For its 50th anniversary  Ligna attracted 1.433 exhibitors from 49 countries, a slightly higher number than the previous edition but occupying less space. Chinese exhibitors were remarkably present and showed strong price aggressiveness. 

 

The show claimed 78,000 visitors from 156 countries on par with the previous edition. Exhibitors noted an increase in visitors from South America and Canada. 

The spotlight was on digitalisation, automation, AI and smart production. A lot of AI scanners and more and more robots but not many robots equipped with AI yet. 

Visitors on the show complained of the difficult market environment but also see the need to continue to automate their operations. Even in a slower economy recruitment of workers remains difficult and companies recognised that automating is a necessary condition to remain in business. 

Machinery exhibitors complained of slow demand in Europe and North America but of strong demand from South America. In sawmilling equipment one operator confided that they remained in business thanks to projects in South America, another confiding that his Scandinavian clients had put in the fridge all Capex this year. Large panel production lines are also in the fridge in Europe and this was visible in the smaller stands of these operators. 

 

The show organisers also wanted to put the focus on sustainability and the circular economy with “ LIGNA Circular”. This concept got some traction from exhibitors especially these focused on solutions for wooden construction. 

 

The Innovation Square continued to grow, attracting more startups than in 2023. The focus was largely on roundwood traceability, inventory management and EUDR compliance solutions, particularly from German and Polish innovators. Plenty of CAD systems

The forestry section outside was a lot smaller then in previous editions. Noteworthy was the presence of numerous stands offering portable sawing solutions like Woodmizer, Mebor, HolzProfi, Serra , Norwood, Wravor.