“Woodworking Transformation”, “Prefab Building Processes” and “Green Material Processing” are the focus topics of the upcoming LIGNA from May 15 to 19, 2023. They address current industry developments and will be presented by exhibiting companies as well as accompanied by additional formats.

"After consulting the market, we and our partner VDMA have decided to continue the focus topics originally planned for the then cancelled LIGNA 2021 at LIGNA 2023. They are still highly relevant - have even gained momentum in terms of importance - and will play a key role in determining the development of our industry in the coming years," explains Stephanie Wagner, Head of LIGNA. "We're looking forward to finally bringing these topics to life - live on site in Hanover together with our exhibitors."

From joinery and carpentry to furniture industry, from products to individual solutions - digitalization has long since found its way into all areas of the woodworking and wood processing industry and is fundamentally changing companies' business models and processes. The Corona pandemic has accelerated this development even further. That's why the focus topic of Woodworking Transformation is on the agenda for LIGNA 2023. With connected machines, human-machine interaction, IoT platforms, Building Information Modeling (BIM) or augmented and virtual reality, current and future developments in digitalization along the entire value chain will be addressed. In addition to that, further topics include wood flow control, robotics, logistics, standardization, surface treatment and cloud-based data management.

The importance of Prefab Building Processes, thus wood in construction, continues to grow - both for purely wooden buildings and for mixed wood structures. This leads to new requirements for efficiency and prefabrication. With its focus on prefab building processes LIGNA 2023 is addressing this development. At the trade show, visitors will be able to experience the entire process, from planning to machining and processing to logistics in the plant as well as to and on the construction site. This will also involve solutions for the currently strained supply chain situation. In addition, the harmonization of the aforementioned processes with general trends, such as elementization and standardization, multi-storey timber construction, hybrid buildings, modular construction and serial production will be addressed.

As the most important renewable raw material, wood forms a central basis of the bioeconomy on the way from an economy based on fossil, mineral raw materials to one that relies on renewable resources. Green Material Processing, the wood-based bioeconomy, is considered an innovative driver of technologies and products. The framework conditions for expanding resource-efficient wood use are part of the European Green Deal and pillars of a circular bioeconomy. Reason enough to choose Green Material Processing as the focus topic of LIGNA 2023. On display will be development lines of the wood-based bioeconomy and technological innovations for responsible use of natural resources, as well as process technologies around the shaping processes of chemically digested wood fibers.

"As the world's leading trade show, LIGNA with its thematic setting is regarded as a driving force for industry development. With the choice of focus topics, we are living up to this claim. In May 2023 in Hannover, we will finally once again experience the innovations that make LIGNA a showcase for the future," explains Stephanie Wagner.

The upcoming LIGNA will be held from May 15 to 19, 2023, strongly focused on the live event, with additional digital products. Prior to this, the 1st Rosenheim LIGNA.Conference will be held on June 1 and 2, 2022, organized jointly by Deutsche Messe and the University of Applied Sciences Rosenheim. With its program, it builds a bridge to the approaching LIGNA and guides participants specifically to the aforementioned topics of LIGNA 2023.