PRESS RELEASE
November 2012
Page 1
Invest in the future today
Lightweight furniture construction with igeL at ZOW 2013
The construction of lightweight furniture provides future-oriented
stimulus along the entire process chain for the furniture industry and
interior design. In demand is intelligent engineering that links innovative
material concepts with new functionalities – thereby providing significant
added value in furniture making. At the supplier trade fair ZOW in Bad
Salzuflen, innovations in lightweight furniture construction have been
presented to a broad trade audience since 2009. In 2013, the members of
Press contact:
Dr. Frank B. Müller
PH MEYER
Wirtschaftsberatung
GmbH & Co. KG
Telephone: +49 521 9653336
Fax: +49 521 96533-11
E-mail: fm@phmeyer.de
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the Interessengemeinschaft Leichtbau e.V. – igeL (www.igel-ev.net)
[German Lightweight Construction Interest Group] will present their
special material and process expertise at the igeL Forum in Hall 22.1.
Here, from 18-21 February, potential customers will be able to inform
themselves first-hand.
In recent times, lightweight furniture construction has certainly not had it
easy. Now as before, there is a lot of discussion in the industry about
lightweight construction; there has been progress in technological
development and the group of users continues to expand. Nevertheless, the
process of penetrating the market is much slower than many people have
hoped. Is lightweight construction just a fashion trend? No, according to the
pioneers in the Interessengemeinschaft Leichtbau e. V. – igeL. Meanwhile
numbering over 100, igeL stakeholders, who in their industry network cover
the entire value chain, further set their sights on continuous growth. For
them, the breakthrough of lightweight furniture construction is only a matter
of time.
Hybrid designs at the fore
The use of lightweight construction in furniture has already been anticipated
in many respects: special machines, special drilling and milling tools, new
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PRESS RELEASE
November 2012
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edging technologies and fittings systems have been developed; usage details
and proposed standards formulated. Suitable lightweight and sandwich
materials have already made their mark in furniture construction where there
is a cost advantage or added value for the end customer, retail or logistics. In
practice, it is frequently hybrid designs that allow entry into lightweight
construction.
The much-cited strengths of lightweight construction cannot simply be
dismissed. Whether less raw material input and thus reduced raw material
costs, improved furniture logistics, new design concepts and functionalities or
the ecological benefits – in the trade-off between cost savings and customer-
Press contact:
Dr. Frank B. Müller
PH MEYER
Wirtschaftsberatung
GmbH & Co. KG
Telephone: +49 521 9653336
Fax: +49 521 96533-11
E-mail: fm@phmeyer.de
Download:
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specific added value, lightweight construction offers new opportunities for
furniture producers and retailers to seize a competitive advantage. The
furniture industry is watching current developments carefully, however it is
extremely reticent when it comes to application. For as with other innovative
technologies, there are also risks for companies with the use of lightweight
construction concepts. In addition to worries about process reliability,
investment costs and the acceptance of products by customers, the use of
new materials and designs requires rethinking and learning in a company's
product development and production departments. As a producer it is
necessary to rise to this challenge in order to realise the potential of
lightweight construction.
Setting a timely course for the future
If you ask experts like Prof. Torsten Leps, Director of the Central Laboratory
for Material Testing at Rosenheim University of Applied Sciences, there are
very good reasons for focusing on lightweight furniture construction now,
weighing its advantages and disadvantages for a particular company and
perhaps reconsidering the company's future course. One aspect is the
looming shortage of resources for primary products for board materials: "If
the predictions about the upcoming shortage of resources are true, the prices
for particle board and fibreboard will no longer be tenable", according to Leps.
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"We must equip ourselves for the future and gather knowledge early on about
the use of new, resource-sparing materials in the industry."
At the same time, companies must accumulate expertise, says his Rosenheim
colleague, Prof. Thorsten Ober, Director of the Laboratory for Furniture
Technology and a founding member of igeL: "For production in the furniture
industry it is important to keep checking when and for which furniture
components the use of lightweight construction and sandwich materials
make economic sense. In product development, it is becoming ever more
important to exploit optimally the advantages of the new, different products
in order to generate better service for retail and end customers." Ober is
Press contact:
Dr. Frank B. Müller
PH MEYER
Wirtschaftsberatung
GmbH & Co. KG
Telephone: +49 521 9653336
Fax: +49 521 96533-11
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concerned that too hesitant a response could present an entrepreneurial risk:
"The timely introduction of the topic of lightweight construction is a longterm investment in the sustainability of the company. The companies that will
succeed tomorrow are beginning to focus intensively today on the effective
use of materials and modern construction methods."
New impulses: the igeL network at ZOW
For furniture producers, igeL's extensive network is the central source of
information and exchange, explains igeL Managing Director Dr. Olaf Plümer:
"In the igeL network, manufacturers can get advice first-hand from materials
experts at universities, from suppliers for production materials and from plant
and machinery manufacturers. All of these people have the necessary
knowledge and practical experience. Technically a lot is possible in
lightweight furniture construction even today. However mastering the
process is the challenge." Anyone who wants to know more about lightweight
furniture construction and has concrete questions about materials and
processes can speak with many igeL members in person at ZOW. The igeL
Forum in Hall 22.1 is open to all interested parties.
For current information about ZOW, visit:
Web: www.zow.de
Youtube: ZOWfair
Twitter English: @zow_trade_fair
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November 2012
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Xing event: ZOW Bad Salzuflen 2013
LinkedIn event: ZOW Bad Salzuflen 2013
Figures:
zdne1305_b1:
Press contact:
Dr. Frank B. Müller
PH MEYER
Wirtschaftsberatung
GmbH & Co. KG
Telephone: +49 521 9653336
Fax: +49 521 96533-11
E-mail: fm@phmeyer.de
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Text code: zdne1305
Homepage ZOW:
Here's where to go to learn more about lightweight furniture construction!
In 2013, igeL will present itself at ZOW with its own forum in Hall 22.1. –
Photo: Clarion Events
zdne1305_b2:
Suitable lightweight and sandwich materials have already made their mark
in furniture construction. – Photo: Clarion Events
Clarion Events Deutschland GmbH
Clarion Events Deutschland GmbH, Bielefeld, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Clarion
Events Ltd., London. Since starting up in Germany in 2010, it has organised the
annual ZOW fair (Supply Fair for Furniture Industry & Interior Design) as well as the
FMB show (Supplier Show for Mechanical Engineering) in Bad Salzuflen. Together
PRESS RELEASE
November 2012
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with its own Clarion Events TR subsidiary, it organises the ZOW fair in Istanbul.
Clarion also cooperates with a Russian licensee for the ZOW fair in Moscow. As part
of its portfolio, the company aims to set up further specialist fairs and congresses
with a view to highlighting its added value from spot-on service for the business
circles addressed. Clarion Events Deutschland GmbH’s Managing Directors are
Simon Kimble and Mike Sicely, London, as well as Horst Rudolph, Bielefeld.
Press contact:
Dr. Frank B. Müller
PH MEYER
Wirtschaftsberatung
GmbH & Co. KG
Telephone: +49 521 9653336
Fax: +49 521 96533-11
E-mail: fm@phmeyer.de
Download:
www.phmeyer.de
Press database
Text code: zdne1305
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