Xylexpo 2014: the countdown has started

The event is scheduled at Fieramilano-Rho, from May 13, Tuesday, to May 17, Saturday. 450 exhibitors are expected to cover about 30 thousand square meters of exhibiting surface.

 

A really complicated Xylexpo edition, which will take place in a still difficult period, not only for the Italian market. All those who wished to see an industry rally starting from Milan will not be satisfied, unfortunately. But this does not mean that Xylexpo will not play its role as international showcase for industry operators from all over the world.

A particularly tough challenge, as the organizers know well. It is difficult for the Italian technology offer, exhausted after six difficult years increasingly focused on foreign countries, showing with all efforts the quality of “made in Italy” solutions all over the world. Yes, because the key value of this season is really an export level that has reached and exceeded all records, accounting for over 90 percent for many, so many Italian companies.

Weak domestic demand has direct effects also on the offer of foreign exhibitors, who are certainly not attracted like they were in the past. But this does not imply that –we will never get tired of telling it – Italy remains one of the key countries for the global furniture manufacturing industry. For its history, capacity, resolution, experience, design and know-how.

Indeed, the next Xylexpo will be attended by everybody, Italians and foreigners, given that they are aware that such a market cannot be abandoned… It will be a concrete and rich exhibition made-to-measure for visitors. An “honest” exhibition, working hard to make the 2014 edition a bridge towards 2016. Three halls will be used: Hall 1 and 3 will feature technology for panel processing and modern furniture industry; in Hall 2, primary operations and solid wood processing.

 

We will see beautiful things next May 13-17, with an exhibition – do not forget it – that counts on big sponsors such as Eumabois, the Italian Ministry of Production Activities, Cfi-Comitato Fiere Industria (Confindustria) – and the proactive collaboration with Ice-Italian Foreign Trade Agency and Fiera Milano. A particularly important element, because it will enable to invite in Milan a significant number of operators from all over the world, offering a real business opportunity to all exhibitors.

 

COMEBACKS

We do not want to take too much time from our readers on this already well-known topic, but we cannot even neglect to point out that this year Xylexpo will be particularly beautiful.  Beautiful and important. Not only for the many exhibitors that will take part, but also because the 2014 edition features the comeback of important organizations that had decided to stay away from Milan for two editions. Biesse Group, Cefla, Casadei Busellato and also two companies of the Scm Group, that is Cms Group-Balestrini and Superfici-Elmag are back to the exhibition. Unfortunately we cannot talk about a complete comeback, a full and absolute representation, because Scm Group is not coming back with all its brands, but this is a decisive step towards a 2016 edition that is seen from several sides as the definite “normalization” of a situation for which too many words have already been spent. Thus, waiting for the pleasure to see all, but really all the Italian technology industry gathering under the same roof in a great international showcase, let’s enjoy this “preview”, with fingers crossed…

 

A LONG CRISIS

Be together, work together, promote together “made in Italy” in a big world that is hungry for smart solutions: this is a duty that all companies should fulfil.  In times like these, each obstacle can become insuperable. We have already talked about the conditions of the Italian market, but we believe it is useful to remember that the turnover of the macro-industry of the Italian furniture-wood-interior design sector in 2013 reached about 27.4 billion euros, that is 35 percent less than the record level established in 2007, with 42.5 billion euros.

There would not be much more to add, apart from repeating that this storm, once it’s gone, will force choices and investments.  Or better: the most attentive companies, those looking towards the future, have already taken the way of renovation, redesign of their production methods, a choice that has translated into the allocation of new investments, the development of new production methods, higher automation machines and lines, offering higher flexibility, quality and continuity.

An issue that will characterize the booths of the many exhibitors attending Xylexpo 2014, committed to driving demand with solutions specifically conceived in this season, allowing to produce more with lower costs, to quickly meet the needs of an extremely unstable and changing market that wants the solution it purchases today within yesterday.

 

ON THE SIDE…

An exhibition that will be stimulating, that will provide people with real and effective answers, faithfully reflecting the status of today’s market, the one that its protagonists are looking for.

A scenario that will also feature the first edition of “Xia-Xylexpo Innovation Awards”. These are innovation awards not only for products – with a focus on “green economy” topics and the opportunities that “low-consumption” systems offer to final users – but also for “being a business” and for the communication capacity. The Jury will be made of industry journalists, called to express their preferences for the most innovative company according to them, the company that has developed ideas, products, solutions to face the crisis in the last years; but also with the capacity to talk to customers, to its distribution network through the press, social media, the organization of events and opportunities to measure themselves. A “different” prize the organizers wanted to launch to support the efforts of all those who have understood that business is changing, the way of doing business as well, that there are tools and ways to reach the final result (selling their products) that cannot be neglected.

 

We like to point out a somehow “ancient” presence in a scenario where “high technology” will be the key element. We are talking about artistic wood turning, an activity that is mainly professional, and a hobby secondly, with far but deep-rooted origins, so much that it is still practiced today with excellent results, also thanks to the support of increasingly performing machines and tools.  The Valle D’Aosta association “Les tourneurs de la basse vallée” (www.tourneurs.it), the association that gathers handicraft turning professionals and amateurs who want to promote and encourage the development of this ancient process, will attend the event as a guest of the company Gamma Zinken (Hall 1, stand C29/D29) for all the exhibition days.

 

Another interesting opportunity is the Expo Matching Program, a web platform that will start in April and will allow exhibitors and visitors to organize their meeting schedule during the exhibition, a tool that will facilitate the meeting between demand and offer.  

 

Last but not least, the opportunity, on the website www.xylexpo.com, to take a look at the preview of the innovations of Xylexpo 2014: exhibitors, indeed, will be able to enter a presentation sheet with a picture of their innovations, an absolutely free service.

 

In recent weeks, the website of Xylexpo is also offering an online preregistration service, through which visitors can directly print their entrance ticket for the exhibition. The eContact Mobile service offered by Fiera Milano is particularly interesting and it will allow exhibitors to detect and manage the information of visitors to their stands in a quick and simple way.