HEMEROTECA
20/02/2020
20.01.2020 Until February 15, 2020, 330 exhibitors had registered at Xylexpo 2020, with a 30% share of international companies, covering a total net surface of 29.000 square meters.
On February 18, Milan hosted the traditional international press conference introducing next Xylexpo, the biennial international exhibition of woodworking technology and furniture industry supplies to be held from 26 to 29 May 2020 at the FieraMilano-Rho expo center.
The location was the Enzo Jannacci Auditorium, on the 31st floor of the Pirelli skyscraper designed by the world-famous architect and designer Giò Ponti.
Fairs are important
The agenda opened with an interesting roundtable discussion involving Paolo Borgio of Fiera Milano, Massimo Goldoni, president of the committee that gathers all the exhibitions organized by Confindustria member associations, and Luigi De Vito, vice president of Eumabois, the European federation of Acimall’s “peer” associations.
All three speakers offered different points of view on the exhibition, but most of all about the topic that dominated the first part of the press conference, namely an open conversation about the role of an exhibition in an increasingly digital economic and social context.
The outcome was a strong endorsement to the value of high-quality exhibitions which offer the opportunity – in a world that offers more and more digital opportunities – to meet, look into each other’s eyes and shake hands.
Xylexpo 2020, some names
Then Dario Corbetta, Acimall director, industrial association that organises Xykexpo, explained that until February 15, 2020, 330 companies had registered at Xylexpo, with a 30% share of international companies, covering a total net surface of 29.000 square meters.
This year, Xylexpo will occupy three halls, so as to ensure regular visitor flows to all exhibitors, organisers will keep the same layout of recent editions, placing one or more big players in each hall: Biesse Group and Ima Schelling Group in hall 1, Scm Group and Weinig Group in hall 2, Homag Group, Felder Group, Cefla and Giardina Finishing Group in hall 3, just to mention a few.
More details
Xylexpo 2020 expects similar numbers to 2018 edition when the show closed with around 400 exhibitors and 37.000 visits by 17.781 industry operators, 2.1 percent more than in 2016. Among them, 5,032 international visitors, 28.3 percent of total attendance.
Corbetta confirmed access conditions for visitors (a ticket will cost 15 euro, but free access will be granted to operators who pre-register on www.xylexpo.com). He also reminded that the exhibition in May will host the fourth edition of Xylexpo Awards. This year with three categories: Wood and Panel Processing (including tools), Finishing and Coating (equipment and materials) and for the first time IoT and industrial process management.
Corbetta also talked about the potential impact of Chinese epidemics on global economy. China plays a leading role in woodworking machinery – Corbetta said – it’s the world’s third-largest manufacturer behind Germany and Italy. As to trade relations, Italy and Europe are more focused on domestic and continental business, plus the fact that the first destination market is the United States. Don’t forget that Xylexpo is basically a Euro-centric exhibition (70 percent of international visitors come from Europe), so we don’t expect significant effects from the Corona Virus. Also because the exhibition is planned in three months from now and, if the situation has not solved or the general alarm has not vanished until then, we will have much more serious things to worry about…»
Other activities
Likewise, Andrea Giavon, director of Catas, the most important European laboratory for wood-furniture testing and certification explained they have closed a partnership with Xylexpo to organize important meetings and initiatives on the critical topic of education and training.
Giavon introduced three conferences that will be the core of the agenda: on Wednesday, May 27, the Xylexpo Arena will host the second edition of the technical seminar Next Wood – Designing future surfaces together – organized by Catas, Poliefun-Politecnico di Milano, Anver and Acimall – dedicated to the response of coating and plant manufacturers to the increasingly tough challenge of coating materials.
On Thursday, May 28, Xylexpo will sponsor the event Adhesives in the furniture industry and current product and process developments, created by Catas and Federchimica. Topics will include the application of veneer in compliance with new German formaldehyde regulations, the use of hotmelt glues for the application of glossy coatings, the use of polyurethane glues with low free isocyanate content, and new water-resistant vinyl glues.
On Friday, May 29, the discussion will focus on VOCs, volatile organic compounds, a source of indoor pollution, starting from the stricter and stricter regulations on formaldehyde emissions that, unfortunately, are not shared and coordinated on a global scale, forcing producers and processors to very complicated management practices.
*For further information: www.xylexpo.com
