Poznań, 12.10.2015
DREMA, FURNICA, SOFAB 2015 on a roll again
Professionals from the wood and furniture industry from 30 countries have
visited this year's edition of the DREMA International Trade Fair of Machines and Tools
for Wood and Furniture Industries, the FURNICA International Trade Fair of Components
for Furniture Production and SOFAB International Trade Fair of Upholstery Fabrics and
Components for Upholstered Furniture held in Poznan on 6-9 October 2015. The Poznań
trade fair trio has confirmed its leading position in Central and Eastern Europe as the
centre for the purchase of machinery and equipment for wood processing as well as
materials and components for furniture production.
In the opinion of many participants of the fair – both exhibitors and visitors – this was
the best edition of the fair since 2009. Preliminary data indicate that the exhibition was
visited by representatives of about 20,000 companies. "We are, above all, satisfied
with a more than 50 percent increase in the share of key customers" – says the Director
of DREMA Fair Andrzej Półrolniczak. It concerns both specialists from the wood industry
and furniture manufacturers. Among the visitors there were representatives of such
market leaders as: Black Red White, BFM, Szynaka Meble, IMS, Ludwik Styl, Taranko,
Meblik, Noti, Tombea, Komandor, Libro, Paged Meble, Meblomax, and many others.
"It is worth mentioning a large number of visitors from abroad whom we managed to
attract to the fairs thanks to intense promotional activities," says the Director of Furnica
and SoFab Fairs, Józef Szyszka. The largest group of foreign professionals came from
Ukraine. They accounted for 19 percent of visitors. The fairs were visited by a lot of
guests from Belarus, Lithuania, Germany, Czech Republic, Belgium, Italy, Great Britain,
Slovakia, Russia, Austria, Sweden, Turkey, Israel, Latvia and Estonia. Detailed data on
the structure of visitors will be available in our website after entering all the data into the
system.
The exhibition itself was also impressive. The block of DREMA, FURNICA and SOFAB 2015
fairs was attended by nearly 600 companies from 21 countries (Austria, Belgium,
Belarus, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Spain, the Netherlands, India, Canada,
Germany, Portugal, Switzerland, Sweden, Taiwan, Turkey, Ukraine, Great Britain, Italy
and Poland). The exhibitors presented the latest products, technologies and services for
industries related to wood products, forestry, biomass and for producers and distributors
of chemicals for the wood and furniture industry.
This year, the Live Furniture Factory traditionally operating during Drema 2015 had a
noble goal. 25 wooden beds produced during the four days of the fair will soon be sent to
orphanages. At the end of the fair, the beds were solemnly transferred to the Caritas
Polska Foundation, which will provide them to the most needy institutions. This year the
Live Furniture Factory operated in Hall 4. This year's novelty was its education space,
which allowed guests to the fair to learn about the technological side of furniture
production. Traditionally, one of the designs selected in the "Create Live Furniture
Factory" competition organised by the Department of Furniture Design at the Faculty of
Wood Technology at the University of Life Sciences in Poznan was manufactured. This
time it was a single cot. On the other hand, the Polish Furniture Factory project aimed
at
fulfilling
childhood
dreams
organised
by
the
Association of
Woodworking Machinery and Equipment Manufacturers DROMA, MTP, the "BIZNES
meble.pl" monthly and the "Kurier Drzewny" magazine, also met with great interest.
Visitors were also able to observe the different stages of production of the piece of
furniture selected during the "DREAM FURNITURE 2015" initiative organised by the
"BIZNES meble.pl" monthly.
The novelty of this year's edition of DREMA was the Green Hall featuring the exhibition
of companies, associations and publications related to logging and wood processing,
exhibition and educational space, and B2B Wood Meetings co-organised by the Polish
Economic Chamber of Wood Industry. The Green Hall featured, among other things, the
Flooring Zone organised by the Association of Polish Parquet Floor Layers, including a
parquet laying workshop, shows of masters of the profession as well as training sessions
and examinations confirming the qualifications of apprentice and master of parquet
laying. The latest products and technologies used in parquet laying were also presented
here. The workshop was complemented by the "15 Years of the Parquet Industry" Gala
organised on the occasion of the fifteenth anniversary of the Polish Association of Parquet
Layers. The Green Hall also featured an interactive exhibition of the National Forests –
Learning from Forest and the Learning, Advisory and Grant Zone organised by the
Drewno.pl portal, which allowed to expand knowledge about the different types of grants,
not only from the EU but also from the Social Insurance Institution (ZUS).
Visitors to the fair were also able to try out in practice the machines exhibited in the
special area of the Skills Testing Ground organised by the editors of "Lakiernictwo
Przemysłowe" magazine. The program of this year's event covered issues such as surface
preparation, aging wood, veneering of plate edges, brushing, repairing damage to the
painted elements of fronts and floors, painting, staining and patination of wood, and
obtaining special effects on the fronts of furniture.
The offer of furniture manufacturers was presented in part at the DREMA fair (machinery
and equipment), but also as part of FURNICA and SOFAB fairs. Leading manufacturers
and suppliers presented the latest accessories, components and materials for furniture
production. At the FURNICA Fair, visitors were able to get acquainted with the offer of
such companies as Stalmot&Wolmet, Gamet, Marcopol, Rejs, Allcomp, Bellussi, Semaco,
Gaber, Hettich, EGGER, AMI, PAGED Sklejka, REHAU, ELFA, Aluprofil, Hranipex or
BELUSSI Group. At the SOFAB Fair, the latest products by such important companies as
Toptextil, Davis, Lech-Tkaniny, Pureko, SIC, Ridex, Fibero, Desleeclama (Belgium), Doser
or Tkaniny Dankowski were exhibited. A special opportunity to see dozens of market
novelties was the Premiery Meble.pl exhibition. Within its framework we presented the
latest accessories and furniture components of most reputable providers of solutions for
the furniture industry.
An opportunity to get acquainted with the directions of furniture design was offered by
the Trend Forum – Trend Design 2016, accompanying SOFAB 2015. In this special
space the latest innovations in fabrics and decorative upholstery were exhibited by the
project partners: Davis, Dekoma, Desleeclama, Fibero, Lech, Polontex, Ridex Dekoracja,
SIC and Toptextil. Marek Borowiński, PhD also introduced new products in interior design
and colour forecasts for 2016, and conducted training for furniture manufacturers
"Furniture design and fabric design, how to properly match the pattern, colour, texture of
fabric, leather and other components to the shape of a piece of furniture".
One of the main themes during the FURNICA and SOFAB 2015 were the European funds
for the furniture industry for the period 2014-2020. Several separate conferences and
training sessions were devoted to this issue. There were also workshops for furniture
manufacturers concerning safety certification for furniture products, development
strategies for furniture companies and planning sales activities in the retail market in
2016 in the context of the results of expert reports on the situation on the market.
The Polish Championships in Nail Hammering and "Conjured from Wood"
competition organised by Inwestor publishing company also aroused strong emotions.
The task of the people participating in the Championships was to punch five 3,5-inch
nails into wooden edges with five hammer hits. Krzysztof Matczak won the final
competition held on the last day of the fair. Meanwhile, the contestants in the "Conjured
from Wood" competition designed and made wooden objects which are normally
produced from a different raw material. During the fair, visitors could admire the works
submitted to the competition. A wooden bicycle made by Sebastian Marchewka from the
Wood Technology School Complex in Garbatka-Letnisko gained the biggest recognition in
the eyes of the jury.
Vote in the "Gold Medal – Consumers' Choice" competition
This year, the winners of the MTP Gold Medal competition at DREMA, FURNICA and
SOFAB 2015 were known a month before the Fairs. The Jury awarded the prestigious
award to 14 products: 12 presented at DREMA, one at FURNICA and one at SOFAB. The
list of all medal winners is available at www.zlotymedal.mtp.pl. Information about the
awarded products were presented during the Fair in the Champions' Zone – a special
stand located in the centre of the Fair exhibition, where visitors will be able to vote on
the award-winning products. You can also vote via the Gold Medal website for a month
after the fairs. The product which receives the greatest number of votes of visitors and
Internet users will win the prestigious "Gold Medal – Consumers' Choice" title.
The next edition of DREMA, FURNICA and SOFAB will be held on 13-16 September
2016. Visit us!