Read on for AWISA 2018 on-track to be the best ever; Biesse inside Pesaro; German Machinery Exports Grow; Vauth Sagel takes over; Wood pellets and low carbon electricity; A new tool for digital furniture planning: Hettich Plan; Weinig hands over Cube prize.

AWISA 2018 is on-track to be the best ever

The launch of space sales for AWISA 2018 in Sydney in July 2018 has been the most successful ever, and the show is on track to being one of Australia’s largest-ever trade shows. The show takes place at Sydney’s new ICC Sydney Exhibition Centre.  The new venue is of an unusual design being on two levels.  AWISA-Design will be on the upper level, with machinery exhibits on the lower level. ICC Sydney is well connected to public transport – buses, trains, light rail, ferries and taxis all service the immediate area. The venue can also be accessed on foot, by car and coach. Sitting at the heart of a broader AU$3.4 billion revitalisation of Darling Harbour, ICC Sydney is an AU$1.5 billion development that adjoins a new 600 room luxury hotel; new residential and commercial development; new pedestrian boulevard that will connect the waterfront back to Central Station and laneways to further activate this iconic Sydney destination.

Biesse inside Pesaro

Australian and New Zealand manufacturers are invited to visit Biesse’s headquarters in Pesaro 15th to 21st October. This tour will allow manufacturer’s to discover the latest innovations in flexible production for batch one, low volume production. Get a close up and personal look at how you can increase your productivity and grow your business by partnering with BIESSE. The tour kicks off with a visit to Venice followed by visits to some of Italy’s largest kitchen and bedroom furniture manufacturer’s that produce products for World-wide sale. Visit Intermac and Biesse to see their state of the art manufacturing facilities and Biesse’s event, inside where you will see live demonstrations of smart machines and software. For more information call Lee Barlow on 0407 231 828.

German Machinery Exports Grow

In the past year German woodworking machinery producers showed an 11 percent increase in turnover. According to the Statistic Federal Agency, production in Germany reached – contrary to the VDMA’s expectations – a plus of only 2.3 percent. This corresponds to a value of 2.87 billion Euros. The German production record from 2007 (3.02 billion Euros) could therefore not be superseded, as had been expected. The Association is still expecting growth for woodworking machinery in the mid-one-digit percentage field for the ongoing year 2017.

Vauth Sagel takes over

The owner-managed family business develops, manufactures and sells more than 85 million quality products “Made in Germany” every year. The company focuses extensively on the furniture and automotive industries. Vauth-Sagel has taken over Hetal-Werke Franz Hettich GmbH & Co. KG, a Würth Group subsidiary, on 1 August 2017. At two sites in Alpirsbach and Betzweiler, the medium-sized Baden-Württemberg-based enterprise, which has around 50 employees, manufactures system components for the kitchen furniture and automotive industry. Vauth-Sagel has been an internationally successful trade and industry partner in both of these industry sectors as well as others for many decades, and this takeover is a well-matched addition to its product portfolio.

Wood pellets and low-carbon electricity

According to a new study; using wood pellets to generate low-carbon electricity is a flawed policy that is speeding up, not slowing down climate warming reports BBC news. But the industry rejected the report saying that wood energy cuts carbon significantly compared to fossil fuels. Much of the green energy discussion has focussed on wind and solar power and across Europe the biggest source of green energy is biomass. It supplies around 65% of renewable power; usually electricity generated from burning wood pellets. Mainstream media would have you believe that wind and solar are the major producers of green energy but these are relatively minor sources.

This report states that cutting down trees and burning them as wood pellets in power plants is a disaster for climate policy. The process takes the carbon stored in the forest and puts it directly into the atmosphere via the smokestack at a time when carbon pollution reductions are sorely needed. Biomass industry sources though have been critical of the report saying that it is a fallacy that it takes decades for a forest to recapture carbon. Dr Nina Skorupska from the Renewable Energy Association says “The whole supply chain is monitored in detail to ensure we cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least 60% compared to fossil fuels, although the reality is often closer to 80%. There is a significant body of peer-reviewed academic studies, ensuring that this industry is doing what it says.”

New tool for digital furniture planning: Hettich Plan

With Hettich Plan, carcase constructions can be produced quickly and easily. Requiring no installation, the online planning portal can be used with all common browsers and devices and complements Hettich’s existing e-Services, such as the Hettich Shop and Hettich CAD. Hettich Plan makes it easier to configure carcases as the program guides the user through the furniture construction process. A carcase library provides a wide choice of furniture that can be matched to individual preferences. It then suggests the possible and constructional correct fittings as well as accessories for the user. Finally, all production relevant data are put together.

The planning portal provides a wide range of furniture for the kitchen, bathroom, living room and bedroom environments. In the kitchen section, for example, there is a choice of base units, corner units, tall units and wall units. The program includes the fittings for drawer systems, pull-out systems, hinges as well as sliding and folding door systems. These documents are generated to assist production: the fittings order list for submitting to Hettich or the specialist retailer in several industry-standard formats.

Weinig hands over a Cube

Weinig attracted huge attention at LIGNA by staging a prize draw for a fully-fledged Cube Plus four-sider. Now, the machine has been handed over to the winner of the competition, Thomaseth Treppenbau, as part of Weinig’s summer festival at Weinig’s headquarters in Tauberbischofsheim. Owner of Thomaseth Treppenbau, Stefan Thomaseth, brought his family from Kastelruth in Italy to celebrate the occasion. Gregor Baumbusch, Weinig Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, congratulated the winner and handed over a souvenir plaque featuring the winner’s original prize draw card along with his Management Board colleagues. “The Cube Plus, with its high-quality four-sided processing based upon a simple operating concept, epitomizes the philosophy of our planing machine range,” he told the 700 guests at the summer festival. More than 2,500 prize draw cards were completed for the prize draw on the Weinig Group trade fair stand in Hanover. “An enormous success,” said Gregor. Entrants in the prize draw, which was a thank-you from Weinig to its customers for their loyalty in the record year of 2016, ranged from small businesses to industrial companies.