Comment | 3


COMMENT


As you will see from the front cover, the LIGNA exhibition is here again! With hundreds of copies of


this edition of TTJ going to Hannover Messe for LIGNA – the undisputed global leading show for machinery and technology for the wood industries – and it being the exhibition’s 50th anniversary, we felt the event


should be represented on the front cover. Sawmillers, timber product processors, wood-based


panels manufacturers, joinery companies, furniture enterprises, timber construction fabricators, as well as merchants and distributors, will all be making the biennial journey to the halls of Hannover Messe for an event which is big on innovation and trends, while also being a bellwether of trade sentiment. A strong level of registrations for the trade show on May


26-30 is particularly encouraging, with about 100,000 visitors expected. About two-thirds of the exhibiting companies come


from abroad, while one-third are based in Germany. Organisers say the exceptionally strong exhibitor


turnout was not something they had necessarily expected given the general economic environment and the extremely tense situation in the woodworking and wood processing industry. The three key themes of LIGNA 2025 are Connectivity,


Sustainable Production, and Engineered Wood – and are specifically designed to engage stakeholders across the woodworking community, including industry, trade, and forestry. TTJ will be at the show to report on the latest news and


TTJ – the voice of the timber Industry


innovations. There’s still time to book a ticket and come and see what LIGNA is all about. Having attended the show since the early 2000s, I can confidently say the event is a fantastic window on the entire global timber manufacturing sector and the technical innovations that can help transform businesses in the industry. Elsewhere, it was a pleasure for TTJ to attend the


opening of a new £18m automated timber frame manufacturing facility in Irvine, Scotland recently (see p6). Attendance by Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney was the icing on the cake for Alexanders Timber Design, which has a USP of using Scottish-grown timber for its timber frame panels. The facility has an army of Kuka robots assembling


panels and is a sight to behold. The initiative represents a strong investment from Irish sawmiller and ATD owner Glennon Brothers. It is surely just the sort of factory that the Scottish government needs to help fulfil its housing and environmental targets. This edition of TTJ also features our annual Sector


Focuses on North America, the Joinery sector and Panel Products, with a further update on preservatives and fire retardants. In our Panel Products focus, we interview Canadian plywood manufacturer Richmond Plywood about its expansion plans, and Poland-based Paged Plywood about its exciting new RockPly product.


GROUP EDITOR www.ttjonline.com


► MARKET UPDATE – HARDWOOD We look at the hardwood sector’s prospects for this year


► MARKET UPDATE – SOFTWOOD An update on market dynamics in the softwood sector


► SECTOR FOCUS – SOFTWARE TTJ finds out what’s new in the software market and how IT solutions are helping merchants with their day-to-day business


► PLUS REGULARS


► SECTOR FOCUS – HANDLING & STORAGE


More news from the logistics sector


Latest UK and world news; technical news; comment from industry figures; and latest appointments.


www.ttjonline.com | May/June 2025 | TTJ


► SECTOR FOCUS – TIMBER CONSTRUCTION We take a look at some of the highlights and developments in timber construction


► COUNTRY FOCUS – FRANCE TTJ reports on the timber scene in France


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