Comment | 3
WBPI – the voice of the global panel industry
t is quite something to be approaching a physical Ligna exhibition after four years without the show due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Ligna organiser Deutsche Messe has made a fantastic effort of keeping interest levels up in the show brand in the three intervening years,
I
holding digital events to keep technology suppliers and the woodworking industries engaged with each other about the latest trends and innovations. Deutsche Messe confessed recently at the Ligna Press Preview that it wasn’t sure at the height of the pandemic just how relevant trade shows might be after the dust had settled. Thankfully, it has discovered from excellent
exhibitor bookings and visitor enquiries that trade shows are just as relevant today as they were prior to the pandemic. In fact, after a four-year absence, Ligna is probably more relevant than it ever been. For visitors, having four years’ worth of R&D work on show should be a veritable technology feast. Resource efficiency and digitalisation are sure
to be key themes at Hannover this year. The large general media coverage about the onset of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is also sure to be a talking point, as many technology suppliers are already using this tool to help make plants run more efficiently, reduce waste and cut downtime. We have our Ligna Preview feature in this issue with entries from many of the suppliers to the wood- based panels industries. WBPI will be at Ligna and we’re looking forward to catching up with companies
❯ LIGNA REVIEW We report from this year’s event in Hannover
❯ FOCUS ON MDF: PART 1 An update on MDF developments in Europe and NA
❯ RECYCLED WOOD A look at the growing use of recycled wood feedstock
❯ PLUS REGULARS Including all the news relevant to our industry, which will be covered in depth and will also appear, as it happens, on our website:
www.wbpionline.com
once again and reviewing their innovations in the next issue.
Also in the issue we have our annual Focus on OSB – looking at markets and projects in North America, Europe and the Rest of the World. Many thanks to WBPI contributors Rich and Dick Baldwin for compiling the North American report once again. It’s clear that the long boom experienced by the
OSB industry largely ended in 2022, due to reduced demand and increased raw material and energy costs, as well as some challenging background economic and geo-political factors.
Producers in North America particularly suffered a dramatic reverse on pricing, with the impact able to be seen in their financials as 2022 drew to a close. Naturally, OSB’s performance reflects what is going on in the housing and construction sectors and there are signs of weakness here in several world regions. A correction in the markets was inevitable after a period of such buoyant trading conditions and we would hope that markets enter a stabilising period. But OSB capacity expansion projects are still on the drawing board in many countries, including North America, South America, Europe, New Zealand and China. OSB capacity in the medium to long term looks set to increase, as its place in the circular economy as a sustainable building product is assured.
Stephen Powney
www.wbpionline.com
GROUP EDITOR
www.wbpionline.com | April/May 2023 | WBPI
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