WOOD AND FURNITURE TECHNOLOGY: THIRD QUARTER 2020
- 2020-10-27
The figures for July-September 2020clearly reflect what's happening in this key segment of the Italian mechanical engineering industry.In general, the orders of machinery and tools for wood and furniture are recording a decreasing trend below expectations, which indicates a partial improvement of the economic situation compared to the previous quarters, strongly impacted by the lockdown. This trend indicates that the industry's production system has identified the necessary countermeasures to carry on, within a context where the role of digital communication toolsto support business is getting stronger and stronger; the effectiveness of these tools is directly proportional to the skills available in each company and developed in recent years, as well as the investments made in this area.Webinars, online demos and "digital conversations" are helping companies keep their business relations on global marketsalive, reaffirming their competitiveness to customers around the world, traditionally sensitive to "made in Italy" quality.Digital tools are also valuable in the domestic market, where demand is clearly shrinking and - as requested by the entire Confindustria system and beyond - the effects cannot be mitigated by the incentives to companies that the whole system is calling out loud. Looking at figures, wood-furniture technology recorded a decrease of orders by 10.1 percent compared to the same quarter of 2019, in line with the trend of the entire machine tools industry.Orders on the domestic marketdecreased by 32.3 percent, as opposed to a better trend of international demand, which decreased by 1 percent only.This general trend is mitigated by the fact that orders increased by more than 40 percent compared to the terrible period of April-June 2020. The quarterly survey by the Studies Office of Acimall – the Confindustria member association that represents the industry - on a statistic sample of companies indicates that the orders bookis equal to 3.1 months (versus 2.4 in the previous quarter), with a price increase by 0.6 percent since the beginning of 2020.The decrease in revenues, compared to the same quarter of 2019, amounted to 9.5 percent, another "reassuring" figure if compared to minus 29.8 percent in the previous quarter. According to the quality survey, 47 percent of the interviewed companies indicate a positive productiontrend, 18 percent decreasing and 35 percent stable.Employmentwill be stationary according to 65 percent of the sample, while 29 percent expects a reduction and only 6 percent believes it can increase. Available stocksare stable according to 65 percent of the interviewees, increasing for 6 percent and decreasing for 29 percent.
Woodworking Machinery Fair was completed successfully See you again in 2021
- 2020-10-26
The Shanghai International Furniture Machinery & Woodworking Machinery Fair (WMF) received full support from exhibitors and buyers after recovering from the pandemic. The four-day fair has drawn over 35,000 visitors and 230 exhibitors. WMF will be grandly held again on 3-6 September 2021 in collaboration with CIFF (Shanghai) in National Exhibition and Convention Center, continue exhibiting advanced equipment and technologies, and promote the sustainable development of woodworking and furniture industries. Overwhelming Responses from Visitors WMF 2020 brought together exhibitors from 7 countries and regions including Austria, Germany, Italy, China, Singapore, U.S.A and Taiwan Region. Star exhibitors like HOMAG、NANXING、BIESSE and EXCITECH have participated in the exhibition, and visitors all expressed satisfaction with the exhibition’s result. Mr. Mei Zhan Wei, the Engineering Manager of Beijing Lifeng Furniture Manufacturing Co., Ltd. said, “The WMF exhibition has done a good job in the arrangement of epidemic prevention and control, allowing the audience to visit without worries. At the same time, the quality of exhibitors has maintained the previous level.” Mr. Hongyao Zhuang, Sustainability Specialist at IKEA Furniture commented, “A variety of woodworking equipment and other new technologies were exhibited onsite. Exhibitors enthusiastically explained the solutions for us. The “Tech Talk” helped me have a deeper understanding of some professional areas such as LED UV technology. The event created an opportunity for me to connect with the speakers.” Mr. Yang Dawei from Gujia Home Furnishing – Engineering Management Department was satisfied with the exhibition and commented that the show provided a platform for him to contact the suppliers cooperating previously. The zone division of the exhibition was apparent. Explore New Business Opportunities Online and Offline WMF understands that the pandemic has brought travel restrictions to overseas buyers that they could not come to the fairground this year. Thus, WMF organized a series of online events to connect overseas buyers with exhibitors, such as online business matching. Both sides met online through a video call to better understand the needs. Furthermore, the organizer has also launched the first-ever webinar, invited professionals to explain the development of the Malaysian furniture market post-pandemic, and introduced automated furniture manufacturing technologies to keep the audience updated. During the show period, WMF has invited different local associations to participate, for example, Xuzhou Furniture Industry Association, Zhangjiagang Timber Industry Delegation, and Hubei Province Whole House Custom Wardrobe Cabinet Industry Association. With professional service and attitude, WMF has won praise in the industry. Mr. Chen Weiliang, Deputy Director of the Customized Home Furnishing Professional Committee of Xuzhou Furniture Industry Association, said there was a wider variety of the exhibited equipment. Many of their members have made purchases as well. Director Yang Hongyuan from Zhangjiagang Timber Industry Delegation expressed satisfaction with the organizer's arrangement and commented that the fair provided a one-stop platform where their members could communicate with other associations and exhibitors. Mr. Wang Jing, Deputy Secretary-General of Hubei Province Whole House Custom Wardrobe Cabinet Industry Association, said members were satisfied with the delegation tour and learned a lot from the exhibition. WMF is committed to integrating industry resources from upstream and downstream of the whole woodworking supply chain. Apart from showcasing a wide array of machineries, several forums were held in the fairground to share industry information such as The 19th Symposium on Development of Wood-based Panels Industry in China, The 2nd China Wood Industry Park and Port Industry Development Conference, “Tech Talk – Surface Treatment Technology” and The Story of Woodworking. In “Tech Talk – Surface Treatment Technology,” many topics were covered, such as Variety of Wood Finishes, Release of the Most Concerned Furniture Manufacturing Industry Trend 2020, and OSB surface treatment solution for oriented strand board. Massive market information was brought to the participants. In “The Story of Woodworking,” carpenters were invited to display their craftsmanship. Their works added vibrancy to the venue. Post Exhibition Webinar - Continues to Keep Up with the Market WMF 2020 was completed successfully. To keep up with the market, the organizer will continue to host the different online event. On 22 October 2020, at 3:30 pm (GMT+8), WMF will host another webinar on the Vietnam furniture market and panel furniture manufacturing solutions. For details, please check the WMF website and its social media platform. Sincerely invite people from all industries to participate. In 2020, WMF successfully upgraded its online and offline services, breaking the geographical restrictions, allowing visitors to communicate with the industry on WMF’s platform whenever and wherever possible. More new elements are coming up, and look forward to seeing you again on 3-6 September 2021.
