European manufacturers leading the world market

The economic downturn has cut into orders received by European woodworking machinery manufacturers as well. But it’s not a crash into the abyss, as unlike other sectors, woodworking machinery manufacturers have been preparing for tough times. They’ve adjusted to the fact that the machine manufacturing business is cyclic. Thus, this sector of industry has provided a foundation for a recovery after it gets through these hard times.
However, the economic downturn has turned out to be more dramatic than the experts feared it would be. Over the next few years the world market will shrink, and the outlook for the wood industry is cloudy as well. The momentum that European woodworking machinery manufacturers had gained a year before has now ground to a halt, but they maintain their leadership position in the world market – with Germany and Italy the two strongest export countries, accounting for about half of worldwide exports.
The European federation of woodworking machinery manufacturers (Eumabois) brings together companies from 13 countries, with a turnover of 7.6 million euros. They have resolved to face the immense challenges together. The difficult conditions are also making it hard for their customers to obtain financing for investments, but the demand for mechanical equipment for processing and finishing wood continues to be apparent. Wood, the best raw material of all times, will always be needed and in demand.
In hard times, customer interest focuses on the issue of increased productivity. Efficiency throughout the process chain brings the strong points of European manufacturers to the forefront, as they have used research and development to gain an advantage over Asian and American firms and they serve their customers precisely with the machines that offer the best return on investment.
European machine manufacturers will consequently deal with resource efficiency in production. For example, all advancement in wood drying, a process step with very high energy use, has a direct result on a company’s success. Similarly, even small changes, such as the reduction of cut widths or intelligent sectioning methods, improve profitability. Even additives such as varnish and glue are included in this approach. This strategy gives customers the ability they need to withstand tough competition and cheap copies even when the price of raw materials is rising.

Choose the original – Choose success!
Standing firm with each other against the competition to provide a better product, the more than 800 member companies of Eumabois seek to work together against product piracy. Illegal copies are experiencing an explosive increase. Worldwide, the damage has been estimated at 660 billion euros. Studies estimate that two thirds of companies have been impacted by theft through piracy.
Legal action has proved to be ineffective against product and trademark piracy. Thus, Eumabois is taking an additional step, accompanying the traditional protection measures with the motto “Choose the original – Choose success!“, in order to increase customer awareness of the value of original technologies. Product piracy is unacceptable: it jeopardizes manufacturers as much as it does customers.
The advantages of original technologies are clear.
Quality: the use of original technologies prevents production defects. The highest demands for quality can be met. And if a problem nevertheless arises, the manufacturers offer excellent repair and replacement services.
Innovation: to stay ahead of the competition, often one’s own development power is no longer enough. More and more often it’s necessary to draw on the support of suppliers. European woodworking machine manufacturers support their customers as development partners as well.
Efficiency: original technologies come out ahead in savings on material and product maximization. The cost price may be more than a pirated item, but the intelligent customer watches the life cycle cost. From this perspective, original technologies offer a clearly more favourable solution.
Experience: those who buy original products can be sure they’ll have a relationship with skilled experts – and that’s priceless. Expertise comes from greater experience and not faster copies.
Safety: not only spectacular projects demand the highest safety, but so do everyday products, which must comply with standards, eliminate errors, and prevent harm to people and machines. Compliance with safety standards is one of the great advantages of manufacturers of original parts and machines.
Though at present investments in new facilities often depend or founder on financing, customer interest in and demand for high quality machines continues. Many competitors even try to use cheap copies as a way of increasing revenues, but they fall far short from achieving the quality of European originals. Through their enormous innovative power, European machinery producers lead the pack in the competition for customers.
The commitment shown by the motto ”Choose the Original – Choose Success!“ will confirm the value of original machine production technologies for customers worldwide. The war against illegal products is a challenge that respects no borders, and it’s something that Europe, with its leadership position on the world market, should take very seriously.
When participants from all over the world meet at Ligna Hannover in the centre of Europe’s woodworking industry, it will be the reflection of the industry that has been awaited with such anticipation. Many are greatly looking forward to having an actual look at the global, regional and structural situation. This valuable information can only be obtained by being personally present on the product marketplace. As a valuable signpost, Ligna has come on the scene not a moment too soon. Its signals will be needed as seldom before.
European woodworking machinery manufacturers have created a solid foundation to withstand these hard times. They are not so much emphasizing their own prospects for success as they are those of their customers – of the trade and the industry. They are supporting the success of their customers, as their own success is inextricably bound to it. With this knowledge, the wood industry world is meeting at Ligna Hannover and will draw strength from it for the coming two years.