organizations

- Chamber of Furniture Industries of the Philippines (CFIP)- Handicraft & Wood Industry Association of HCMC (HAWA)- Indonesia Furniture Industry & Handicraft Association (ASMINDO)

- Malaysian Furniture Industry Council (MFIC)- Myanmar Timber Merchants Association (MTMA)- Singapore Furniture Industries Council (SFIC)- Thai Furniture Industry Club – Federation of Thai Industries (TFIC)

Woodworking & furniture production industrymost important trade fair in South East Asia!

Pre-register online at

www.furniproasia.com and

receive a complimentary copy of

show catalogue! Online registration

closes on 8th Oct 2012.

Official media partner Media partners

Top industry players confirm their participation at the inaugural furniPRO Asia 2012.

See the latest technologies presented & demonstrated live by international industrystalwarts, such as Biesse, IMA, PAL, Sandvik, Schelling, SCM, Siempelkamp and Wemhoener and more.

furniPRO Asia 2012 plays host to Top buyers from members’ of ASEAN Furniture Industries Council:

Opening Hours:10.00am – 6.00pm (17-18 Oct)10.00am – 4.00pm (19 Oct)

Catch the GREEN FORUM on 18 October (Thursday), where industryexperts will discuss topics on sustainable business practices, latest regulation

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M_sp0212_Anz_FurniproAsia.indd 1 02.08.12 16:37M_sp0212_Umschlag.indd 2 07.08.12 14:01

material+technik möbel - special 02|12 3

With this “Quality Inside – made in Europe” special, the German trade journal“material+technik möbel” is again providing a special publication this summer thatcontainsthelatestinformationaboutthefurnishingmarketinWesternEurope.Packedwithup-to-the-minutemarketdataaswellasinformationaboutfurnishingtrendsandinnovativenewproductsfromthesupplierandmachineryindustries,thismagazineisanindispensableguideforthefurnishingsectoroutsideofEurope.Onthefollowingpages, themagazine reports inEnglishabout trendydecors, clever fittingsand thelatesttechnologiesinthewoodworkingindustryinEurope.Thecommondenominatorofalloftheproducts“madeinEurope”isthehighstandardsofqualitythatthepro-ducerssetforthemselvesindevelopmentandproduction.Theworldwidefurnituresectorhastheopportunitytobeconvincedofthatfactatthe

InternationalWoodworking&FurnitureSupplyFair(IWF)inAtlanta/USA.AttheendofAugust,west-ern European producers will once again demon-strate their competence and innovative strengththere.ManyofthemwillappearwithUSsubsidiar-iesof theirownorcanbe foundat thestandsoftheir American industrial repre-sentatives.At the same time, the US eventwill be the kick-off for the world-widedistributionofthisspecialis-sue“QualityInside–madeinEu-rope” in the followingweeksandmonths.

Innovations with high quality standards

Title: “Clever Storage” is “quality inside” – on the right in the foreground is “Lavido” by Kesseböhmer, an ideal central food storage center. Photo: Kesseböhmer

Contents

Quality Inside

Editorial..................................... 3Eurocrisisslowseconomy... 4–5Italianfurnitureindustry..............underpressure..................... 6–7Germanfurnitureproduction......ontheupagain......................... 8Debutofanewfair..................... inSoutheastAsia...................... 9IWFexpectsmorefurniture.......industryvisitors................ 10–11Perfectiondownto.....................thelastdetail.......................... 12Fast,customized,reliable....... 13Successfulfromthestart....... 14“CleverStorage”forbetter........ kitchens.................................. 15Europe’sfurniturefairs...............andtheirtrends................ 16–17Europeanhighlights:...................fittings..................................... 18....................................................

Qualityoffensivefor...................finishfoils............................... 21Europeanhighlights:...................surfaces............................ 22–23ShowcasesfortheEuropean.....machineindustry............. 24–27Ligna2013:Aworldof...............innovationsandintegrated.........bioenergysystems................. 28Gaplessandtear-free.................cutquality............................... 31Imprint.................................... 31Lightweightconstruction............couldgovernthefuture... 32–33Surfacesindustry........................preparesforthefuture..... 34–35Newspreadingmachine.............fortheanniversary.................. 36Thenextgeneration....................lightweightpanel.................... 36Companynews....................... 38

M_mt0212_Anz_Kuris.indd 1 05.04.12 11:02

Advertisement

Richard Barth, Editor-in-chief

M_sp0212_Editorial_Inhalt.indd 3 08.08.12 13:35

Quality Inside

4 material+technik möbel - special 02|12

Providing forecasts for economic development in Europe is hard for the economic institutes at the present time, because political uncertainties are higher than ever before. Greece, Spain, Italy and Ireland are the countries that are causing the most headaches for the members of the Euro zone. The high level of debt in those countries is threatening the existence of the European Union. The national insolvency of several member countries might mean the end of the Euro and would severely burden the finances of the remaining members. If Greece went bankrupt, for example, the finances of the Federal Republic of Germany would be burdened with up to 82 billion Euros, as calculated by the Ifo economic research institute in Germany. If Greece were to stay in the Euro zone despite its insolvency, Germany would have to register losses of 89 billion Euros, according to the institute.

EU expands

At the present time, the Euro is the official currency in 17 European countries and for about 330 million people. After its start in the year 1999, Estonia and Slovakia are among its latest members. The Euro has been introduced in all western European countries except for Denmark, Great Britain, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland. However, 27 countries with just about 500 million citizens now belong to the EU (European Union). It is an economic and political partnership of the member countries and is continually being expanded. With Hungary, Poland, Bulgaria and Romania, the EU has also meanwhile expanded to the east. As of 1 July 2013, Croatia will become the 28th member. Other candidates for membership are Iceland, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey.

Decline in construction activity

A decisive barometer for economic development is construction activity. According to the latest calculations by Euroconstruct, there will be a decline totalling 2 percent in the 19 surveyed countries in 2012. Euroconstruct is an association of economic institutes from 14 western and four eastern European countries, who work together to analyze the construction sector in Europe. The forecasts for the next two years look better. In 2013, Euroconstruct expects construction activity to rise by 0.5 percent and in 2014 construction activity should reach the level of 2011 again. Residential building will show the best development in the years 2012 to 2014. Euroconstruct expects an increase of 3 percent during this time. However, the vol

ume of residential building in 2014 will still be about 10 percent lower than the level of 2008. The building completion rates in the 19 member countries have declined drastically since 2007. At that time, 2.5 million new dwellings were built, while in 2012 only 1.4 million are expected. In the coming years, the institute expects building approval figures of about 1.5 million units annually. In general, the economic researchers expect to see a difference in construction activity between northern and southern Europe until 2014. An annual growth rate of 2 percent is expected in Denmark and Norway. In Austria, France, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland and Great Britain, yearly growth should be between 0.1 and 2 percent. In Belgium, the Czech Republic, Fin

land, Italy and the Netherlands, stagnation or a decline of between 0 and 3 percent is expected. Euroconstruct forecasts a significant decrease in construction activity in Ireland, Portugal and Spain.

Euro crisis impedes economic development

As far as economic development is concerned, the year 2012 is proving to be less positive than 2011. Real gross domestic product (GDP) will decline by 0.5 percent in the 17 member countries in 2012, according to leading economic institutes. However, a slight growth rate of 0.2 percent is still expected for private consumption. The forecasts for 2013 are only a little better. Stagnation is expected for the gross domestic product. The unemployment rate will rise to 11.3 percent in 2012 and to 12 percent

Euro crisis slows economy Europe has digested the worldwide economic and financial crisis to a much lower extent than the rest of the world. Especially in the Euro zone, the debt overload of some of the member states is causing head-aches for economic experts. In the summer of 2012, therefore, damage control is on the agenda in Europe.

M_sp0212_R_Europa.indd 4 08.08.12 11:38

Quality Inside


in the following year, which – inconnection with the restrictive fi-nancial policy – will lower privateconsumption.Adeclineof0.7per-centisexpectedinthisarea.

Current economic data and fore-casts for the economic develop-ment in selected European coun-triesfollow:

Spain

In Spain, the reces-sion is worse thanexpected. According

tothelatestforecastsbytheIMF(InternationalMonetaryFund),theSpanish economy will shrink by1.7percentinthecurrentyearandby a further 1.2 percent in thecoming year. In 2011, Spanisheconomic performance was stillable to grow by 0.7 percent. Thecountrysuffersfromanunemploy-ment rate thatwill rise from21.7percent to 24.6 percent in 2012and will probably cause privateconsumptiontoshrinkby2.2per-cent, according to predictions bythe OECD (Organisation of Eco-nomic Co-operation and Develop-ment). Accordingly, consumerpricesarenotrisingverymuch.Af-ter a rise of 3.1 percent in 2011,rises of only 1.7 percent in 2012and 0.7 percent in 2013 are ex-pected.

Portugal

Portugal is also bat-tling declining eco-nomic performance.

After aminusof1.6percent, realGDP will shrink by a further 2.8percentinthecurrentyear.Theun-employmentrate,whichhasrisenfrom12.9percentto15.5percentin 2012, is paralyzing private con-sumption and keeping consumerprices from risingat a faster rate.After 3.6 percent in 2011, a 2.9percent rate of price increases isexpected for 2012. Private con-sumptionwillsinkfurtherandafteradeclineof3.9percentitwillprob-ablydecreasebyanadditional6.6percentin2012.In2013,adeclineofonly1.1percentisexpected.

France

France is countedamongtheeconomi-callystrongestcoun-

tries in Europe, along with Ger-many. After economic growth of

1.7percent in2011,however,anincrease in real GDP of only 0.5percentisexpectedfor2012.Therising unemployment rate is hav-inganegativeeffectonconsump-tion. After 9.7 percent in 2011,unemployment is expected torise to 10.3 percent in 2012. Pri-vate consumption will thereforeprobably only increase by about0.7 percent in 2012 and by 1.1percentin2013.Consumerpriceswillmostlikelyriseby2.1percentin 2012, and in 2013 by only 1.5percent.

Greece

Greece is the prob-lem child in the EU.Since2008,realGDP

has continually declined. After aminus of 6.9 percent in 2011, afurtherdecreaseof4.8percent isexpected for 2012. This develop-ment is also reflected on the jobmarket,wheretheunemploymentrateisatjustabout22percent.Af-teradecreaseof7.1percent,pri-vate consumption will shrink fur-ther by another 5.7 percent in2012. In 2013 though, accordingto the predictions of the OECD,the decrease should be only 1.1percent.

Germany

In 2012, Germanycontinues to be themotor for economic

growth in Europe. However, theuncertainties of the market andthe debt crisis in some Europeanexport countries are affecting thecountry’sbusinessclimate,whichhas become worse during thesummer months. Economic ex-perts are therefore expecting aweakening of the real gross do-mesticproductof 0.7percent for2012.In2013itisexpectedtobe1.3 percent. In 2011, real GDPwasstillabletoimproveby3per-cent. While domestic demandcontinues to be strong, there aremeanwhilesignsofslow-downsintheareaofexports.Consumerdemandisstillprofitingat the present time from a goodjob market situation. The unem-ployment rate is expected to de-cline slightly to 6.6 percent by2013.The Ifo institute is thusex-pectinganincreaseinprivatecon-sumption of 1.3 percent in 2012and 1.5 percent in 2013. The in-

crease in consumer prices willprobably be 2 percent in bothyears.

Italy

Italyismeanwhileal-so one of the Euro-pean problem chil-

dren because the country has avery high level of debt. Its eco-nomic performance will probablybe negative in 2012, after thecountrywasstillabletoregisteraplus of 0.4 percent in 2011. In2012,realGDPwillmostlikelyde-creaseby1.4percent.Businessesaresufferingaboveallbecauseofthe declining domestic demandand the high rate of unemploy-ment. After 8.4 percent in 2011,anunemploymentrateof10.6per-cent is predicted for 2012, andthat rate is expected to rise in2013. Private consumption willprobably shrink by 2.3 percent in2012andby0.4percent in2013.In 2011, the country still regis-teredslightgrowthof0.3percentinthisarea.

Austria

In 2012, Austria hasexperienced a set-back in its economic

performance.Afteraplusof3per-cent, realGDPwillprobablygrowbyonly0.6in2012,butin2013itisexpectedtoincreaseby1.5per-cent again. The unemploymentrateat4.2percentisthelowestintheEurozone.In2012,consumerpriceswillincreaseby2.2percent,less than in 2011, when the in-crease was 3.6 percent. Privateconsumption is expected to riseby 0.8 percent in 2012 and by 1percentin2013.

Belgium

In 2011, Belgiumwasstillabletoregis-teranincreaseinreal

GDPof1.9percent,butin2012itisexpectedtoexperiencestagna-tion in itseconomicperformance.Thiswillalsoaffecttheunemploy-mentrate,whichwillrisefrom7.2to 7.7 percent. Private consump-tionwillthereforealsostagnatein2012, but is expected to growagainby1.2percentin2013.Con-sumer prices are not rising asstrongly.After2.5percentin2011,an increaseof1.9percent ispre-dictedfor2012.

NetherlandsThe predictions forthe Netherlands arealso negative. After

economicgrowthof1.2percentin2011,economicexpertspredict aminusof0.7percentforthecoun-tryin2012.Thenumberofunem-ployedwillrisein2012incompari-son to the year before from 4.4percent to 5.8 percent. Privateconsumptionisexpectedtoshrinkby 1.5 percent and then to stag-nate in 2013. At the same time,a decrease in consumer pricesfrom 2.5 to 1.9 percent is to beexpected.

Finland

Within the Eurozone, Finland is ingood shape, but it

hasalsohadtodealwithasetbackineconomicperformancein2012.Real GDP in the Scandinaviancountrywillprobablygrowbyonly1.4percentinthecurrentyearaf-ter growing 2.9 percent in 2011.Followingaplusof3.3percent in2011, private consumption is ex-pectedto increaseby1.7percentin2012.An increaseof1percentis predicted for 2013. The unem-ployment rate remainsat7.7per-centandconsumerpriceswillde-clineslightlyby3percentin2012.

Great Britain

Great Britain is amemberoftheEuro-pean Union, but has

nottakentheEuroasitscurrency.Aftereconomicgrowthof0.7per-centin2011,adeclineinrealGDPof 0.2 percent is expected for2012. Thegovernment’s austeritymeasures and the weak job mar-ket are slowing down domesticdemand at the present time. In2012, it will increase by only 0.3percent, according to the OECD.In 2013, private consumption isexpectedtoriseagainby1.1per-cent.Thecountry’seconomicper-formance isalsoexpected to riseby1.1percentin2013.Theunem-ploymentratewillmost likelyriseto8.3percentin2012andstayatabout8.2percentin2013.Thein-flation rate will be at 3.1 percentandthenfall to2percent in2013duetotheausteritymeasures. Richard Barth

Photo: Fotolia/K.F.L.

M_sp0212_R_Europa.indd 5 08.08.12 11:38

Quality Inside


Italy´s furniture manufacturers are under pressure to succeed. For decades, Italy has led the league of the most successful furniture man-ufacturers – but, since the world-wide financial and economic crisis occurred, its course of success has been slowed down. The Italian furniture industry simply will not pick up. Whilst the furniture industry in oth-er European countries is once again developing satisfactorily, in 2011 Italian manufacturers of fur-nishing products had to face a fall in sales amounting to 4.8 % as against the previous year. Furnish-ing products only to the value of Euro 20.269 billion were produced. In 2010, sales by the Italian furni-ture manufacturers had risen by only 1.8 % as compared with the previous year. In addition to home furniture, this figure also includes office and bathroom furniture as well as lighting elements. This means that Italy had a 6.6 % share of world furniture produc-tion, which the Italian market sur-vey institute CSIL estimates at US-Dollar 376 billion (ca. Euro 300 bil-lion) for 2012.For the most part, the fall in sales in the Italian market is to be attrib-

uted to the slowdown in private consumption. In 2011, the indus-try recorded a fall in sales on the domestic market of 13.6 % to ca. Euro 9,8 billion. In the export mar-kets, however, the furniture in-dustry showed a positive devel-opment and was able to increase its exports by 4.3 % to ca. Euro 10.4 billion, resulting in a further increase in the export trade. Whilst in 2010, 47 % of sales were for export, in 2011 this fig-ure rose to 51.5 %. According to the latest estimates, it has mean-while further increased to 54 %.

Housing construction at rock bottom

The slowdown in consumption in the domestic market also affect-ed foreign suppliers. Imports in 2011 rose only by 2 % to Euro 3.167 billion. As a result, the bal-ance of trade surplus rose to Euro 7.267 billion (+5.4 %). Last but not least, the fall in demand has also decimated the number of businesses and employees in the country. In 2011, in the Italian fur-nishings industry, altogether 218,155 (–1.9 %) men and wom-en were employed in 32,277 (–2.6 %) businesses.

In 2012, there will probably be no change in the poor sales figures of the Italian furniture manufacturers, and this also applies to foreign sup-pliers to the market. This is partly due to the loss in purchasing pow-er and partly to the slowdown in housing construction. According to figures published by the furniture industry association, consumer spending by Italian families during the first quarter of 2012 fell by a further 2.4 % as against the same period in the previous year. For years now, housing construction has been revealing a negative de-velopment: from 2005 to 2010, the number of new housing units has fallen by 53.2 %. Since at the same time, from 2007 to 2010, the number of applications for building permission has plummeted by 30.2 %, there is scarcely hope of improvement.

Decline in all segments

The fall-off in construction activi-ties has in particular affected the kitchen furniture manufacturers in

Italy. They were able to offset their losses in the domestic market only to a minor extent by means of in-creased exports, because their ex-port share is smaller than in other segments. In 2011, their sales sank by 5.8 % to Euro 1.8 billion. Whilst domestic sales suffered a fall of 8.5 %, the industry was able to improve its export sales by 1.3%. The number of businesses fell to 804 (–3.4 %) and the number of employees to 12,933 (–3.5 %).The slump in the upholstered furni-ture was even more drastic: in 2011, this segment recorded a fall in domestic sales of 11.4 %. With an export share of 66.7 %, part of the losses were offset by in-creased export sales (+6.7 %). As a result, total sales fell by only 5.4 % to Euro 2.1 billion. In 7,500 (–2.6 %) businesses, only 29,200 persons were employed. Nor are the manufacturers of of-fice furniture satisfied with their business development; in 2011, their sales fell to Euro 1.1 billion (–3.9 %). This was also the only segment in which sales lost ground in both the domestic mar-ket (–5.5 %) and the export market (–2 %). Furthermore, with 42.2 %, their export share is smaller than that of the other segments. And with 23.8 %, the export share in the mattress industry is of even less significance. As a result, sales fell by 8 % to Euro 625 million.Those segments, which generate a large proportion of their sales in export markets recorded a smaller drop in sales. Among manufactur-ers of living room and dining room furniture, for example, these amount to 70%. Consequently, their total sales fell by only 2.4 % to Euro 813 million. The 1,230 companies in the chair industry generate 75.3 % of their sales in foreign markets. In 2012, their ex-port sales rose by 14 %, whilst do-mestic sales dropped by 8.4 %. Nevertheless, this segment too

Italian furniture industry under pressureWithin Europe, Italy is the second most important country in the production of furniture, and is also reckoned among the biggest exporters of furnishing products worldwide. Italy has a 6.6 % share in world-wide markets. Today, every second item of furniture is exported.

1| The Italian furniture industry lives from the export success of Italian designer furniture.

M_sp0212_R_Italien.indd 6 08.08.12 11:48

Quality Inside


hadtosufferafallintotalsalesof1,5%toEuro774million.

Forecasts

Accordingtoasurveycarriedoutby the Italian furniture industryassociation FederlegnoArredo,during the first four months of2012, furnishing companies re-

cordedafurtherdropinsalesof5%, whilst domestic sales wentdown by as much as 11 %. Ex-ports increased by 2 %. Howev-er, because the survey coveredonly200businesses,andhenceasmallsectionoftheindustry,theassociationbelievesthatthedropin sales of the whole industry

wasalmost twiceasbad.Feder-legnoArredo estimates for thewholeyear2012howeverafallinsales of only 3 %, with an in-creaseinexportsalesof4%.

Growth in foreign countries

Yet FederlegnoArredo sees thelongterm outlook for the Italianfurnishings industry as highlypositive. Europe will continue tobethemajorexportcustomerforItaly, with an export share of 60%. During the next few years,however,salesgrowthwillaboveall be generated in markets out-sideEurope.Theassociationesti-matesthatthedemandforItalianfurnishing products will growvery strongly, especially in East-ern Europe and the emergingeconomies.

In Russia, during the next fiveyears, Italy expects annualgrowthratesof6%onaverage.IntheArabEmirates,theassocia-tion estimates that furniture im-ports from Italy will double by2016.In China, FederlegnoArredo esti-mates that Italy will continue toparticipate in the growing devel-opment of the market and in-crease its market share duringthe next few years. Already dur-ing the last two years Italy wasableto increase itsmarketsharethereby50%,andevendoubleits market share in the bedroomfurnituresegment.Intheforecastperiod,Indiaisex-pectedtoimproveitspositionby12placesandinfuturetake17thplaceamong themost importantexportcountries.In the USA, FederlegnoArredoestimates a 30 % growth in de-mand for Italian furniture by theyear2016. Richard Barth

ZIMMER GmbH Daempfungssysteme 77866 Rheinau-FreistettPhone +49 7844 9110-0, Fax [email protected] www.daempfungssysteme.de

_FLEX IBLE_HIGH PERFORMANCE_MADE IN GERMANY

INNOVATIVE DAMPERSFOR THE FURNITURE INDUSTRY

Advertisement

2| In all segments, sales have decreased in 2011. Source: FederlegnArredo

1,8

– 5,8 % *

0,813

– 2,4 % *0,625

– 8 % *

1,1

– 3.9 % *

2,1

– 5,4 % *

0,774

– 1,5 % *

Sales in billion Euro (* Change 2011/2010)

Kitchens Living room/dining room

Mattresses Office furniture

Upholstered furniture

Chairs

M_sp0212_R_Italien.indd 7 08.08.12 11:48

Quality Inside


The German furniture producers had a successful start into the year 2012. During the first five months of the current year, the industry was able to record a growth in sales of 2.95 %. Altogether, the furniture manufacturers generated sales of Euro 7.12 billion. Admit-tedly, however, the figures issued by the German Furniture Makers´ Association (VDM) reveal a consid-erable weakening of sales later in the year. In May 2012, after get-ting off to a powerful start, the in-dustry had to face a fall in sales of more than 7 % compared with May the previous year.

Different developments

Not all segments were able to share in the industry’s growth to the same extent, during the period under review. In the case of uphol-stered furniture, the VDM report-ed a fall in sales amounting to 3.9 %. Makers of office furniture re-ported stagnating sales. Among kitchen furniture manufacturers, however, the situation was better: By May, they achieved a sales in-crease of 4.9 %. The makers of home furniture reported a growth in sales of 3.5 % up to and includ-ing May.During the first five months of the year, the German furniture indus-try profited from the continuing high level of German consumer spending. Domestic sales there-fore rose more strongly than ex-port sales. During the period under review, the furniture makers were able to sell around 3.2 % more fur-niture (Euro 5.13 billion), whilst ex-port sales rose by 2.33 % to Euro 1.98 billion. With regard to export sales, just as with the domestic sales figures, the various seg-ments developed at different rates. The upholstered furniture in-dustry admittedly sold more furni-ture (+1.48 %) in the domestic market, but recorded a fall of al-

most 30 % to Euro 87 million in export sales. Domestic sales of kitchen furniture rose by about 7 %, and by 1.2 % to Euro 619 million in foreign markets.The VDM sees one reason for the poor performance of the uphol-stered furniture in the low impor-tance of the export market for the upholstered furniture industry. Whereas, for example, the export quota in the kitchen furniture seg-

ment amounts to almost 40 %, in the upholstered furniture segment it scarcely amounts to 16 %.

Successful 2011

The year 2011 was particularly suc-cessful for the German furniture in-dustry. With sales amounting to Euro 16.8 billion, it was able to ex-ceed the previous year`s results by 6.4 %; in 2010, the industry had grown by only 2.2 %. This satisfac-tory year-end result was to a great extent due to export sales, where the industry recorded a growth rate of 11.1 %. The strongest growth rates were achieved with 19.2 %

in Poland, 16.2 % in Switzerland, 14.7 % in Italy and 14.2 % in France.In the German domestic market, the growth rate for 2011 was only around 5.7 %. According to data supplied by the VDM, the office furniture industry developed excep-tionally well with a growth rate of 18 %. Also well to the fore was the kitchen furniture segment, which grew by 5.9 %. The home furniture

industry (dining-room and bed-room furniture, as well as uphol-stered furniture), recorded a growth of 3.7 % in 2011. Thanks to the satisfactory growth develop-ment in sales, the number of per-sons employed rose slightly in 2011 (+1 %). Around 90,000 per-sons were employed in 524 busi-nesses (from 50 employees).

Positive prospects

Now that the year 2012 has brought further sales increases for the German furniture industry, the VDM expects growth of 2 – 3 % for the whole year. Grounds for

optimism are the furniture purchas-es by German consumers, which have for years been increasing. In purely arithmetical terms, in 2011 each citizen of the FRG purchased furniture to the value of Euro 373. To that, according to the VDM, must be added around Euro 150 for furnishing the home with textiles, accessories and decorative articles. Furthermore, a recently published market study has had an optimistic

effect on the German furniture in-dustry. According to this study, the importance of a pleasant home ris-es with increasing age. The study, commissioned by the German furniture producer Inter-lübke, comes to the conclusion that 61 % of 18–29 years old per-sons consider a pleasant home to be important. Among the 40–49 years old persons, the figure was 64 %, while among the over-60s the figure was as much as 80 % – both these are target groups whose proportion of the German population will increase in the next few years. RichardBarth

German furniture production on the up againTheGermanfurnitureindustrycanwellbesatisfiedwiththeprogressoftheyear2012uptonow.Afterhavingachievedsalesgrowthalreadyin2011,theindustryisstillonitswayup.

-30 -25 -20 -15 -10 -5 0 5 10

TotalForeignHome

Furniture industry total

Kitchen furniture

Mattresses

Office furniture

Upholstered furniture

Home furniture 9.1 1.3 3.5

-29.2 1.5 -3.9

-8.3 2.2 0

5.6 9.2 8.5

1.2 7.0 4.9

2.3 3.2 2.9

Sales development of the furniture industry Jan–May 2012 broken down by segments Change as against previous year in %

Source:VerbandderdeutschenMöbelindustrie(“GermanFurnitureMakers´Association”)

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Spanning an area of 10,000 m2, the biennial furniPRO Asia 2012 will bring together more than 8,000 professionals, connecting key buyers and top management from the leading regional wood-working and furniture production centers in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar, the Philippines and Vietnam. Held in Singapore Expo, Hall 2, the fair will be featuring country pavilions from Germany, Italy, Singapore, Taiwan and the United States of America.Buoyed by rising lifestyle and consumer spending in the region, furniture trade among Asean countries has seen a steady in-crease of at least 13 percent yearly. Total intra-Asean furniture trade reached US-Dollar 516 mil-lion in 2008, according to the Asean Furniture Industries Coun-cil. The region also recorded fur-niture exports valued at US-dollar 11.85 billion in the same year.FurniPRO Asia, the regional trade

fair focused on materials and pro-duction and led by the Taiwan Woodworking Association, Inter-national industry stalwarts, such as Biesse, Ima, PAL, Sandvik, Schelling, SCM, Siempelkamp and Wemhoener, will also be ex-hibiting at the inaugural show as well, bringing with them years of expertise and global business op-portunities.

Showcasing the latest technologies

Ima Klessmann will be bringing their top technologies to furni-PRO Asia 2012, specifically, the “BIMA CUT/V”. It is a combina-tion of a machining centre and a panel saw, which is used for cus-tom production of fronts or com-ponents. Through the integration of panel sizing and panel processing, this system cuts set-up times by making some of the set-up opera-tions obsolete, thus increasing productivity substantially.

“We truly support furniPRO Asia because there is a need for a fair like this in South East Asia. There hasn’t been a woodworking and furniture production trade fair that was able to provide any true ben-efit in machine technology and in-ternational market trends,” says Mr. Burkhard Sydow, Managing Director of Ima AG Asia Pacific Pte Ltd. Likewise, Wemhoener Surface Technologies GmbH & Co. KG will be showcasing their latest technology – a 3D Eagle Press with automatic PIN System, at the inaugural show. The patented PIN System thoroughly replaces the traditional base plates and non-slip mat, hence improving product quality and production ef-ficiency greatly.“We support having a big wood-working and furniture production event for the South East Asian market; we think this is what the region needs. We will definitely be exhibiting our latest machiner-ies and technologies at the first furniPRO Asia 2012 in Singa-pore,” said Heiner Wemhoener, Managing Partner of Wemhoener Surface Technologies GmbH & Co. KG.

Conference component – Green Forum

Apart from the exhibition, furni-PRO Asia 2012 will be incorporat-ing a conference component – Green Forum, where industry ex-perts will discuss topics on sustainable business practices, latest regulations and green certi-fication that impact on the global furniture export system. aw

Photo: Singex

Debut of a new fair in Southeast AsiaThe debut of furniPRO Asia on 17 – 19 October 2012 in Singapore is met with the rousing support of the international woodworking and furniture production industry. Top industry players confirm their attendance at the show.

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Quality Inside


Things are looking up once more at the International Woodworking & Furniture Supply Fair (IWF), which is held alternately with the AWFS in Las Vegas. According to the fair management, among the 880 exhibitors registered at the time of going to press were 130 new entries. Famous manufactur-ers are coming back to the North American leading fair for the furni-ture manufacturing, which will take place at the Georgia World Congress Center.The fair organizers are hoping to receive further registrations, to be able, at the start of the IWF, to fol-low on from the results of the pre-vious fair in terms of exhibitor numbers. After the record year 2006, with a good 1,400 exhibi-tors, participation had been dwin-dling as a result of the worldwide economic and financial crisis. In

2008, the number of exhibitors fell to 1,200, while in 2010 it dropped again to 972.The recession in the northern re-gion of the American continent al-so resulted in lower visitor attend-ance. Whereas in 2006 altogether 24,886 visitors came to the event, in 2008 only 18,306 attended. Two years later, the IWF was able to record 21,000 visitors.Already for this year`s edition, ac-cording to the organizers, 40 per-cent more visitors have registered than for the previous event at the same time of the year. The organ-izers explained this development with the slight upwind, which can be felt on the American market.

More global players attending

Besides manufacturers and suppli-ers of woodworking machinery, the North American event is also a

showcase for supply materials for the furnishings industry. Apart from machinery, fittings and sur-face products from home and abroad are to be seen. Traditionally, products and machin-ery “made in Europe” play an im-

portant role in the fair program. This year, according to the organiz-ers, the number of German exhibi-tors will be about 10 percent high-er compared with 2010. A reason for this, they say, is that the major American industrial representa-

IWF expects more furniture industry visitorsJust now, the IWA in Atlanta has reason to be pleased with the growing interest shown in the fair. On the basis of pre-registrations, the North American leading fair for woodworking machinery and furniture supply materials expects an increase in the number of visitors to this year´s show.

1| The organizers of IWF expect increase in the number of visitors to this year´s show.

2| The IWF in Atlanta is the North American leading fair for woodworking machinery and furniture supply materials.

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tives are once more frequently taking part in the event together with the firms they repre-sent. Companies from Germany, Austria and Italy are also often present at the fair via their US subsidiaries. This year`s list of exhibitors includes leading manufacturers of machine technologies and supply products, for example: Blum (Höchst/Austria), Siempelkamp (Krefeld/Germany), Hettich (Kirchlengern/Germany) and Häfele (Nagold/Germany). The size and importance of the North Ameri-can market makes it extremely attractive for European supply companies. “The IWF of-fers us the opportunity of presenting our product portfolio, our priorities and our inno-vations. All our competitors are also repre-sented here,” says Thomas Ginschel, Gen-eral Manager Hettich America.And for Jake Van Wyk also, Marketing Com-munications Manager at Häfele, the product show in Atlanta is of major importance: “The International Woodworking Fair (IWF) in At-lanta is one of the world’s largest trade shows for the furniture manufacturing, archi-tectural woodwork, custom and general woodworking industries. Attendees to the show come from a broad range of industries related to the cabinetry, architectural wood, home furnishings and business furnishings categories. These customers are looking for products ranging from CNC machinery and tooling to hardware and accessories.”According to Mr. Van Wyk his company will be placing special emphasis in this year on the “Loox” Lighting solutions, sliding hard-ware solutions for doors, cabinets and furni-ture and the “Moovit” drawer system.From Italy, among other exhibitors, the SCM Group (Rimini/Italy), Cefla (Imola/Italy) and

Salice (Novedrate/Italy) will exhibit on the fair. Matteo Fregosi, General Manager America of Salice, explains the group`s participation at the event as follows: “Salice’s presence serves both as a means to present the new-est product and as a place where our cus-

tomers can stop by and check out the latest trends. Being an innovator in the industry, Salice looks forward to IWF to get a good feel for the state of our industry, especially in times where the economic turndown is still felt strongly.” According to Mr. Fregosi at this edition Salice is going to present new products spe-cific to the American market with its own face frame construction and a new concept of tool free clip for the undermount drawer slides, both of which make up the majority of the US demand. Salice continues to evolve also in the sliding door market by pre-senting several new systems aimed at intro-ducing the concept of coplanar doors in the American cabinetry industry.

Challenge Award

80 products from 62 companies were sub-mitted for this year`s “Challengers Distin-guished Achievement Award” competition. The award, which is presented every two years, aims to encourage companies to de-velop revolutionary, creative and pioneering technologies, materials, services or safety devices, which will further the success of the industry. A jury examines and analyses each of the 80 submissions; 20 finalists are selected shortly before the start of the IWF. The names of the winners will be announced on the first day of the fair.

IWF acquisition

In spite of signs of improvement, the IWF is just now going through a phase of self-dis-covery. For several decades, it was organ-ized by the three associations Woodworking Machinery Industry Association (WMIA), Wood Machinery Manufacturers of America

(WMMA) and American Home Furnishings Alli-ance (AHFA). In early

May 2012, the two machinery manufactur-ers associations WMIA and WMMA an-nounced that they had taken over the shares of the AHFA. It is expected that the transac-tion will be concluded at the end of the year at the earliest. Astrid Wolf

Leitz GmbH & Co. KGLeitzstraße 273447 OberkochenGermanyTel. +49 (0) 7364/950-0Fax +49 (0) 7364/[email protected]

Continuous Z3 for a high cut quality

Leitz’s new arrangement for the spiral cutting edges on Diamaster PRO3 and Diamaster PLUS3 routers means the three cutting edges cover 100 % of the tools’ working length. This means that depending on the panel material, up to 30 % higher feed speeds with a consistent good machined quality are possible when sizing.

Diamaster PLUS3, the high performance pre / finishing router for maximum efficiency in industrial applications, can be resharpened up to 12 times with the perfect cut surface quality for edge banding on machines with laser edge technology. Diamaster PRO3, also a high performance for sizing and grooving router, can be reshar-pened up to 3 times is ideal nesting and small batches.

Contact us – with our consultants and application engineers together we will find you the best solution.

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3| Traditionally, products and machin-ery “made in Europe” play an important role in the fair program. Photos: IWF

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Quality Inside


The baptism of fire was passed with flying colors. After the Ger-man market leader for furniture fit-tings had introduced its new pre-mium drawer system to the world with an impressive presentation at

the interzum 2011 (Cologne/Ger-many), 20 exhibitors already showed the system, which has meanwhile won several awards, at this year’s Milan furniture fair (Ita-ly). Now the visitors to the IWF (Atlanta/US), where Hettich will al-so be one of the exhibitors, can be

convinced of the possibilities of the “ArciTech” system as well.Above all, “ArciTech” is convinc-ing because it is so easy to install and adjust. The drawer is simply placed on the runners and auto-

matically connected with them at the same time. They are snapped together as the drawer is closed. Disassembly is just as easy, be-cause the drawer can be com-pletely pulled out first and then carefully taken out of the runners from above. In addition, the sys-

tem scores points with its perfect-ly smooth sliding action and high stability. “ArciTech” allows simple and practical handling in the details as well, as the front panels can be easily mounted and adjusted. The installation and removal of the front panels require no tools, are one-dimensional, and can be

quickly and easily done. The panel is simply put in place and an acous-tic signal confirms that it is firmly connected. To remove the panel, the release levers on both sides are simply pulled in the corre-sponding direction. The clearly ar-ranged and easily accessible ad-

justment mechanism is self-ex-planatory with symbols that distinctly show the horizontal and height adjustments.But in addition to its very good in-stallation qualities, Hettich has fo-cused above all on quality, stability and flexibility in its new drawer system as well. The platform con-

cept makes it possible to realize drawers and pull-outs with different heights and designs on the basis of a single drawer side. The geome-try of the runner profiles follows a completely new prism principle and thus provides extraordi-nary lateral stability even for drawers holding weights of up to 80 kilo-grams. With this system, Hettich has put one of the largest single investments in its company history into op-eration, because it built a completely new plant es-pecially for “ArciTech” at the Kirchlengern (Germa-ny) location according to the latest production standards. In doing so, the company concentrat-ed not only on providing

perfect processes for efficient pro-duction, but also on sustainable construction and high environmen-tal standards. On roughly 13,500 square meters of floor space, a staff of about 80 works in three shifts to produce the drawer sys-tem. aw/as

Perfection down to the last detailFast, sure, simple and precise – with “ArciTech”, Hettich (Kirchlengern/Germany), one of the leading fittings specialists worldwide, sets new standards in drawer systems.

1, 2| “ArciTech” stands for perfectly smooth sliding action, high stability and a wide ranging series.

3, 4| With the “ArciTech” drawer system, the installation and removal of the front panels require no tools, are one-dimensional and can be quickly and easily done. The panel is simply put in place and an acoustic signal confirms that it is firmly connected. Photos: Hettich

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Quality Inside


The right packaging saves timeand money. Häfele Engineering,theinternationalsalesorganizationfor the furniture industry meetscustomer demands knowing thebig picture. To Häfele, based inNagold (Germany) packaging de-signisanengineeringservice.Customizedpackagingoffurnitureaccessories supplied in bags andboxes is one of these innovativeservices. To fulfil these complexservices,thecompanyevenbuiltanew plant. It is where all theelementscometogether.

High productivity and flexibility

20 million bags were shippedfrom this facility last year. On aplant floor of 3,000 square me-ters,14partiallyandfullyautomat-edstate-of-the-artpackaginglinesrun in three shifts per day. Theyproduceallthebagandboxpack-agingthatisrequiredandusedinthe furniture industry reliably,quickly and cost-effectively.Specialty packaging like shrink-wrapping and blister packagingareofcoursealsopartoftheser-viceoffering.Häfelealsosetuptwelvemanualpackagingstations.Thesestations

alsoensurethatone-offordersforproducts can be processed ormodifiedoutofsequence.Duetothe combination of manual andautomated processes almost anyquantity,combinationorshapeofproducts can be made available.And thanks to a certified qualitymanagementsystemandintegrat-ed triple TQM quality control in-spections, incorrect packagingcontents, returns and complaintsarekepttoaminimum.

All in one hand

Businesspartnersgenerallybenefitfrom the know-how and experi-ence of a hardware manufacturerandpackagingexpertthatisactiveworldwide.Inaddition,advantagessuchasaccesstoabroadselectionof hardware, central purchasing,cost-effectiveprocurement,just-in-timedeliveryandthedescribeden-gineeringservicesallcontributetothe value provided along the wayfromideatoproduction. aw

Fast, customized, reliableHardware manufacturer Häfele offers outstanding expertise. Its packaging engineering department provides well thought-out, innovative and economical solutions.

2| Cost-effective and customized packaging: hard-ware technology and list of contents combined in a bag.

3| Multiple quality control inspections ensure proper packaging contents. Pictured here is a weight control station.

Photos: Häfele

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1| Automated feeds and product separation for products with complex shapes such as hinges are possible at Häfele.

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Quality Inside


The German-based damping sys-tems specialist made its entry into the field of furniture hardware at just the right time. As a member of the worldwide active Zimmer Group, the company has made an important contribution to ensuring that today, modern furniture in liv-ing rooms and kitchens can be closed gently and silently – no matter whether cupboard doors, drawers or sliding doors in ward-robes are concerned.

Inventive minds

But even before the establishment of Zimmer Dämpfungssysteme GmbH in 2004, the German com-pany had been involved in the de-velopment of damped furniture fit-tings. Already in early 2000, the in-ventors from Rheingau-Freistett were involved in the development of innovative solutions for guide systems for the fittings industry. “We can rightly claim to be pio-neers in this product segment,” declares Christoph Boog, manag-ing director of Zimmer Dämp-fungssysteme GmbH.In 2002, the company began with series production and supply to leading fittings manufacturers

who were thus able to make their products more comfortable in use by means of these small dampers.

Customer orientation

The gentle closing feature of doors and drawers proved so popular with end-users that the Zimmer Group was soon obliged to build an additional production hall spe-cially for the new subsidiary com-pany and to increase its work-force. At present, the company employs about 100 workers on a permanent basis, supplemented by temporary workers as well as persons in workshops for the disabled.Today, more than 50 million damp-ers are delivered from the produc-tion halls near Kehl (Germany) each year. Depending on custom-er requirements, these comprise a damping mechanism using either oil (so-called “fluid dampers”) or air (pneumatic). Zimmer is ex-tremely customer-oriented, a by-product of its many years of expe-rience as a supplier to the me-chanical engineering industry. Roughly 10% of the workforce are employed in the R & D Depart-ment.

In terms of quality, the managing director refuses to cut corners, in spite of price erosion: “Particularly with hydraulic dampers,” he says, “a maximum degree of precision and regular quality controls are matters of supreme priority.”

The starting point: Industrial dampers

The origins of the Zimmer Group are in fact to be found in industrial and automation technologies. The steep rise to success of this fami-ly-managed business began in 1980 with clamping and braking el-ements and industrial shock ab-sorbers. In that year, Günther Zim-mer founded the Zimmer GmbH Technische Werkstätten. During the ensuing years, the Group expanded to include Som-mer Automatic, Zimmer Dämp-fungssysteme, Benz Werkzeug-systeme and also Zimmer Kunstst-offtechnik. Today, the German production locations Haslach, Rheinau-Freistett and Ettlingen employ a total of approx. 850 per-sons. The production and assem-bly halls built in 2008 at the company´s headquarters utilise the most modern production and

IT technologies and are certified with both quality and environment management systems to ISO 14001:2004.

Wide product range

Zimmer offers the fittings industry a wide range of products, compris-ing damping solutions for the en-tire furnishings field. The range ex-tends from dampers for furniture to dampers for room-doors, which in many cases can be retro-fitted. Recently the range has been ex-panded with dampers for sliding doors and drawers. Furthermore, Zimmer products en-able gentle door closing systems in household appliances. Depend-ing on customer requirements, Zimmer also manufactures com-plete systems for gentle, silent closing of sliding doors, for exam-ple, the “Smuso” series, which comprises a self-closing unit with damping effect, and is available for different door weights. Zimmer Kunststofftechnik is also engaged in attachment technology for light-weight panels and is therefore equally a systems and applications partner to the furnishings industry. ba/aw

Successful from the startDampingsystemsmanufacturedbytheZimmerGroup(Rheinau/Germany)weresuccessfulfromtheverystart.Bynow,furniturewithoutthemwouldbeinconceivableworldwide.

1|TodayZimmersuppliesitsdamperunitsandcompletedampersystemstocustomersallovertheworld.

2|Thestate-of-the-artproduc-tionandassemblyhallsinRheinau-Freistettwereputintooperationin2008. Photos:Zimmer

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Quality Inside


Cabinet interiorsbythecompanyKesseböhmer(BadEssen/Germa-ny) provide excellent quality inmaterials, design and function,optimaluseofstoragespacewithfirst-rateorganizationandaccessi-bilityandthehighestlevelofcon-venience. And in addition to allthat, a high degree of flexibilityand simple integration of the fit-tings into any production line,possibilities for individual custo-mization and a wide range oftypesforthemostvarioususes.

Fulfilling customer wishes

The“CleverStorage”conceptbyKesseböhmer is based on a sur-vey of end customers, in which90%saidtheywould likeacen-tral food storage cabinet in thekitchen. Specifically to achievethis task, Kesseböhmer has de-veloped a fundamentally newtypeof foodstoragecabinet, the“Convoy Lavido”. It fulfills cus-tomer wishes down to the lastdetail–fromtheeasyaccessibili-tyofthestoredgoodstothegoodviewof all levels to the infinitelyvariableheightadjustmentof thetrays.Kesseböhmer`s double dampersystemisalsouniqueworldwide.It not only enables an especiallysoftandquietclosingofthefront

ofthecabinetagainstthecabinetbody, but also, for the first time,absorbs the momentum as thecabinetopens.Theentirepull-outautomatically glides softly andquietlyintotheopenorclosedpo-sition.The possibility to individually de-sign the trays provides unique

selling points for the kitchen in-dustry. Interesting examples ofthesecouldbeseenatthestandsof many exhibitors at this year’sEurocucinaandintheshowroomsinMilan.

New ways of communication

With its internet portal (www.clever-storage.com), Kesseböh-mer is exploring new ways ofcommunicationwithendcustom-ers – which are also meant tomake the idea of “central foodstorage” known all over theworld.With the participation of kitchenmanufacturers, the websitepresents not only all aspects oflivingandworking inthekitchen,but also trends in the areas ofkitchendesignandcabinet interi-ors. Extremely successfully, asthe website report shows: Thelifestyle portal registers an aver-age of about 700,000 visitorseverymonth. ba

“Clever Storage” for better kitchens “Clever Storage” is “quality inside”. As regards functionality, aesthetics and perceived value of a kitchen today, the cabinet interior means nearly as much as the exterior kitchen arrangement, the appearance and the design.

Can also be installed as a multifunctional tandem; with individually designed rails and pull-out shelves, “Convoy Lavido” was successfully presented at Eurocucina and in the Milan showrooms by many kitchen manufacturers. Photo: Kesseböhmer

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Quality Inside


This year, too, the Salone del Mo-bile and the kitchen fair Eurocuci-na in April once again proved themselves to be ideal workshops for trendy furnishings. Altogether 292,000 trade visitors made the journey to Milan (Italy). More than 1,650 exhibitors presented them-selves to visitors on a net exhibi-tion area of 209,000 m².At both events, the overall theme was wood. This natural material was frequently to be seen com-bined with glass and stainless steel. The clear winner among the various woods was oak, which was to be found in dark, thermally treated versions or as smoked oak. Elm, as the second most im-portant trend wood at the fair, was mainly evident as a reproduction. Structured surfaces were highly popular in kitchens and living rooms. Wood reproductions (larch, spruce) were to be seen in brushed look, with appropriate sur-face structures. The colour scale of solid colours was dominated by beige through to cappuccino and stone grey.For the future, trend researchers expect two streams: natural col-ourways, because the theme sus-tainability is becoming more and more important; and, as a counter-movement, intense, bright, vivid colours should come more and more into use.

Oak sets the tone

Already at the imm cologne in Cologne (Germany) in January 2012, material combinations were an important theme. With 1,037 exhibitors from 54 coun-tries, Cologne is one of the larg-est furniture fairs worldwide, and presented to the roughly 75,000 specialist visitors its furnishing trends intended mainly for the

Europes furniture fairs and their trendsWhat`s happening in the European furniture market? Answers are provided regularly by the Salone del Mobile in Milan, the imm in Cologne or the Mebel in Moscow. During the first half of 2012, wood and naturalness were the overall theme at the European furnishings fairs.

German market. In the field of cabinet furniture, oak was domi-nant both as real wood and as wood reproduction, and was dis-played in light to dark colour tones. Walnut, too, was able to maintain its prominent position. The use of split wood provided a new impetus for design ideas. Structured surfaces imparted a natural character to furniture with wood decors. Exciting material contrasts were created by the in-terplay with numerous high-gloss lacquer surfaces; sophisticated light solutions not only ensured optical highlights but also, thanks to modern LED technology, pro-vided useful functions for cabi-nets.Where colours were concerned, visitors to the high-end market segment frequently found yellow tones – here the range ran from lemon to saffron yellow. Most of-ten to be seen were crème and brown tones with, in most cases, a hint of grey.

Design focal point Spain

As far as Spain is concerned, the two fairs interior home Madrid in March and the Feria Habitat Va-lencia in September are the most important showcases for the country`s taste in furnishings. The last Madrid fair was marked by the economic situation of the country. For the Spanish furniture industry, therefore, the motto is "export or perish".In September, at the next edition of the Feria Habitat Valencia, the design segment is to be moved more into the limelight. At the 2011 edition, on an area of 125,000 m², 950 manufacturers presented furniture, as well as decorative articles, home textiles and lighting systems.

1| Material mix of the very best; the rusticality of split wood combined with lacquer in the trend colour taupe. Photo: Gwinner

2| The borderlines between kitchen and living room are becoming blurred. Photo: Snaidero

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Quality Inside


East growing stronger

IntermsoftheEastEuropeanre-gion, are to mention the MeblePolska (Poznan/Poland) in MarchandtheMebelMoscow(Moscow/Russia)inNovemberasimportantcentral hubs of industry. Thetrends are admittedly set by ItalyandWesternEurope,buttheEastiscatchingupandisnolongerwill-ingtobe just theextendedwork-bench of Western Europe. InMarch2012,onanareaof28,000m², a total of 203 exhibitors pre-sented their new products to13,073tradevisitors.Today, the Russian furniture mar-ket isoneof the largestand fast-est-growingworldwide.TheMebelMoscowseesitselfasthebiggestevent of the furniture industry inRussiaandEasternEurope,andre-flectsahighdegreeofinternation-ality.In2011,atotalof815exhibi-torsfrom36countriesweretobeseenonagrossexhibitionareaof84,713m².

A glance at Scandinavia

The Stockholm Furniture & LightFair (Stockholm/Sweden) offers

an insight into the furnishingtrends of the Scandinavian mar-ket.InFebruary2012,740exhibi-tors from 31 countries wereamong the participants, with 300of the exhibiting firms comingfrom foreign countries. Denmark,Finland and Norway were themost important countries repre-sented. A total of 38,814 visitorsattended the 61st edition of thefair;oneinfourvisitorswasfromaforeigncountry. aw/ba

3| LED-lighting has become an important design component of furnishing design in Europe. Photo: Nolte-Delbrück

4| In future, colour is to play a more intensive role in furnish-ing design. Photo: Kettnacker

5| In Germany, among various other kinds of wood, oak is the most popular, in many cases combined with white. Photo: Arte M

6| Rough wooden planks impart a unique character to programs for modern living. Photo: Wöstmann

7| Dark thermally treated wood and comfortable lighting and fittings technology have found their way not only into Italian kitchens. Photo: Maistri

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Quality Inside


European highlights

Comfortable guide system – With „Movento“, the Blum company (Höchst/Austria) has developed a new, concealed guide system for drawers and pull-outs made of wood, featuring a high degree of move-ment comfort and a new level of comfort in installation. The guide sys-tem includes a 4-dimensional front setting function. In addition to the well-proven height and angle adjustment feature, the gap alignment can now be set precisely and comfortably without tools, via the new side and depth adjustment. Furthermore, “Movento” is designed for a dy-namic loading capacity of 40 and 60 kg. Photo: Blum

3-sided accessibility – An important indicator for effective interior fit-ting of cupboards is the Eurocucina, held every two years in Milan (Italy). At this year’s event, more than 70 “Convoy Lavido” organisation sys-tems by Kesseböhmer (Bad Essen/Germany) were presented by inter-national leading kitchen manufacturers. The pull-out fitting earned points with 3-sided accessibility of the completely ex-tendable trays which, even with a cabinet width of 60 cm, provide a complete overview and direct access to all stored items. Smooth running and, as a world premiere, trays moving si-lently in and out, favorably impressed kitchen manufacturers, who also took advantage of the individual design and differentiation possibilities of the “Lavido” organisation system. Photo: Kesseböhmer

Double func-tion – Early in July, the Ital-ian fittings manufacturer Salice (Nove-drate/Italy) completely absorbed the Adar S.p.A. in-to the Salice

Group, changing Adar’s name to Salice Guide S.p.A. The company is specialized in the manufacture of drawer guide rail systems and metal drawers, for example the “Futura Smove” partial and complete drawers with damping. In the drawer system “Unica”, two functions are integrated: the “Push” opening function for drawers without handles and the damping function of “Futura Smove”. All drawer guide systems from the Italian hard-ware specialist feature rapid assembly without screws. Photo: Salice

Reduced gap and joint values – The “Tiomos” range of hing-es manufactured by Grass (Höchst/Austria) is fitted with gradu-ally adjustable “Soft-Close” damping, concealed and integrated in the hinge housing. At the same time, sophisticated kinemat-ic steering permits perfect gap alignment with minimum gap di-mensions. The closing procedure takes place uniformly and ab-solutely without interruption – even from an opening angle of 20°. With one single type of hinge, doors of 14 to 26 mm thick-ness can be catered for. Photo: Grass

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adhesives or waterbased disper-sionadhesiveswereemployed.The “reacTech” coating processjointlydevelopedbyHomag,Nord-sonandHenkelopensupfullynewapplication possibilities for finishfoils.Forexample,Henkel(Dussel-dorf/Germany) supplies the spe-cially developed adhesive “Dorus700”.Thiscombinestheadvantag-esoftheurea-basedprocess(hardjoints,heat resistance)with thoseof the hotmelt adhesive process(userfriendliness).Comparedwithwaterbased dispersion adhesives(PVAC), no water is added during

the application, thus avoidingswellingofthewoodbasedmateri-als, an effect, which, even withthincoatingmaterials–e.g.Japanpaper,–resultsinahighdegreeofsurfacestability.Nordson (Erkrath/Germany) hasdeveloped a new generation ofwide-slit dieheads, which enablean extremely thin layer of adhe-sivetobeapplied.Andlastbutnotleast, the “reacTech” processearns points with its reducedspace requirement, because thedrying stage previously requiredwhencoatingwithurea-basedad-

hesiveorwhiteglue (PVAC) isnolonger necessary, and the entireproductionlineisonlyhalfaslong.According to Homag, comparedwith previous coating processes,cost savings in the medial 6-digitrangecanbeachievedannually.Visitors to the surfaces symposi-umwerealsogivenapresentationof the newly developed “PUM310” built by the Friz Company,whichnowenablesprofilecoatingoffurniturecomponentsupto300mmwidthatafeedrateof100m/min with the help of the“reacTech”process.

Today, offline also

Attheevent,Homagalsopresent-ed a stationary pre-coating unit(FBS130”),bymeansofwhich itis possible to use “reacTech”technology by offline procedure.Here, in a separateprocess step,thecoatingmaterialiscoatedwiththe adhesive and, in a secondprocess step, by reactivating, ap-pliedtothesubstrate.Thismeansanalternativetothepreviouslyex-isting inline process, which couldbeofinterestabovealltosubcon-tractors. Richard Barth

A year after the premiere of the“reacTech” coating process, theGerman machinery manufacturerHomag presented at its companyheadquarters in Schopfloch (Ger-many) the first production line tobesold,whichwillsoonbeinop-eration at a factory of the Swed-woodGroupinPoland.Duringthenextfewyears,theSwedishfurni-ture giant plans to increase theshareoffoil-coatedfurnitureinitsproductportfolio.The“reacTech”processistailoredto the technology of the “com-pleteLine” production lines madebyHomag,whichpermitcoatingofthesurfaceandedginginasin-gle work step. The process ex-tendstheapplicationrangeoftheline, so enabling a better final

Quality offensive for finish foilsAt the Homag surfaces symposium, approx. 100 representatives from the furniture and woodbased panels industry came to see for themselves the latest status of technology in the innovative “reacTech” process.

1| This Homag „reacTech“ line will soon be installed in a Swedwood facility in Poland.

2| At the Homag surfaces symposium, coating by means of the “reacTech” process was demonstrated for the first time.

Photos: Barth

product in terms of quality. Al-ready, 40 linesof this typeare inoperationworldwide.

Dispensing with the edge

Almost ten years ago, with the“completeLine”, Homag for thefirst time offered the furniture in-dustry the possibility of economi-cally coating the top surface andnarrow surface with the samesheetoffoilandinoneworkstep.Starting with a longitudinal sidebecomes unnecessary, which re-sults incostsavings for theuser.Previously, conventional hotmelt

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Unique colour interplay – The decor „Desira Ash“ from Impress (Aschaffenburg/Germany) was inspired by a thermally modified ash. The decor cleverly harmonises colour, structure and layout of the wood. Together with the living forms of the wood, the unique colour in-terplay produces an attractive appearance of naturalness and rusticali-ty, completely free from wood defects and knotholes. Along with 40 other decors and colourways, “Desira Ash” was presented in the Impress showroom during the Salone del Mobile and the Eurocucina in the Italian metropolis Milan. For years now, both fairs have acted as motivators and trendsetters for the furnishings industry worldwide, with Impress decors being among the trend surfaces of the living room and kitchen furniture on display. Photo: Impress

European highlightsNature and haptic effects – In „Sand Rüster“ (Elm), the sur-faces specialist BauschDecor/BauschLinnemann (Sassen-berg/Germany) has developed a new décor, which proved to be one of the trend woods presented at the Salone del Mobile and the Eurocucina in Milan. The new wood reproduction fea-tures an impressive porous structure that imparts an effect of depth to the lines and cathedrals. This natural characteristic gives “Sand Rüster” (see photo) an elegant, modern look. The decor printer and foil manufacturer also has a number of other elm reproductions in its product portfolio, for example, “Arona Elm”, “Olmo Amico” and “Montalcino Elm”.

Photo: BauschDekor/BauschLinnemann

Emphasis on “natural” – At the Salone del Mobile and the Eu-rocucina in Milan, prestigious manufacturers of kitchen and living- room furniture relied upon decors supplied by Interprint (Arns-berg/Germany). Among the most popular wood decors presented at the fairs were “Swiss Elm” and “Barrique Vintage”. There, the theme “Naturalness” was a focus of attention. During the two fairs, Interprint also presented in its showroom the striking decor “Picard” (see photo), combining elegance and naturalness. This decor comprises a brushed surface, slight cracking, an irregular colour interplay and a white, negative pore effect.

Photo: Interprint

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Short drying times –Inthefieldofwater-basedlacquersystems,the3H-Lackecompany(Herford/Germany)hasdevelopedanewproductforend-lacquering – the new Hydro-UV-colour lacquer “H2036-2-Farbton”. Thisnewlacquerisenvironment-friendly,high-solid,lowinsolventcontentandmeets the requirements of EN 71-3 (contains no heavy metals). Further-more,itisideallysuitedforsprayingbymeansofallconventionalautomaticsprayingsystems.Afteronlyaveryshortforced-dyingperiod,thelacquerfilm can be cured by the UV beam process. In accordance with EN ISO3251, thesolidscontentof thematerials ishigher than42%.“H2036-2-Farbton” from 3H-Lacke can be coloured to customer requirements andsuppliedwithglosslevelsof15to40.Itisthereforeidealforproducingsur-faceswithahighcolourrichnessandhapticeffect. Photo:3H-Lacke

Positively brilliant–Decorativeedge-bandingandfoilsarespecialitiesoftheKröningcompany(Hüllhorst/Germany).Withitsdecorrange“brillantreflex”,thesurfacesmanufacturerprovidesbrilliantopticaleffects.Thenewhighlightofthisrangeiscalled“crystalelements”–printedcrystallineeffectsforfurnituresurfac-

es. Borders, inlay workand individually mountedstonesareprocessedinacomplex procedure. Therhinestone effect with ahigh-gloss lacquer finishisproducedbymeansofimpregnated special pa-pers.Forcombinationsofwooddecorsandmetallicapplications, Kröning hasdevelopedahybridfoilinrust patina. A foil of realmetalpressedontospe-cial paper is coated withaspecialmattlacquer.

Photo:Kröning

Oak trend–IntheEuropeanfurnituremarkets,oakisat the topof theend-consumer’spopularity list. ThedecorprintingspecialistSchattdecor(Thansau/Germa-ny)haslatchedontothistrendanddevelopedarangeoffashionableoakdecors.In“VerzascaOak”,forex-ample,anetworkofsmallbranchesisspreadovertherathernarrowplanks, so that theoverall patterncre-ates a more rustical effect. This impression is rein-forcedbythevividcathedralsincombinationwiththefine-poredoakwood.

Photo:Schattdecor

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For two years now, technologies for the furnishing industry have been presented in Italy at two dif-ferent trade fairs at two different times. Immediately following the international furniture fair in Milan, the Technodomus fair took place in Rimini (Italy) from the 20th till the 24th of April. Two weeks later, the Xylexpo fair opened on the fair grounds in Rho near Milan (Italy). About 300 companies were listed as participants in the Techno-domus trade fair by MesseRimini, but visitors encountered only 120 trade fair stands. That was be-

Showcases for the European machine industry Technologies for woodworking and wood processing could be seen at two different European trade fairs in the past months. While Ligna in the German city of Hanover is the showcase for European woodworking machinery in the uneven years, Italy plays the role of host in the even years.

1| The Xylexpo trade fair counted fewer exhibitors and visitors this year. Photo: Xylexpo

2| The Technodomus fair attracted more than 33,000 trade visitors. Photo: MesseRimini

3, 4| Homag presents a new process for polishing the radius on edges to achieve a seamless high gloss. Photo: Homag

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cause there were several tradeagencies among the exhibitorswith small stands representingmore than one company. A di-verse mix of machine producersandsuppliersforthefurnitureandwoodprocessingindustryawaitedthe trade fair visitors in Rimini.The exhibitors included SCM,BiesseandCefla,thethreelargestproducers of woodworking ma-chinery in Italy. The participationfrom countries outside of Italywas rather sparse. Only slightlymore than a dozen non-Italiancompanies were present at thefair. SCM, Biesse and Cefla to-gether took up more than half oftheexhibitionareaofabout45,000squaremeters.With 33,483 visitors, the Techno-domus fair was able to surpassthe results of the previous eventby 8.5 percent. According to thetradefairorganizers,37percentofthevisitorscamefromoutsidethecountry.Theexhibitorsparticularlypraised the strong interest fromTurkey,Brazil,RussiaandChina.

Xylexpo is more international

On theotherhand,both the ItalianandtheGermanassociationsforthewoodworking industry (Acimall andVDMA)had recommendedthepar-ticipation of their member compa-niesinthelong-establishedXylexpotrade fair, which took place for the23rdtimelastMay.AlloftheleadingGermanmachineproducersheededthat recommendation, so 60 Ger-man participants gathered togetherinRhonearMilanalone.Altogether,more than515exhibi-tors tookpart in the fair from the8thtillthe12thofMay2012.Thatwas a significant decrease fromtwo years before, when the ma-chineryshowcounted652exhibi-tors. The exhibition area alsoshrankfrom42,500squaremetersto32,000.With43,295tradevisitors,theXy-lexpo fairattractedmore interest-edpartiesthanTechnodomusdid.In comparison to the event in2009, however, the machineryshowregisteredadecreaseofal-most16percent.Accordingtothetrade fair management, 47 per-centofthevisitorscamefromout-side the country. The organizersreportedgrowthinthenumbersofvisitors from Turkey, China andRussia.

Trade fair highlights

ThefactthattheimportanceoftheXylexpo fair has been diminishingfor years has led to more compa-nies presenting their innovativenewitemsattheLignafairinHano-ver(Germany)oratHolz-HandwerkinNuremberg(Germany).The three large Italian producersshowedsomenewdevelopmentsat the Technodomus fair in ordertomaketheeventmoreattractivefor visitors. At a 7,000 m² stand,forexample,SCM(VillaVerucchio/Italy) presented its “ProfessorPappagallo” support program inadditionto80machines.Thepro-gram allows an untrained persontooperateaCNCprocessingcent-er and is thus an important aidwhentheusualoperatorisilloronvacation.Inadditiontotheassist-ancefunction,thenewinteractiveoperator interface provides visualand voice-activated support fortroubleshooting. The SCM Grouppresented also various ready-to-useproductionsolutionsfordiffer-entjobspecifications,forexampleinthekitchen,bedroom,chairandofficefurnitureindustries.

Digital printing systems

Dieffenbacher (Eppingen/Germa-ny)usedtheXylexpofairtoinformthe public about its “Colorizer”digitalprintingsystem.Thesingle-passsystemscorespointswithanoutputof1,800m²/handaresolu-tionof600dpi(optical:1,200dpi).

5| With the “Laser-Edging-Novi-mat” by Ima, interior fitters can produce components with new effects. Photo: Ima

6| Dieffenbacher presented its “Colorizer” digital printing system in Milan. Photo: Dieffenbacher

7| Weinig showed new possibili-ties for three dimensional structuring of solid wood surfaces. Photo: Weinig

8| Barberan displayed a new “Hot Coating” plant for produc-ing high-gloss surfaces. Photo: Barberan

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It is therefore especially suited for small and medium sized batches. Furthermore, it functions with pig-mented, water-based ink. A highly abrasion-resistant surface is ob-tained on THDF/MDF panels with a top layer of melamine.Barberan (Castelldefels/Spain) pre-sented various single-pass digital printing solutions in modular de-sign at the Xylexpo fair. Wood composite panels with a width of up to 1.26 meters can be printed at a speed of up to 40 m/min with UV inks. At the same time, an op-tical resolution of about 1,400 dpi can be achieved.In Rimini, the surface specialist Cefla (Imola/Italy) presented, among other products, digital printing solutions for the custom-ized design of surfaces and edges. For this purpose, the company had founded a joint venture company called Decodigit with Sacmi (a specialist for machines for the tile industry) in the year 2011. The equipment on exhibit included a large-format multi-pass printer and a single-pass printer. The “Pixart 350” single-pass printer uses UV ink and works at a speed of up to 30 m/min, while the “Pixart 1635

Plot” multi-pass printer achieves 5 m²/h with a resolution of 360 dpi. “Inert Coating” is what the Sorbini Company, which belongs to the Cefla Group, calls a process to evenly seal the edges of MDF and particle board panels so they can be digitally printed afterwards. In this way, edges of furniture panels

can be finished just in time and in small batches at a low price. The conventional stocking of various edging materials is no longer nec-essary with this process. Other new products by Cefla included painting machinery with UV-R dry-ing. The low-pressure lamps are supposed to bring about a signifi-cant decrease in energy use of about 30 percent. The Italian Biesse Group (Pesaro/Italy) brought machine solutions for small and medium sized com-panies to the Technodomus fair. These included the “Rover A” CNC processing center, conceived for small and medium sized busi-nesses, which scores points with its compact size and its 5-axis head and can now also be equipped with an edgebanding unit.The leading German producers of lacquering and coating machinery (Bürkle, Wemhöner and Hymmen) had only information stands at the

Xylexpo fair and did not display any machines. Bürkle (Freuden-stadt/Germany), for example, used samples to provide information about its lacquering and digital printing machinery and presented a concept for plants in the seg-ment of 3D foil coating of furniture parts as well as a PUR hot-melt adhesive unit. Hymmen (Bielefeld/Germany) also used samples to show its product portfolio in Milan, focusing on digitally printed and high-tech coated surfaces for wood based panels. Wemhöner (Herford/Germany) informed stand visitors about the new chamber height of up to 400 mm and the chamber pressure of up to 10 bars in its new thermo-forming plants. Parts with especially pronounced curves can thus be coated – until now their surfaces could only be finished with lacquer.

Cost-efficient all-over high gloss

High gloss continues to be popu-lar and has also kept the machine developers busy. At the Xylexpo fair, visitors could see how con-sistent high gloss components can be made without paint tech-nology. Both Homag and Ima pre-sented cost-efficient processes for making high gloss compo-nents with no visible glue line. With the help of “Laser Edging”, for example, Ima (Lübbecke/Ger-many) connects the edging with-out any apparent seam. In order to enable the production of high

11| Thanks to a higher inner chamber, furniture parts with pronounced curves can be coated in the Bürkle thermo-plant. Photo: Bürkle

12| During the production of high gloss surfaces, the cleaning systems by Teknek remove even the tiniest dirt particles. Photo: Teknek

9| The new “Oikos” CNC machining center by SCM is equipped with six axes. Photo: SCM

10| The additional pusher in the “Twin Pusher” on the Selco “Sector 4” series makes it possible to carry out several cutting operations at the same time with one cut. Photo: Biesse

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glosson theprofile-milled curvesof the edgebanding as well, thecompany has developed a duo-system flat scraper unit. After-wards,bufferunitsgointoaction.They automatically take up thesuppliedpaste-likepolishandthenbuffthesyntheticedgebandingtoa high gloss. With PMMA laseredgebanding dyed in the samecolor, the impression of a seam-less,highglosspaintedsurfaceiscreated.In Milan, the Spanish companyBarberanandtheGermancompa-ny Kleiberit (Weingarten) jointlypresented a new way to createhighglosssurfaceswiththeaidofthe “Hot Coating” process byKleiberit. In combination with aspecialcleanroomunitforthetopcoat,amirror finishcanbecreat-ed using the corresponding “HotCoating”machinebyBarberan.

Laser edgebanding as trade fair topic

New technologies for applyingedgebanding to furniture wereanothermainfocusatbothtech-nology trade fairs. In this con-nection,Homag,ImaandBiesseconcentrated above all on lasertechnology.By itsownaccount,Homag alone has already soldabout100laserunitsworldwide.With its “Laser-Edging-Novi-mat”,Imawantstomakeitpos-sibleforinteriordecoratingbusi-nesses to provide componentsinbetterqualityandwithspecialeffects. Homag presented its“laserTec”processonaprocess-ingcenter fromthe“BMG500”series.

Three-dimensional structuringWithits1,200m²tradefairstand,the Weinig Group (Tauberbischof-sheim/Germany) was one of thelargest exhibitors at the Xylexpofair.Asaspecialistintechnologiesfor working with solid wood, thecompany displayed the “Power-mat 600”, “1200”, and “2400”molders. Use of the “Powermat2400”isespeciallyversatilewhenit isequippedwiththe“3Dstruc-turing” technology. Ornamenta-tionisthennolongerlimitedtocy-clic repetition; the three dimen-sional forms can now be freelyprogrammed as part of the pro-ductionoperation.

Avoiding faults

Automatic inspection systemscontributetoorganizingmoreeffi-cient production and minimizingcosts for labor. In Milan, Baumer(Constance/Germany) presentedsystems that can help to lowertheratesoffaultsandsavemate-rial. For example, the companyhasdevelopedinspectionsystemsforhighglosssurfacesaswellassystems that recognize nozzledrop-outsduringdigitalprinting.Atthepresenttime,thecompanyreportsagreatdemandforcontrolsystemsforbatchsizeoneplants.They are increasingly being usedin the office furniture industry,wherecompliancewithstandardsplaysan importantrole. Inthefu-ture,theproducersofofficefurni-ture want to include format anddrilledholemeasuringusingsuchinspection equipment as part oftheproductionoperation.Cleverly devised cleaning sys-

tems also help to reduce therateoffaultsandtolowercosts.Especially in the production ofhigh gloss surfaces and roll-to-roll digital printing, the so-calledcontact cleaning that was pre-sented by the Teknek company(Renfrewshire/UK) at the Xylex-po fair is increasingly being im-plemented. Richard Barth

13 , 14| “Inert Coating” is what Cefla calls a process for evenly sealing the edges of MDF and particle board panels so that they can be digitally printed afterwards. On the left, the edges can be seen before sealing and, on the right, after sealing. Photo: Cefla

15 ,16| Presentation of the new digital printers by Cefla. Photo: Technodomus

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Keynote themes at the upcoming fair include lightweight construc-tion, windows and bioenergy from wood. The official event motto will be “Making more out of wood: Innovations, Solutions, Effi-ciency”. Next year’s show will al-so deal with the issue of demo-graphic change, which is posing new challenges to all companies in the sector. For the first time, the fair will feature its own ca-reers platform, “ligna.career”, where career starters and poten-tial employers can take part in a comprehensive program of events centered on career opportunities in the forestry and wood industries. Hall 17 will be home to exhibits on lightweight construction and de-sign. The displays in this part of the fair will showcase the myriad possibilities opened up by light-weight design in the furniture in-dustry. They will also show that lightweight design is not just about conserving wood resourc-

es; it also has strong functional and emotional dimensions. The special presentation on light-weight design and construction in Hall 17 will feature a group of companies from all parts of the furniture industry process chain that have joined forces to provide a complete overview of the latest lightweight solutions on the mar-ket.

Focus on bioenergy from wood

The buoyant demand for bioener-gy plants in the wood industry has prompted a raft of innovations from renewables technology sup-pliers that will be on show at Ligna 2013. Next year’s fair will have a particularly strong focus on solutions for integrating bioenergy plants into the existing production lines of manufacturing operations from all parts of the value chain. For instance, more and more firms in the wood-based materials industry are generating process energy from their wood waste. In

2013, one of the new showcases in this theme area will be a group pavilion themed “Energy meets Wood”. In addition to wood bioen-ergy, the pavilion will focus on sol-id wood working, research and conveyor, measurement and con-trol technology.

Windows take center stage

“Handwerk, Holz & mehr” is Ligna’s dedicated showcase of machinery, equipment, services, materials and solutions for joiners, cabinetmakers, carpenters and the timber-based construction sector. And in 2013, windows will be at center stage. Exhibits by leading window manufacturers will showcase all the latest win-dow design trends and span a range of themes, including energy efficiency, special-purpose win-dows and transport, assembly, dismantling, modernization and safety solutions. And thanks to Deutsche Messe’s new hall layout plan, woodwork-

ing trades and furniture industry exhibits will be located even clos-er together.

On track to success

With Ligna 2013 still nearly one year away, the show’s organizer, Deutsche Messe, has already re-ceived registrations from around 800 exhibitors – 17 percent more than at the same time in the lead-up to Ligna 2011. All display areas at Ligna are dedicated to the lat-est solutions to the big global challenges and trends of our times, such as sustainable, smart production, resource efficiency and individualization. Ligna 2011 featured 1,723 exhibi-tors, including 867 international companies from 48 countries, and occupied 130,000 square meters (1,399,000 sq. ft.) of net display space. It attracted 88,000 visitors, more than one third of whom came from outside Germany, with the total turnout spanning more than 90 nations. aw

Ligna 2013: A world of innovations and integrated bioenergy systems “Energy efficiency” will be the big buzzword at next year’s Ligna fair. In 2013, Ligna, the leading tradeshow for the forestry and wood industries, will once again be the number one meeting place for industry professionals from around the globe.

In 2013, the gates will once again be opening on Ligna, the leading trade fair for the forestry and wood industries. Photo: Deutsche Messe

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The Leitz Group in Oberkochen(Germany), manufacturer of cut-tingtools,isextendingitsrangeofPKD routercutters.TheLeitzdia-mond router cutter program hasextended with new innovations,the “Diamaster PRO3” and “Dia-masterPLUS³”routercutters.The“raised3“standsforthreecuttingedges over the entire workinglengthofthetools,permitting“op-timum”cutquality.Until now the staggered arrange-mentofcuttingedgesrestrictsin-creased productivity and qualitywhen sizing and grooving. Costlyreworkandrejectsbeingfrequentconsequences. Leitz’s new ar-rangement of the spiral cuttingedges on “Diamaster PRO3” and“DiamasterPLUS3”routersmeansthe three cutting edges cover100%oftheworkinglength.“Thisfirstreal-Z3Diamasterroutercutter offers up to 50 % higherfeed speeds when sizing. Maxi-

mumperformancetimesandtearfreecutqualityarepossibleonallstandardpanelmaterialthickness-es”, says Ansgar Uhl, the LeitzProductManager.Thenewsizingandgroovingrout-er cutter “Diamaster PRO3”, rec-ommended tooldiametersof12–16 mm, can be sharpened up tothreetimes.Comparedtoitspred-ecessor,thisnewgenerationrout-erhasupto30%longerperform-ance time and can run at 30 %higher feed speeds. “DiamasterPLUS3” router cutter, resharpena-ble up to twelve times, is uniqueinthesectorofdiametersrangingupto20mm.Performancetimeisincreasedupto50%highercom-paredtocurrentdesigns.

Thenew router cutter is ideal forsizing on machining centers withlaser edge technology as it pro-duces a perfect cut surface. The

DFC – Dust Flow Control – withactivechipcontrolsavesthecost-lycleaningtimebetweenthecut-tingandglueingsteps. aw

Anzeigenpreisliste:Nr. 25, gültig ab 1. Dezember 2011. Erscheinungsweise: 6-mal jährlich.

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• Verlagsbüro und Redaktion Bad Salzuflen: Arnd Schwarze, Begastraße 3, D-32108 Bad Salzuflen, Telefon: +49 5222 23908-07, Fax: +49 5222 23908-08, Mobil: +49 163 3160974, E-Mail: [email protected]

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• China: Oceana Publishing & Media, Ms Nancy Yu, Room 503, No. 1398 Ping Liang Road, Shanghai, P.R. China, Telefon: +8621 51260111-218, Fax: +86 21 65390321, E-Mail: [email protected]

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Bezugspreise: Im Einzelverkauf 9,– Euro zuzüglich Porto und MwSt., Jahresabonnement 49,– Euro zuzüglich Porto und MwSt.

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m+t Ritthammer Publishing GmbHPostfach 3850, D-90019 NürnbergAndernacher Straße 5a, D-90411 NürnbergTelefon: +49 911 95578-80, Fax: +49 911 95578-78www.material-technik.de E-Mail: [email protected]

• Herausgeber:Verlag Matthias Ritthammer GmbH, Nürnberg

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DAS FACHMAGAZIN DER BABY– UND KINDERBRANCHE

Router cutter “Diamaster PRO3 Z3+3” for continuous cutting quality of Nesting applications.

Photo: Leitz

Gapless and tearfree cut quality

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In the furniture industry, light-weight construction generally means that instead of normal par-ticle board, a sandwich of two thin woodbased panels is used, with a hollow core stabilised by means of a paper honeycomb interior. Since 2010, the University of Ost-westfalen-Lippe has been con-ducting research in this field as part of a promotion project headed by Professor Martin Stosch, with the aim of further maturing the

technology employed, finding new areas of application and increasing market acceptance – because the scarcity of the resource “wood” in Europe is rising, and the growing mobility of society and the trend to greater sustainability make it nec-essary to find alternatives to con-ventional technology. The main focus was upon exten-sive basic research activities; these included quality and stand-ardisation work, material flow anal-

yses, material tests and a Delphi Study, as well as initial and further training.

Climatic change has influence upon furniture

Professor Udo Mantau from the Institute für Ökonomie der Holz- und Forstwirtschaft (“Institute for Timber and Forestry Economics”) made it clear to delegates that the situation in the raw materials mar-ket will continue to grow worse.

By the year 2020, Germany will obtain approx. 20 % of its energy from regenerative sources, i.e. from wood also. This will cause the demand for wood to rise to such an extent that, by 2030, the demand for wood for this purpose alone will exceed the supply in Germany and Europe. In addition, there will be other, new applica-tions such as plastic wood, textile fibres, chemical products and many more.

Lightweight construction could govern the future For several years now, the theme of lightweight construction has been causing a stir throughout the Euro-pean furniture industry. The lightweight construction furniture symposium of the “Leichtbauoffensive OWL” at the University of Ostwestfalen-Lippe (Germany) informed visitors about the status of research.

Members of the lightweight construction industry have joined forces to form the “igeL”-network. Photo: Schwarze

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Quality Inside


constructionmaterialsareunprob-lematic, whereas cladding of thenarrowedgesismoredifficult,andespecially the reliably controlledmounting of fittings still causesproblems.The Department of Plastics Tech-nologyat theUniversityofKassel(Germany)wasabletoreportuponsome examples of success.There,ahingemadefromthermo-plastic material has been devel-oped which, in addition to low

weight and production costs aswellasgoodrecyclability,ispartic-ularly impressive because of itsexcellentresilience.

With Popcorn and the proportion of polymer

Ithasalsobecomeclearthatlight-weightconstructionisnotsynony-mouswithhoneycombpanels,butcan also include special types ofparticleboardorotherboardsus-ing alternative materials. For ex-

ample, Dr Thomas Joscak fromthe start-up company Dascanovaexplainedhowmaterialandweightcan be saved by targeted modifi-cationofthedensityofcertainar-easofthepanelduringproduction.AboutthePfleidererproduct”Bal-ance Board”, it was explainedhowitcameaboutthat“popcorn”wasusedinawoodbasedmaterial– and how the results were suc-cessful. Finally, Dr StephanWeinkötzofBASF(Ludwigshafen/Germany) discussed the wood-based material ”Kaurit Light”; inparticular, he was able to resolvethe question of how a polymerfoam contained in a woodbasedmaterialcanberecycledinaneco-logicallysoundandunproblematicway.Ifweconsiderthattheglue,whichholdsthewoodparticlesto-gether, is also a polymer, it be-comesclearthathereonlythepro-portionofpolymer in thepanel isincreased.Inthisway,with7kgofpolymer, 200 kg of wood can besaved.It seems therefore that light-weight construction furniture hasaverypromisingfuture,whichad-mittedly will still take some timeto appear. Completely new con-structionprincipleswillbeneededandhybridfurnitureshallbeseen.Arnd Schwarze

Construction has its darker side

The widely held belief that light-weightconstructionmaterialspro-vide clear ecological advantagesduetomaterialsavingswascate-goricallydeniedbythe Institut fürTechnologiefolgeabschätzung undSystemanalyse (“Institute fortechnology impact assessmentandsystemsanalysis”)attheKarl-sruheInstituteofTechnology(KIT,Germany). The ecological advan-tages obtained in the productionof lightweightconstructionpanelsare cancelled out by disadvantag-es in the subsequent furnituremanufacture process. The reasonfor this is that, after being cut tosize, a honeycomb panel still hasopenedges,whichmustbestabi-lised and closed at considerablecost,which requiresnotonlyma-terial but also energy. Further-more, in terms of graduated pro-cedure,itcanbeshownthatsaw-ing and milling of lightweight

The start-up company Dascanova reduces the weight of particle board by partially changing the material density during press operation, while the mechanical strength remains completely unaffected. Photo: Schwarze

Professor Martin Stosch, known in the industry under the nickname “the Light Construc-tion Pope” is at the head of the project Leichtbauoffensive OWL. Photo: Schwarze

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Quality Inside


By its own account, the interna-tionally active Swedish furniture giant Ikea will be greatly expand-ing the share of foil-coated furni-ture in its assortment in the com-ing years. At the same time, the company is expecting an increase in the worldwide demand for fin-ish foils from 1.4 billion square meters at the present time to about 2 billion square meters by 2016.The decor printers don’t want to miss out on this sales potential. One reason for it could be the fact that direct printing and digital printing have turned into serious competition in recent years. Finish foil, which began its triumphal course around the world at the end of the 1970s, is among the products that market experts see as having the greatest potential for the future. Finish foils have not only been able to make a quantum leap as far as appearance is con-cerned in recent years, but also to score strong points with their functional features. New areas for use have thus been opened up and other established surface products have lost some of their

share of the market. Today, finish foils can even be found on the floor.Since 1999, Schattdecor (Than-sau/Germany) has been producing finish foils based on pre-impreg-nated paper and has worked up to being the leading producer of fin-ish foils in the past years. In 2011, 210 million m2 were produced. Interprint (Arnsberg/Germany) moved into the circle of finish foil producers in 2007 and produces 60 million m2 of finish foil at its Polish location annually. As global players, both companies have equipped their factories with

state-of-the-art plants and produc-tion widths of up to 2.73 meters.The finish foil specialist Likora (Horn-Bad Meinberg/Germany) has also invested in its company head-quarters and expanded the pro-duction and warehouse capacity by building a new hall. More ma-chinery has also been acquired. Beginning in late summer, the pro-vider will also be able to produce finish foils with a width of up to 2.6 meters.

More providers, more competition

For the established finish foil pro-ducers, the market entry of addi-tional providers has led to higher competition and pricing pressure, which not every company will be able to withstand. The finish foil pioneers therefore see a way out of the dilemma in specializing in

Surfaces industry prepares for the futureThe surfaces market is changing and providers must reposition themselves. Classic decor printers are becoming surface specialists who have added finish foils to their product palettes. In doing so, the compa-nies are betting on the predicted strong growth in that market segment.

1

2| Impress Surfaces is closing down its Berlin facility and will in future be concentrating its production activities in Aschaffenburg. Photo: Impress

2

1| Schattdecor has recently installed a new printing machine in Poland. Photo: Schattdecor

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Quality Inside


highqualityproductsandingivinguphighvolumebusiness.The latest decision made by Im-press (Aschaffenburg/Germany) tocloseitsproductionfacilityinBerlin(Germany)at theendof2012hastobeseenagainstthisbackground.With a production capacity of 160millionm2offinishfoil,thislocationwasonceoneofthelargestinEu-rope. Inaddition, in the1970s Im-press – at that time called MasaDekor–wasoneofthepioneersinthe production of finish foils andprobably has the greatest know-how in this product segment. AsFrankM.Bruns,spokesmanfortheImpress management board, ex-plained to material+technik, theplants no longer meet today’sstandards of technology in regardtoworkingwidthandspeedofpro-duction,whichhasledtolossesattheBerlinlocation.

Location closings

According toBruns, thecompanywants to concentrate exclusivelyontheAschaffenburglocationun-der the new name Impress Sur-facesGmbHinthefutureandpro-duce high quality finish foils withsurfacescuredbyelectronbeams(ESH) there. Impress is also oneofthepioneersinESHtechnology.The company headquarters aswell as the design and develop-mentcenteroftheImpressGroupare already in Aschaffenburg. Atthepresenttime,negotiationsarestill in progress with employeesconcerning the social compensa-tion plan and reconciliation of in-terests, so the CEO of Impressdidnotwanttorevealanydetailedinformation about the future pro-duction capacity or the productportfolio. 120 employees will beaffectedbytheclosingoftheBer-linlocation.In theyear2010, Impresshadal-ready stopped decor printing inAschaffenburg and sent some ofthe printing machines to PolandandBrazil.Aspartofthefusionofthe two companies Letron andMasa, the Dreieich (Germany) lo-cation had also been closed theyear before that and the produc-tion of impregnated papers hadbeen ended. In Bruns’s opinion,thecorebusinessof the ImpressGroupinthefuturewillbethepro-duction and sale of decor papersaswellasofselectedhighquality

surfaces. TheAschaffenburg loca-tion will continue its work in theproduct area of finish foils. In thepast years, Impress has investedabove all in its foreign locations.For example, the group equippeditsRussianlocationwithathirdim-pregnation line in2010.In2012,afourth linewillbeadded. InBrazil,animpregnationlinewillbeputintooperationforthefirsttimein2012.

Investing abroad

Theothersurfacespecialistsalsoinvested heavily in the expansionof their production capacitiesabroadandinnewsalesofficesin2010and2011.Thisstrategyhascontinuedinthecurrentyear.Schattdecorrecentlyput a PMD 42 into operation in

TarnowoPodgórne/Poland,forex-ample.Thecompanythushasan-otherwidth-variabledecorprintingmachineatitsdisposal.In the autumn of 2011, Interprinthad already opened a new salesoffice inBrazil andoptimizedandexpandedits–finishfoil–capaci-

tiesinPoland.Inaddition,thesec-ond expansion stage of the Ego-rievsklocation(nearMoscow/Rus-sia) has been finished and thethirdlineforimpregnationofdecorpaperattheSamara(Russia)loca-tionhasbeenputintooperation.Digitalprintingtechnologyhasbe-come another main focus of in-vestment for the surface special-ists. In 2011, for example, Inter-printinstalleddigitaldecorsampleproduction at its locations in Ger-many,Italy,MalaysiaandtheUSA.In the second half of the year2012, it is also supposed to startatthelocationsinPolandandChi-na. On the other hand, CoverightSurfaces Holding (Mühlheim ander Ruhr/Germany), manufacturerof surface materials for furniture,

floors and the building industry,haspartedfromitsAmericansub-sidiary with facilities in Cobourg/Ontario and Blythewood/SouthCarolina.CoverightSurfacesHold-ingsolditsNorthAmericanactivi-tiestoArclin,aCanadianproviderofadhesiveandcoatingtechnolo-gy,inJulyof2012.

Expansion and name change

As of 1 July 2012, Süddekor,whichbelongstothe2DGroupofconsolidated companies (Herold-statt/ Germany), acquired the 40

percent of shares that were notyetheldoftheDecoColorGmbH,which has its headquarters inHalleanderSaale(Germany).Un-til now,only60percentofDeco-Color belonged to Süddekor Gm-bH.Thecompany,withastaffoffiveatthepresenttime,hasthusbecome a 100 % subsidiary ofSüddekorGmbH.After belonging to the RenolitGroup (Worms/Germany) for sixyears, Alkor Folien GmbH (Than-sau/Germany) and Alkor GmbHKunststoffe (Munich/Germany)have been reorganized under thenameRenolitSEandarenowalsopart of the Renolit Group undercompanylaw.In June 2012, the thermoplasticfoil producer Klöckner Pentaplast

(Montabaur/Germany) was fortu-nateenoughtoreceiveacashin-jectionof190millionEurosfromagroupofnewinvestorsundertheleadershipofStrategicValuePart-nersLLC(“SVPInvestorGroup”).New credit lines are also beingguaranteed and financed by Jef-feries & Company, Inc. and sub-sidiaries (“Jefferies”). KlöcknerPentaplast has completely paidback loans of 800 million Euros,the nominal value plus the ac-crued interest, to its primary se-curedcreditors.aw/ba

3| During the Milan furniture fair, Interprint presented its new products in the “Temporary Gallery”. Photo: Interprint

3

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Quality Inside


The company Kuris Spezialmaschinen (DeggingenReichenbach/Germany), a specialist for spreading and cutting technology, is celebrating its centennial. A good reason to crown the spreadingmachine range with a technical highlight: the new “A23”. The first machines are already installed. At the home fair in early September an anniversary model in the second product range – the cutters – will be presented. And the new “A23” by Kuris has been improved in the following ways: The base of the spreading unit is millcut from solid aluminium, which provides greater stability and makes laying faster. The motordriven bar has socalled spreadingbars, which in combina

tion with an improved surface and deionization makes tensionfree spreading possible. In addition to the normal cutting box with a straight knife the new Zackcutting box can be installed. It is equipped with a band knife, which provides high precision and needs little maintenance.The most obvious change for the user is the new control panel. The touchscreen immediately catches the viewer’s eye; it replaces the smaller box with little buttons that was previously used. The great advantage: The control unit can be adjusted very fast for different languages and measurements. The basic adjustments are depicted in a way that makes the input of data intuitive. Behind all that is much

more than just a new screen. All electronic components have been reengineered with stateoftheart material and the software has been revised. aw

New spreading machine for the anniversary

Well-known textiles producer Trigema is a long-time Kuris customer and received the first new “A23” spreading machine. Photo: Kuris

Quality Inside


At the beginning of the year, BASF – one of the largest chemi-cal corporations in the world with its headquarters in Ludwigshafen (Germany) – presented a new

panel with the name “SuperPan Star” that is up to 30 percent lighter in weight. The panel was developed in collaboration with the engineered wood producer

Finsa (Santiago de Compostela/Spain). This new material is a combination of the “Superpan” and “Kaurit Light” technologies. What is special about the “Super-

Pan technology”, which has been patented by Finsa, is the combi-nation of a medium density fiber-board (MDF) and a particle board. The top layers are made of fibers similar to a MDF panel, the mid-dle layer is like a conventional par-ticle board. It has better bending strength than a particle board, ac-cording to the Finsa company. Thanks to the “Kaurit Light” tech-nology by BASF, the panel is about 30 percent lighter and of-fers great mechanical properties.The numerous applications for the new light panel include clas-sic furniture production, work counters and interior decorating, among others. aw

BASF and Finsa have created “SuperPan Star”, a panel that is 30 percent lighter. Photo: BASF

The next generation lightweight panel

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Partners to the furniture industry

Zimmer GmbH DaempfungssystemeAm Glockenloch 2 77866 rheinau-Freistett

fon: +49 7844 9110-0 fax: +49 7844 [email protected] www.daempfungssysteme.de

InnovatIve Dämpfer für DIe möbelInDustrIe

casters + glideswww.gross-froelich.de

Thaddäus Rohrer Unternehmensberatung • Personal- und Nachfolgeberatung •

Am Rykenberg 5 · 59457 Werl · Telefon: 02922 97 30 0

[email protected]

in cooperation with

Q_mt0609_KA_Rohrer_neu.indd 1 30.09.09 09:37

Am Rykenberg 5 · D-59457 Werl · phone +49 2922 97300

Thaddäus Rohrer Unternehmensberatung • International consultancy • Personnel consulting •

M_sp0212_KA_Rohrer.indd 1 01.08.12 12:03

BMK GmbHBröckinger Möbel Komponenten

Aalener Str. 6074405 Gaildorf-Bröckingen, Germanyphone: +49 (0)7971 9565-0, fax: +49 (0) 7971 9565-99e-mail: [email protected], www.bmk-gmbh.de

M. Kaindl HolzindustrieKaindlstraße 2A-5071 Wals/SalzburgPhone: +43 (0) 662 8588-0Fax: +43 (0) 662 851331www.kaindl.com · e-mail: [email protected]

Thermopal GmbH

Wurzacher Straße 32D-88299 Leutkirch im AllgäuPhone: +49 (0) 7561 89-0 · Fax +49 (0) 7561 89-232www.thermopal.com · e-mail: [email protected]

Leitz GmbH & Co. KG

Leitzstraße 2, D-73447 OberkochenPhone: +49 (0) 7364 / 950-0Fax: +49 (0) 7364 / 950-662e-mail: [email protected], www.leitz.org

Flame retardant fibres and yarns for contract textiles

Trevira GmbHD-65795 Hattersheimphone +49-8234-9688-2333fax [email protected]

M_sp0212_KA_Trevira_e.indd 1 01.08.12 11:43

Damping systems

Casters and glides

Fittings

International consultant

Locks and locking systems

Melamine films for furniture and flooring

Textile upholstery springing systems

Wood-based panels

High precision tools

Contract textiles

Decor papers – printed

IMPRESS DECOR GMBH

P.O. Box 100530, D-63704 AschaffenburgDorfstraße 2, D-63741 AschaffenburgPhone +49 (0) 6021 406-0, Fax +49 (0) 6021 406-402www.impress.biz, e-mail: [email protected]

INTERPRINT GmbHP.O. Box 17 70, D-59707 ArnsbergWestring 22, D-59759 ArnsbergPhone +49 (0) 2932 950-0Fax +49 (0) 2932 950-109www.interprint.com, e-mail: [email protected]

Decor papers – unprinted

Technocell DekorGmbH & Co. KG

Burg Gretesch, D-49086 OsnabrückP.O. Box 3667, D-49026 OsnabrückPhone +49 (0) 541 3800-121, Fax +49 (0) 541 3800-126www.Technocell.com, e-mail: [email protected]

LEUCO_Mini-Logo_m+t_01.indd 1 26.08.10 08:54

Your advert could appear here!For bookings please call us at +49 (0) 911 95578-86

Axel Wirth Maschinen GmbH, D-Oberkochen.......................................... 38

BASF SE, D-Ludwigshafen........................................ 40

BMK GmbH Bröckinger-Möbel- Komponenten, D-Gaildorf-Bröckingen.................................. 9

FurniPro Asia/Koelnmesse GmbH, D-Köln........................................................ 39

Hettich Management Service GmbH, D-Kirchlengern............................................. 2

Kesseböhmer GmbH, D-BadEssen-Dahlinghausen.....frontcover,15

Kuris Spezialmaschinen GmbH, D-Deggingen-Reichenbach.......................... 3

Leitz GmbH & Co. KG, D-Oberkochen.......................................... 11

Ruwi GmbH, D-FluornWinzel......................................... 38

ZIMMER GmbH Daempfungssysteme, D-Rheinau................................................... 7

Supplements and inserts

erform Möbelsysteme und Post-formingteile GmbH, D-Simbach/Inn

Homag Holzbearbeitungssysteme AG, D-Schopfloch

Index of advertiseres Special Quality Inside 2012

M_sp0212_Kleinanzeigen.indd 37 06.08.12 13:36

38 material+technikmöbel-special02|12

QualityInside

Blum investing in export markets During the course of the business year 2011/2012 (30 June), the Blum Group (Höchst/Austria) in-creased its sales compared with the previous year by 8.2 % to Eu-ro 1.26 billion. The hardware spe-cialist recorded increases above all in Eastern Europe, Asia and the USA. The total value of in-vestments amounted to Euro 83.3 million. For example, a new production facility was put into operation in the Ukraine, and new warehouse and office buildings opened in New Zealand and Portugal. In June 2012, Blum Canada moved into new office accommodations. In May, new premises with offic-es and showroom were opened in Tunisia – as a basis for the North African markets. The extension of the technical centre in Factory No. 3 in Höchst (Austria) is expected to be com-pleted by the end of 2012. At the same time, work will start at Fac-tory No. 7 in Dornbirn (Austria) with the extension of the ware-house and production areas. During the past business year, the Group employed a total of 5,459 persons worldwide.

Brandt totally owned by HomagEffective 30 July 2012, the Homag Group AG (Schopfloch/Germany) has increased its shareholding in the Brandt Kantentechnik GmbH, based in Lemgo (Germany), from 70 % to 100 %. The shares were previously owned by Marianne and Heinrich Brandt, who are withdraw-ing from the business for age rea-sons. Brandt manufactures edge-banding machines for the craft trade. In 1976, Homag acquired a majority holding in the business. With 5,100 employees, Homag sees itself as the worldwide lead-ing manufacturer of machinery and plant for the woodworking and woodbased materials processing industry and for the craft trade.

BONDEXPO 2012, 08.–11. October 2012,hall 7, stand 7333

M_sp0212_Anz_Wirth_Bondexpo.indd 1 03.08.12 10:02M_sp0111_Anz_Ruwi.indd 1 27.07.11 13:21

Anzeigen/Advertisements

Innovative administration buildingThe edgebanding specialist Rehau (Rehau/Germany) has invested Euroo 5.5 million in completely redesigning its administration building and external facilities and increasing their energy efficiency. As a result of the rebuilding, annual energy costs were reduced by Euro 280,000 and CO² emissions by 2.5 tons per year.

Häfele increases salesIn 2011, the Häfele Group (Nagold/Germany) increased its sales by 7 % to Euro 945 million. The Ger-man parent company was able to improve its sales by 5 %, while the 37 subsidiary companies in foreign countries contributed to the total business results with a growth figure of 9 %. Altogether, the Häfele Group gen-erated 75 % of its sales in foreign markets. Worldwide, the specialist for hardware and locking systems invested a total of Euro 25 million, increasing its workforce by 450 to a new level of 5,700 persons. 1,400 of them are employed in several production sites and offic-es in Germany.

Bürkle wins major orderThe Robert Bürkle GmbH (Freuden-stadt/Germany) has reported posi-tive business results for the first half of 2012. For the entire busi-ness year, the specialist for surface technologies, which employs a workforce of 720, expects sales of Euro 94 million (previous year: Euro 96 million). Roughly 65 % are ac-counted for by the business unit Surfaces. 19 % of sales are ac-counted for by the PCB and Plastic Cards division and almost 14 % by the Photovoltaic Products division. Around 3 % are contributed by the subsidiary company Fiber Engineer-ing (Karlsruhe/Germany). During the first half-year, Bürkle ob-tained the largest single order in the company´s history from the Ger-man furniture manufacturer Maja. The Ikea supplier ordered machin-ery to the value ca. Euro 50 million for the production and finishing of lightweight construction panels, to be installed in early 2013. Maja will then print and lacquer up to 50,000 m² of surface materials, and coat up to 40,000 m² with finish foils per day on the Bürkle lines. The total daily output will amount to around 200,000 single furniture compo-nents per day.

M_sp0212_R_News.indd 38 09.08.12 14:48

Hettich hardware technology brings your furniture to life. With unmatched product diversity that picks up on

international furniture trends. And with innovative functions that are trendsetters in their own right. At Hettich,

you’ll fi nd the perfect hardware solution for your design of furniture. And comprehensive service support that’s

available whenever you need it.

www.hettich.com

Hettich: Technology that moves

German quality you can trust

M_sp0212_Anz_Hettich_ts.indd 1 30.07.12 13:18

17 - 19 OCTOBER 2012SINGAPORE EXPO, HALL 2

furniPROAsia

Unlock Opportunities for the Woodworking and Furniture Production Industry in ASEAN

www.furniproasia.com

Endorsed by Supporting organizations

- Chamber of Furniture Industries of the Philippines (CFIP)- Handicraft & Wood Industry Association of HCMC (HAWA)- Indonesia Furniture Industry & Handicraft Association (ASMINDO)

- Malaysian Furniture Industry Council (MFIC)- Myanmar Timber Merchants Association (MTMA)- Singapore Furniture Industries Council (SFIC)- Thai Furniture Industry Club – Federation of Thai Industries (TFIC)

Woodworking & furniture production industrymost important trade fair in South East Asia!

Pre-register online at

www.furniproasia.com and

receive a complimentary copy of

show catalogue! Online registration

closes on 8th Oct 2012.

Official media partner Media partners

Top industry players confirm their participation at the inaugural furniPRO Asia 2012.

See the latest technologies presented & demonstrated live by international industrystalwarts, such as Biesse, IMA, PAL, Sandvik, Schelling, SCM, Siempelkamp and Wemhoener and more.

furniPRO Asia 2012 plays host to Top buyers from members’ of ASEAN Furniture Industries Council:

Opening Hours:10.00am – 6.00pm (17-18 Oct)10.00am – 4.00pm (19 Oct)

Catch the GREEN FORUM on 18 October (Thursday), where industryexperts will discuss topics on sustainable business practices, latest regulation

and green certification that impact on global furniture export system.

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FPA12 196x275mm Material+Technik Ad.ai 1 1/8/12 4:36 PM

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New wood-based panels with Kaurit® Light

30 % less weight

® = registered trademark of BASF SE

With Kaurit® Light to new, light wood-based panels. A wood-based panel manu-factured with Kaurit® Light technology is ideal for industrial furniture production. It consists of wood chips, a foamed polymer (Kaurit® Light) and a binder (Kaurit® Glue). As a result, the new wood-based panel weighs 30 % less than a conventional particle board and can be manufactured using existing particle board machinery.

And you can also use the standard, proven materials and machines for further proces-sing as usual.

Your advantages:

• Minimum investment

• Low risk

• Excellent price / performance ratio

For more informationplease contact:

BASF SEBusiness UnitGlues and Impregnated Resins67056 LudwigshafenGermanywww.basf.com

Contact:Daniela KolodziejE-CAL / BN E-mail:[email protected] Phone: +49 (0)621 60-40901

BASF_AZ_Kaurit_Light_220x297_e_RZ_cs.indd 1 11.07.12 10:57M_sp0212_Anz_BASF_ts.indd 1 30.07.12 13:20

The magazine for furniture production and related fields

Special 02|12

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material + technik möbel Special 02/2012 - Quality Inside

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Transcript of material + technik möbel Special 02/2012 - Quality Inside