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(c) Koelnmesse / imm cologne
13.12.2021

imm cologne: Restart postponed to 2023

imm cologne will not take place on the planned dates in January 2022 in Cologne. The executive board of Koelnmesse reached this decision in close consultation with the Association of the German Furniture Industry (VDM) and in agreement with other well-known industry representatives at the international level. "This step is restricted exclusively to imm cologne and its specific requirements for trade fair operations. We are principally planning, as before, to carry out our spring events in 2022. The political guidelines allow for this, and, following the excellent and safe course of the past autumn trade fairs, this must remain our mission in the interests of the participating industries“, says COO Oliver Frese.

imm cologne will not take place on the planned dates in January 2022 in Cologne. The executive board of Koelnmesse reached this decision in close consultation with the Association of the German Furniture Industry (VDM) and in agreement with other well-known industry representatives at the international level. "This step is restricted exclusively to imm cologne and its specific requirements for trade fair operations. We are principally planning, as before, to carry out our spring events in 2022. The political guidelines allow for this, and, following the excellent and safe course of the past autumn trade fairs, this must remain our mission in the interests of the participating industries“, says COO Oliver Frese.

The VDM, as the industry sponsor of the event, and against the background of the current pandemic situation, sees the economic success of the event and thus the successful restart of imm cologne in January as extremely endangered. "Following consultation with numerous exhibitors, industry representatives and trading partners, there is either no question of participation on the part of German exhibitors or exhibitors from the German-speaking region, or this is very much in doubt", according to Jan Kurth, CEO of the VDM.  Similar feedback also came from many European countries.

"The current special basic conditions in the interior design industry make the practicability of imm cologne almost impossible", according to Oliver Frese. "We didn't make this very bitter decision easy for ourselves, but consider it to be our obligation to take this step now in close consultation with the industry. In this way we provide clarity and planning security in the interests of our exhibitors. In our shared perspective, an imm cologne with its claim as a leading trade fair for the interior design industry is not realisable in the current situation", the COO continues. "We are currently working actively on options for also still being able to offer exhibitors of imm cologne an attractive trade fair presence at the international level. Here, both spoga+gafa and ORGATEC present excellent alternatives in the interior design portfolio of Koelnmesse".

The cancellation is restricted to imm cologne and expressly does not include other B2B events planned for spring 2022 in Cologne. In autumn, the Cologne art fairs and the nutrition fair Anuga, among others, demonstrated that trade fairs are also once again possible at the international level and can be carried out safely for everyone. It is currently quite clear how differently individual industries are reacting to the present situation. "We have determined a heterogeneous estimation among the exhibiting companies in the face of the enduring pandemic situation in Germany", according to Oliver Frese, COO of Koelnmesse. The assessments vary in degree specific to different industries, "sometimes with a greater impact on the respective trade fair and sometimes hardly palpable", the COO continues. "In the interests of cooperation in a spirit of trust, we are of course communicating closely with our industries and customers, in order to be able to reach just these kinds of industry-specific decisions," according to Frese.

The hygiene and safety concept of Koelnmesse, which remains entirely in keeping with the decisions of the Minister-President Conference and the Corona Protection Ordinance of NRW, stands for safe processes.

A positive picture was still taking shape for imm cologne as a whole with the end of the term for cancellation without penalties in mid-October: with 600 exhibitors from more than 50 countries, the event would still have been the largest and most relevant forum for the interiors industry, hosted in Europe’s biggest furniture market, even in this smaller form in terms of numbers.

The professional exchange and the networking between internationally active companies and highly qualified trade visitors provide the basis at every imm cologne for future-oriented innovations and the development of new business models. In this way, imm cologne ensures important business impulses for the industry. Koelnmesse, together with the VDM and the exhibiting industry, will therefore do everything possible to get a powerful and innovative imm cologne 2023 on its feet.        

Source:

Koelnmesse / imm cologne

01.06.2021

Lectra completes the acquisition of Gerber Technology

Lectra finalizes June 1st, the acquisition of all outstanding shares of Gerber Technology, on a cash-free debt-free basis, for 175 million euros – financed through a 140 million euro loan and the Group's available cash – plus 5 million newly issued Lectra shares to AIPCF VI LG, Gerber Technology’s sole shareholder.

This strategic combination, of which all stages have now been successfully completed, has led to the creation of a leading global Industry 4.0 player for the fashion, automotive and furniture markets.

“The union of our respective innovative expertise, our state-of-the-art offers and our talented resources will enable us to bring long-term value to our customers. We will now be in an even better position to support our customers throughout the world in accelerating the digital transformation of their operations,” says Daniel Harari, Chairman and CEO of Lectra.

This acquisition, which was announced on February 8, was approved by Lectra’s Board of Directors on March 25 and by Lectra’s shareholders June, 1.

Lectra finalizes June 1st, the acquisition of all outstanding shares of Gerber Technology, on a cash-free debt-free basis, for 175 million euros – financed through a 140 million euro loan and the Group's available cash – plus 5 million newly issued Lectra shares to AIPCF VI LG, Gerber Technology’s sole shareholder.

This strategic combination, of which all stages have now been successfully completed, has led to the creation of a leading global Industry 4.0 player for the fashion, automotive and furniture markets.

“The union of our respective innovative expertise, our state-of-the-art offers and our talented resources will enable us to bring long-term value to our customers. We will now be in an even better position to support our customers throughout the world in accelerating the digital transformation of their operations,” says Daniel Harari, Chairman and CEO of Lectra.

This acquisition, which was announced on February 8, was approved by Lectra’s Board of Directors on March 25 and by Lectra’s shareholders June, 1.

More information:
Gerber Technology Lectra/Gerber
Source:

Lectra

(c) KLULE/Unsplash
Composites offer design freedom and exceptional mechanical properties at low weight for furniture applications
22.10.2018

Composites are opening up new horizons for the furniture industry

What does the furniture market look like and what potential composites offer for the furniture of today and tomorrow? The AZL is investigating this question together with companies from the composite and furniture industry. The result will be an overview of the current market and the materials used to date as well as an outlook on future mass applications for fiber-reinforced plastics (FRP). The study is open to interested companies and starts with a kick-off meeting at Composites Europe in Stuttgart on November 7th, 2018.

Furniture, its design and function have undergone major changes in recent decades: From robust lifelong companions to trend-setting models, from handmade one-of-a-kind pieces to mass products, from storage objects to multi-functional and “smart” all-rounders. This goes along with an increased diversity in terms of design and the materials used – and high potential for composites that offer additional design freedom and exceptional mechanical properties at low weight.

Study provides overview of furniture market and unique selling points of composites

What does the furniture market look like and what potential composites offer for the furniture of today and tomorrow? The AZL is investigating this question together with companies from the composite and furniture industry. The result will be an overview of the current market and the materials used to date as well as an outlook on future mass applications for fiber-reinforced plastics (FRP). The study is open to interested companies and starts with a kick-off meeting at Composites Europe in Stuttgart on November 7th, 2018.

Furniture, its design and function have undergone major changes in recent decades: From robust lifelong companions to trend-setting models, from handmade one-of-a-kind pieces to mass products, from storage objects to multi-functional and “smart” all-rounders. This goes along with an increased diversity in terms of design and the materials used – and high potential for composites that offer additional design freedom and exceptional mechanical properties at low weight.

Study provides overview of furniture market and unique selling points of composites
In order to systematically identify the potential of fiber-reinforced composites and to use them in future furniture applications, the AZL is starting a study together with companies from the furniture and composite industry. Within four and a half months the market for furniture will be segmented, design and technology trends will be identified and the technical requirements for furniture and furniture components will be broken down to identify applications with high potential for composites. The overall goal is to understand the selection process and needs of the furniture designer in order to bring composites to the market as a targeted alternative to conventional materials.

Virginia Bozsak, Technical Manager Composites at ARKEMA Innovative Chemistry is participating in the study: “The ever-growing population number requires environmentally friendly material and a solution for the end of life treatment to recollect and reuse materials. For fast changing markets such as the furniture market, these materials also need to offer an enormous freedom of design. Arkema already answers this demand with the only liquid thermoplastic resin Elium® used as a thermoset resin to produce composite structural or aesthetical parts. With the joint study, we aim to identify specific applications in the furniture market to make use of material which is not limiting creativity or design specifications but rather enabling the future to be revolutionized.”