ZOW plays starring role

Today ZOW is synonymous with a new, more efficient business meeting and is well known as a trend-setting platform for communications through its innovative ‘workshop’ concept.

Strong demand is driving the need to provide more exhibition space at Bad Salzuflen. Hall 23.1, which is the ground floor of Hall 23, will be used for the first time this year. This means that visitors will now circulate in a closed loop inside Halls 20-23.

The south entrance, which is right next to the new parking lot P2 at the B239 highway, will be modified and there will be direct access to Hall 20. Including Hall 23.1, the total space available at ZOW has now increased to 45,000m².

By consolidating the Architecture Lounge, the E3S European Solid Surface Show and M Technology Award

exhibition in close proximity to each other at ZOW 2008, organiser Survey GmbH has created a concentrated area specially to attract architects and trade visitors. Because E3S is focused on the commercial sector, placement of the exhibition next to the Architect’s Lounge is considered ideal, because the target group for E3S exhibitors will be located right next door.

In parallel, the M Technology Award exhibition will provide an overview of the top innovative products of the sector. The competition is open to exhibitors and non-exhibitors.

Survey has seized the initiative to offer logistics suppliers the opportunity to also exhibit at the show. It will be their first chance to make contact with customers from the furniture industry at an established trade fair platform.

The organisers will also actively support ZOW exhibitors if potential cases of product piracy are identified. In the run-up to the show, exhibitors are being notified about the European law and jurisdiction concerning intellectual property.

Market researchers say that women control or influence more than 85% of all consumer purchases and that purchases by women total trillions of dollars annually. In the furniture industry, analysts indicate that 53% of adults planning to purchase furniture are women. The woman is the key in selling home furnishings. She makes the ultimate buying decision. She chooses the colour, texture, scale, comfort level and furniture finish. She also normally decides how furniture purchases will be placed in her home.

With this in mind Decotec Printing SA called on four renowned women from different countries with significant expertise in design to create a collection of decors for printed decorative paper. These 12 decors form part of Decotec’s Woman Power Collection and will be presented at ZOW.

The designers taking part in this project are Conchine Terranegra (Jordi Vidal & Asociados, Valencia, Spain), Sung Sook Kim (BBCK Studio, Milan, Italy), Athina Peletidou (COR3 Creative Works, Thessaloniki, Greece), and Eviete Dacol (Inove Design, Curitiba, Brazil).

Working on these collections resulted in an exciting inter-cultural experience, said Decotec.

Wood based product manufacturer Egger will be exhibiting decors under the tag line “neutrality and vitality”. Numerous new decors will be shown which are said to breath life into designs either alone or in combination with other Wood, Uni or Fantasy decors.

One of the most striking things with the Uni colours is the use of mother-of-pearl, which gives a greater impression of depth and brilliance, creating a very high-quality appearance, says Egger.

DTS-Systemoberflächen GmbH has been processing decor papers using the electron beam process for more than 10 years and is considered one of the market leaders in the production of this material, sold under the brand name ‘Elesgo’.

The product, which will be shown at ZOW, is supplied in rolls and depending on the quality required can be processed on all conventional coating lines with various glue systems.

Elesgo surfaces are mainly employed in laminate flooring, wall and ceiling panels, furniture surfaces, interior doors and door frames and kitchen worktops.

Wilhelm Taubert, owner and managing director of DTS, has been engaged in the innovative technology of electron beam cross-linkage since the 1970s and is a recognised expert in the field of electron beam curing of acrylate resins.

One special feature of the patented DTS method is that the papers used are first impregnated with acrylate and polyester resins in the company’s own impregnating lines.

According to Decorative Panels Ltd’s design chief Julian Tatham there is a trend towards darker, richer foils – and, he says, many will be shown at ZOW.

But lighter foils, he says, still remain popular in some sectors, particularly in civic, commercial and corporate environments, as well as for limited spaces like boats and caravans. But the trend towards the richer tones of traditional dark woods, like walnut and oak, in the consumer home environment looks strong for 2008.

Exotic new fruit woodgrains like plum bring subtle cuts and effects to decors – Wallis Plus is one of Decorative Panels’ latest foil introductions. And new technologies, such as laser engraving of printing cylinders, is taking quality and detail in printing and reproduction to another plateau, says Mr Tatham.

Powder coating on metallic substrates has shown a tremendous growth in the last 40 years. On substrates which are sensitive to thermal impacts, like MDF, the technique is about 10 years old and it has only been two years since the industry seriously focused on this new innovative technology for surfacing panels.

iCoat Group Holding GmbH, a young start-up company, has designed and erected a special powder coating line simply for coating MDF. The experience of 20 years of sister companies within the group was utilised in the construction.

The line has been in full operation for six months and now coating is being done on various substrates (MDF, light weight boards, some solid woods) as well as in different textures (micro structure and smooth design).

iCoat is offering the ready-made furniture piece, including the MDF, machining, drilling and sanding, details of which will be explained on the company’s stand.

“The powder coat does have some outstanding features compared to other foil or wet-lacquering systems,” said Peter Hauer, managing director of iCoat. “It is mainly green, with no solvents, and up to 95% of the powder is used.

BLP UK Ltd is constantly working with foil producers to develop new ideas for its cabinet doors and this year at ZOW it plans to inspire visitors, said Barry Berman, sales and marketing director for BLP.

“We will demonstrate a number of door designs in new and innovative foils which show BLP’s capabilities both from the UK and China factories.

“With the recently opened 60,000m² door factory in Suzhou, China combined with the existing 25,000m² factory in the UK, BLP will have lots to talk about.”

Pennacchioni SpA produces postforming and preforming semi-finished furniture and will be exhibiting examples of its products.

The company supplies a wide range of different items and finishes: worktops, panel doors, plywood or MDF, covered with HPL or melamine, and cut to size and edge-banded according to customers’ drawings and models.

Products are aimed at furniture manufacturers of kitchens, bathrooms, offices, bedrooms, shops and interior design.

Riken will be exhibiting its specially-developed new metallic gloss finishes, as well as introducing gloss-matt printed foils which give the appearance of a surface texture synchronised to the wood grain.

The company will also display its most recent updated colours within its long-established high quality gloss range, both in PVC and PVC-free materials. The gloss colours shown will centre on a strong trend of black and match-to-black.

The hardware and hinge specialist Hetal-Werke GmbH will be presenting a product innovation designed to complement any kitchen design.

The flap fitting KB-35-D allows wall-mounted kitchen flaps to be swivelled up out of the way of the cabinet itself, above the top of cornices, pelmets and attached lights.

The fittings also afford convenient access to the storage space, as the flap swivels upwards out of the work area.

Furnco AB is based in Sweden, with production facilities in China for the manufacture of electronic low voltage converters, halogen lighting, fluorescent lighting and LED lighting fixtures, aimed primarily at European manufacturers of kitchens and bathrooms.

A selection from the product range will be on display.

Sandvik Hindrichs-Auffermann, the producer of press plates and endless press belts for the laminating and wood based panel industries, will welcome all visitors to its booth. The company’s textures are mostly developed in close cooperation with its customers and their needs.

Finally we offer congratulations to Agoform GmbH, one of the main leaders in vacuum forming products. The company will be celebrating 80 years in the business and what better place to do it than at ZOW, Bad Salzuflen.

Agoform is selling in more than 60 countries worldwide and is a competitive partner for the kitchen, furniture, decorative and automotive industries.