There was much curiosity around Acimall, the Italian woodworking machinery and tools manufacturers’ association, at Salone del Mobile.Milano, the biggest and most celebrated furniture exhibition held at FieraMilano-Rho last April 12 to 17. The event needs no introduction and this year it shattered all records with over 375 thousand visitors. In this context, Acimall participated for the first time in collaboration with Ice, the agency for the promotion and globalization of Italian companies, and the support of some industry companies (Biesse Group, Cefla, Elettromeccanica Giordano Colombo, Giardina Group and Scm Group). The Acimall stand was designed to put all member companies in the forefront, highlighting their role in this famous exhibition. Videos and pictures showed the state of the art of woodworking and furniture industry technology and the peaks of excellence it has achieved. The origins, the roots of this industry were represented by two ancient machines, a combined machine from 1945 and a jigsaw set from the Twenties, both offered by Fondazione Museo del falegname Tino Sana (www.museotinosana.it).
“We had the opportunity to meet a different audience – said Lorenzo Primultini, president of the Confindustria-member association – achieving the goal we had set: taking part in this big design event to remind everyone that we have always been proud actors of this industry! We are at home in furniture factories, in the workshops where sofas, cabinets, chairs and tables come to life. Together with designers, engineers and manufacturers, we contribute to find the way to achieve a specific result, to create a shape, to perform a function… If “made in Italy” is so popular around the world – Primultini concluded – let us tell that we also take a share of the merit, maybe a small one, because we have been supporting this success story with our solutions, investing machines that can “automatically” make items that until few decades ago only skilled craftsmen could create”.
“It was a great pleasure for us to open the Salone doors to Acimall”, said Roberto Snaidero, president of FederlegnoArredo and Salone del Mobile.Milano. “We believe it is time to collaborate on several topics, extending our partnership across the supply chain to be even more effective. And it is quite significant, in my opinion, that Acimall’s “debut” occurred on the fiftieth anniversary of the association, offering us the opportunity to congratulate them on this major milestone!”.
“Italy woodworking and furniture technology is an asset known all over the world”, added Dario Corbetta, Acimall director. “We are second only to Germany as manufacturers, but we are the biggest exporters: over 80 percent of the concepts, machines and plants produced by our 174 member companies is installed in all countries around the world. There is no furniture workshop on the planet that doesn’t use or know Italian woodworking machinery, from basic equipment to flexible automated plants running in the factories of global retail giants”.
The Italian woodworking machinery industry is worth 1.8 billion euro and in recent years has been able to react to the enduring crisis developing better, more effective solutions that have enabled designers to offer goods that supported competitive capacity in several difficult markets. The stand at Salone del Mobile.Milano was also a vehicle to remind designers, architects and furniture producers coming from all over the world about the upcoming Xylexpo, the biennial exhibition of woodworking technology and furniture industry components that will celebrate its 25th edition from 24 to 28 May 2016, again in the FieraMilano-Rho expo center.
