WOODTEC
---

The situation in the wood processing industry impacted by the economic crisis is slowly picking up in some of its sectors. „We have received information from the exhibitors that the market stagnates or slightly rallies in the field of machines and equipment. Customers do not save and investments in machines and tools are slowly and progressively made again,“ says Miloň Mlčák.

The upgraded production in the wood processing industry in the Czech Republic can also be improved thanks to some of the pro-growth measures encouraging small and medium size businesses as well as thanks to a support within the Operational Programme  Enterprise and Innovation co-funded by the EU structural funds. The Czech wood processing industry is able to produce highly competitive products in all its product groups. One of the major competitive advantages is the vast local sources of renewable ecological raw materials. Czech manufacturers operating in the wood processing industry are in high demand thanks to their quality and prices not only in the domestic market, but also in the markets of other EU countries as well as third countries. „This year, a number of exhibitors plan to introduce innovations in their production at this year’s WOOD-TEC. The advantage of the presentation at the trade fair is the direct contact with the professional visitors from the Czech Republic as well as from abroad and the possibility of introducing the products right on site. Another advantage offered by the fair is the possibility of monitoring the competitors, getting information about the offers and portfolios of competing companies, marketing communication and sales strategy- all this in the comfort of a single location,“ explains Miloň Mlčák.

Another potential of the wood processing industry undoubtedly consists in biomass. As regards wood utilisation, we should also mention the factor of biomass use for the purpose of energy generation. Wood is still one of the cheapest fuels and it is also a domestic and renewable source of energy. The EU is of the opinion that a minimum of one fifth of the total energy consumption should be covered by renewable energies by 2020. In the effort to meet this target, a number of countries focus on wood mass, either in the form of wood chips or wooden granules (briquettes, pellets). „The topic of biomass and other current topics will be the subject of the specialist supporting programme at WOOD-TEC that we prepare again in cooperation with Mendel University. The professionals will have a chance to attend a number of lectures, seminars and specialist meetings where they will get specific information about the current events in the wood processing industry,“ says the fair manager, Miloň Mlčák. In the future, it will be necessary to improve and streamline the recovery of waste generated in the production, e.g. in the form of pallets. Meeting this objective should be facilitated by expanded activities of the so-called „wood processing clusters which have been established while envisaging the future involvement of foreign entities. Recently, the Česká peleta cluster has been established in the Czech Republic, currently representing over thirty firms. The concentration of production in larger units provides better conditions for achieving a high labour productivity and manufacturing of products with a higher added value. Another advantage of larger units is the possibility of more frequent and costly innovations – by introducing the state-of-the-art techniques and technologies.