EDITOR’S COMMENT ISSUE 92
There’s No Business Like Show Business
Well, it’s finally here.
For sawmillers or forestry groups, that statement will relate to different events. Chronologically, we’re talking about Ligna 2023, which is about kick off in Hannover, Germany (May 15-19). The Ligna wood industries show has become an industry institution over almost 40 years and has grown into the crucial meeting place for European wood producers and just about anyone looking to establish themselves in the European market.
This year, the range of activity will include conferencing, lectures and discussions covering topical industry trends. And while these events will no doubt be well attended and prove to be exceptionally interesting – as they have in past years – the real action will take place in the exhibition halls and out in the exhibiting lots – where the latest technologies will be put through their paces in front of potential clients. That’s where we will be stalking manufacturers to glean an insight into breakthrough technologies that may make wood production more profitable and could change the way the industry operates.
Central to these technologies is likely to be AI. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has triggered the start of a major revolution in the wood processing industry. AI is here to stay, and we can already notice its presence more often in various areas of sawmills and planer mills. We are carrying many articles on AI and the theme will be ever present at Ligna.
It will be a very similar story later this summer at the Swedish Forestry Expo2023 Stockholm 1-3 June, where forestry companies will be engaged in lectures and discussion sessions on the challenges facing the industry, but will ultimately be there to critique the latest in harvesting equipment. That is, of course, why we’ll be there, too.
The next few months, therefore, promises to be an extremely anxious and busy time for the industry: manufacturers will show and receive feedback on technologies the release of which is likely to have been timed to coincide with these massive industry events; while forestry companies will be both excited at the range of new machines to choose from and determined to make the right purchase decision for the business.
This northern summer represents a crucial period for the forestry industry during which order books need to be bolstered and sawmills/harvesting fleets need to be equipped to handle the volatile market conditions we’re currently enduring.
For our part, we will do our best to make sure our readers continue to be kept abreast of the latest machinery developments so they are able to make informed decisions. With the huge volume of new equipment being released onto the market, this will provide a challenge for us. That challenge has already started with our team working overtime to produce the current edition and Digital edition – our biggest ever – in time for the show season.
Robin Peach
Associate Editor
