Bigger IWF 2002 promises to be best ever. (IWF 2002).

An estimated 1,300 exhibitors will be spread over 800,000 net square feet of space at the Georgia World Congress Center during this year's International Woodworking Machinery & Furniture Supply Fair in Atlanta.

The largest woodworking show in North America has just gotten bigger - 11.8 percent bigger than the event held two years ago.

The 2002 International Woodworking Machinery & Furniture Supply Fair will play host to almost 1,300 exhibitors spread over 800,000 net square feet of space at the newly renovated Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.

Scheduled for Aug. 22-25, IWF 2002 will showcase an array of woodworking equipment, supplies and services by domestic and international manufacturers. The show is sponsored by the American Furniture Manufacturers Assn., the Wood Machinery Manufacturers of America and the Woodworking Machinery Industry Assn.

"Every major machinery manufacturer in the world will have a presence at IWF 2002," says John D. Bassett, III, chairman of IWF 2002 and president of Vaughan-Bassett Furniture Co. "This is just more validation that IWF is a key player in the worldwide market. IWF is an event you can't afford to miss."

Judging by the pre-show figures released by show management, exhibitors seem to agree. More than 200 companies are new to IWF this year, while another 500-plus exhibitors have indicated they plan to display, demonstrate or introduce new products and services. In addition, hundreds of companies have taken advantage of the added space made available through the expansion by increasing their booth sizes.

Expansion Provides Added Display Space

Machinery companies make tip the majority of those expanding their booth space, says Patrick LaFramboise, who heads up show management.

"There seemed to be more interest by the machinery companies to take advantage of the added space," LaFramboise says. "For 2002, Building A and Hall 1 of Building B will be supplier exhibits, and machinery will take up the rest of Building B and all of Building C."

With the addition of Building C, the GWCC is now triple the size of the original structure, which opened in 1976 with 360,000 total square feet of exhibit space. With the latest expansion completed, the GWCC now offers a total of 1,366,000 square feet of exhibit space: Hall A -- 340,000 square feet, Hall B -- 607,500 square feet and Hall C -- 418,500 square feet.

According to LaFramboise, IWF 2002 exhibitors will use a majority of the "usable" space - approximately 800,000 net square feet -- in the three halls. "By the time you factor in the area needed for aisles and those needed to remain clear for fire safety, we're at 98 percent capacity in the halls," he says. There will be some booths, he adds, located in meeting rooms and in the concourse areas. The Georgia Dome, which was used for the 1998 and 2000 IWF shows, will not be used this year.

Even without the Georgia Dome, the expansion has enabled more than 300 companies to increase their booth sizes by 13 percent or more. Included in that figure are 12 companies that previously filled more than 3,000 square feet of exhibit space each: Adwood Corp., Anderson America Corp., Biesse America, Delmac Machinery Group, Delta International Machinery Group/Porter-Cable, IMA America Corp., Koch Ltd. Machinery & Systems, Mereen-Johnson Machine Co., SCM Group USA, Solid Wood Systems Inc., Stiles Machinery Inc. and the Weinig Group.

Rudi Stockinger, president of Adwood Corp., Sandy Caldwell, office manager at IMA America, and Hans Meier, executive vice president for Koch Ltd., all say their companies will use the added space to show the full range of their products.

"We were very tight on space in 2000. That was the main reason for our expansion," Meier says. "We should be able to display and present our products better to our existing and new customers (this year)."

Other companies will use the space to highlight the new lines added since the previous show. Stiles Machinery, for example, increased its booth size from 27,675 to 35,500 square feet to do just that.

"We've added Heesemann widebelt sanders and Wemhoner laminate presses since the 2000 show," says Steve Waitman, Stiles Machinery's vice president of sales and marketing. "The increase in booth space enables us to present more solutions for our customers and feature new technology from all our suppliers. But, even with a space this size, we are still leaving a few machines at home."

The Weinig Group will also use its additional space to showcase product lines obtained since 2000. "The Weinig Group has expanded significantly in the past two years with the addition of new product lines, new models, and the acquisition of the Raimann rip saw products," says Jeff Davidson, president of Weinig U.S.

"The additional space at the IWF show (15,750 square feet vs. 10,800 in 2000) will allow us to bring a good representative sample of all the Weinig Group products," Davidson says. "In particular, it will allow us to organize them in work cells to simulate the process flow from machine to machine in small and medium-sized companies. Additionally, it will allow us to display our roughmill optimizing capabilities, whose equipment traditionally utilizes a lot of floor space.

"The extra space also allows us to not just show the piece of equipment but also how it can efficiently be fed and off-loaded. Without the additional space, we would not have been able to bring these material handling aides that are useful in demonstrating the more efficient use of the equipment," Davidson adds.

Mary West, vice president/sales, Mereen-Johnson, says the company will use the opportunity to display both a new line as well as integrated systems.

"Mereen-Johnson purchased Group Seven Systems in 2001; the larger booth provides the opportunity to display their roughmill optimizing systems integrated with our Select-A-Rip gang ripsaws."

SCM Group, which added more than 4,000 square feet to its booth size this year, for a total of 23,128 square feet, will also take advantage of the expanded area to display machines not previously shown at IWF. Angelo Gangone, marketing manager, says, "The addition was made to show more equipment, like material handling machines, that we did not feature in 2000. In addition, we have also added some new high-tech machines and are featuring more of the standard machines with high-tech features such as programmable controllers on sliding table saws and shapers."

This year, DMG will spread its wares across two booths in order to showcase its entire line. According to Gerri Bolton, marketing manager, "We went from one booth at 5,400 square feet, to two booths totaling 8,985 square feet. This additional space gives us the opportunity to display machines from our entire product line which was not possible before" she says. New to the display, she says, is the Ulmadan acrylic edge-casting machine which has the ability to foil particleboard and other porous substrates. The process renders an in-depth cured and smooth edge surface on moulded and sanded edges.

New technology will also be the focus at Biesse America's booths. According to Todd Hammer, vice president sales and marketing, Biesse America exhibited more than 20 machines in about 12,000 square. feet at IWF 2000; this year, the company will utilize 16,000 square feet of exhibit space in Hall C.

Anderson America, says Steve Baltayan, advertising manager, will use its added space to promote its "one-stop shop" package theme. "In the past Anderson exhibited only its routers, while the moulder line was exhibited by Anderson Distributors," says Baltayan. "At IWF 2002, all Anderson machines, including the routers, IIDA moulders and the new line of solid wood equipment, will be presented under one roof, thus offering the customers one-stop total solution packages."

Also "under one roof' are Delta Machinery and Porter-Cable. According to Todd Langston, company spokesman, the "merger to a single, larger booth was logical given that the companies share global product managers for the combined lines." Among the products on display by Porter-Cable will be new compressors and cordless products, and a "revamp of the line. There will also be a re-introduction of the entire Delta Machinery product line."

93 Companies Take the Challenge

New technology by many of these, and other, companies, will be under intense scrutiny during judging for the Challengers Distinguished Achievement Awards. A total of 113 entries from 93 companies have been submitted to IWF for consideration in the competition. The awards will be presented in a special ceremony at the GWCC on Thursday, Aug. 22 at 1:30 p.m.

The Challengers Award recognizes advancements in technology or significant contributions to environmental improvement. It also focuses on those companies which have distinguished themselves by developing innovative technology for products, services or manufacturing techniques. Each winner of the award is given a bronze sculpture designed by artist Carol Marks.

Nine judges will whittle the entries to 20 finalists and then choose the top seven to receive the award. The judges for the 2002 Challengers Award competition are: Chairman Richard Campbell, Norwalk Furniture Co.; David Grubb, Knoll Group; Don Krug, Cherry Creek Woodcrafters-Great Impressions; Roger Jones, Century Furniture Ind.; Steve Jacobs, Plato Woodwork; Michael Moran, Ashley Furniture; A.J. Ottinger, Henkel-Harris Co. Inc.; Doug Williams, Hooker Furniture; and Paul Fetzer, Fetzer's Inc.

For more information about the Challengers Award, including a detailed listing of the entrants, see page 82, or visit www.iswonline.com.

Student Designers Earn Recognition

Student designers also have an opportunity to compete for trophies and recognition in the IWF Design Emphasis competition. This year a new award category, occasional furniture, has been added to the list of five previous categories: seating, ready-to-assemble, contract, case goods and design creativity.

"We saw a need for this additional category, something to recognize just tables and small accent pieces," comments Paul Toms, chairman of Design Emphasis Committee and chairman/CEO of Hooker Furniture Corp.

Entries were solicited from 130 colleges and universities throughout the United States. The finalists will be displayed in a special Design Emphasis display area during IWF 2002.

Category winners, as well as the Best of Show awardee, will be announced in a special ceremony during IWF on Thursday, Aug. 22. The 2002 competition will also award a total of $14,000 in prize money and features an award sculpture design by artist Robert Longhurst.

RELATED ARTICLE: IWF at a Glance

DATES: August 22-25

EXHIBIT HOURS: Thursday - Saturday, 8:00 a.m. - 6 p.m.; Sunday 8:00 am. - 3:00 p.m.

LOCATION: Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, GA

EXHIBITORS: Approximately 1,300 domestic and international manufacturers and distributors of woodworking equipment and supplies

SEMINARS: Nine technical seminars. See page 75 for details.

CHALLENGERS AWARDS: Final judging will take place during IWF. The awards ceremony will be held Thursday, Aug. 22 at 1:30 p.m. A list of entrants can be found on page 82. of this issue. Challenger Award product descriptions can be found on the Wood & Wood Products Web site, www.iswonline.com

SPONSORS: American Furniture Manufacturers Assn., Wood Machinery Manufacturers of America and Woodworking Machinery Industry Assn.

MORE INFORMATION: Visit www.iwf2002.com or www.iwfconnection.com; phone [phone].

CWB Magazine to Sponsor One of Nine IWF Technical Seminars

Wood & Wood Products' sister publication Custom Woodworking Business will sponsor "Successful Integration of Software and Automation for the Small Shop" at IWF on Aug. 24 from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.

One of nine technical sessions at IWF, seminar will bring together owners of small woodworking shops to discuss how they incorporated CNC machinery into their production. Speakers will include Scott DeGenova of Custom Veneered Interiors, Steve Lenning of Dakota Kitchen and Bath, and Rick Siewert of Siewert Cabinets. CWB Editor-in-Chief Helen Kuhl will moderate the 90-minute program.

Excluding the program on industry standards which is free to show registrants, the cost to attend each session is $40 if registering on-site. A complete seminar schedule follows below. For more information about the programs, visit the IWF 2002 Web site at www.iwf2002.com.

THURSDAY, AUG. 22

10:00-11:30 a.m.: "Facing the Challenges of Moisture, Surface Preparation and Proper Application of Adhesives"

Sponsor/Moderator: FDM, Bruce Plantz

Speakers: Dr. Gene Wengert, FDM; and Steve Wilhelm, Woodcraft Industries

1:00-12:30 p.m.: "E-Commerce: Getting Started"

Sponsor/Moderator: Modern Woodworking, John Koski

Speakers: Eres Katz, Objectware Inc.; Joan Gaulden, designonline.com; and Charles Martell, Micro*D Inc.

3:30-5:00 p.m.: "Woodworking Industry Standards and Safety"

Co-Sponsors: AFMA, WMIA and WMMA 

Speakers: Heinz Schmidt, Schmidt Industrial Services; E.J. Lamulle, APA; Chris Leffel, CPA; George Carter, LMA; and Terry Zinn, KCMA 

FRIDAY, AUG. 23

10:00-12:00 p.m.: "Ergonomics"

Sponsor/Moderator: KCMA, Dick Titus

Speaker: Jeffrey Smagacz, HumanTech

1:00-3:00 p.m.: "Attaining Targeted Profitability"

Sponsors/Moderator: AFMA, WMMA and WMIA, Andy Counts, AFMA

Speaker: Al Bates, Profit Planning Group

4:00-5:30 p.m.: "Equipment Cost Justification"

Sponsor/Moderator: NASFM, Clyde Blaco

Speakers: Charles Serlin, American Express Tax and Business Services Inc.; and Reed Felton, TJ Hale.

SATURDAY, AUG. 24

9:30-11:30 a.m.: "Lean Manufacturing - Reduce Waste, Increase Productivity and Profitability"

Sponsor/Moderator: WPMA, Philip Bibeau

Speakers: Wil Lamarre, C.F. Wells Inc.; Duane Molzenbacher, Mississippi State University; Tim Rooney, Conestoga Wood Specialities; Steve Bullard, Forest Wildlife Research Center at Mississippi State University; Sherrie L. Ford, Change Partners LLC; James Illing, Rockwell Automation Power Systems; and John Rockwell, SI Corp.

12:30-2:30 p.m.: "Innovative Strategies for Attracting, Training and Retaining Today's Woodworker,"

Sponsor/Moderator: WCMA, Steve Lawser

Speakers: Duane Griffiths, Stiles Education; David J. Case, D.J. Case & Associates; Marc, Fruth, Sauder Mfg. Co.; and Scott Wothe, Environment Inc.

3:30-5:30 p.m.: "Successful Integration of Software and Automation for the Small Shop"

Sponsor/Moderator: CWB Helen Kuhl

Speakers: Scott DeGenova, Custom Veneered Interiors; Steve Lenning, Dakota Kitchen and Bath; and Rick Siewert, Siewert Cabinets

IWF in Atlanta: The Years in Review

This year marks the 12th time that the biennial International Woodworking Machinery and Furniture Supply Fair (IWF) will be held at the Georgia World Congress Center. Below is a brief look at the history of IWF at Atlanta's GWCC.

1980: Disgruntled by treatment at past IWFs held in Louisville, KY, members of the recently-formed Woodworking Machinery Importers (now Industry) Assn. sponsor the World Woodworking Expo '80, which features 341 exhibitors at the GWCC. Three weeks later, IWF'80 convenes in Louisville, with nearly twice as many exhibitors as the WWE.

1982: More than 350 exhibitors occupy approximately 175,000 square feet of space at WWE '82 at the GWCC. The fair attracts about 11,000 people, including representatives of exhibiting companies.

1984: WWE and IWF merge and a reunited IWF -- sponsored jointly by the American Furniture Manufacturers Assn., the Wood Machinery Manufacturers of America and the WMIA -- debuts at the GWCC. Some 390,000 square feet of exhibit space is contracted, forcing show management to use GWCC meeting rooms for exhibits. Visitors and exhibitors total 27,000.

1986: Despite the completion of the 1.1 million square foot (exhibit plus other areas) addition to the GWCC in 1985, IWF utilizes the nearby Atlanta Civic Center to accommodate the demand for exhibit space, which totals 435,169 net square feet. More than 690 companies exhibit and attendance, including exhibitors, is at 31,000.

1988: Meeting rooms not used during IWF'86 enable show management to pack 778 exhibiting companies occupying 482,314 square feet, into the GWCC. Of the 34,093 attending 22,292 are trade show visitors and 11,801 are exhibitors.

1990: Show management uses media rooms and concourse sites to provide an additional 16,000 square feet of space. IWF attracts 898 exhibitors and 34,155 visitors and exhibitors, including 1,400 foreign participants.

1992: 972 exhibitors showcase their products over 585,000 net square feet of exhibit space, including 95,000 net square feet (300,000 overall) added as a result of a $75 million expansion to the GWCC. IWF draws a record 35,725 attendees and exhibitors. The Phase Ill expansion increases the GWCC's exhibit space to 950,000 square feet in eight exhibit halls.

1994: Smashing previous attendance records, more than 44,000 woodworkers and vendors from 83 countries gather at IWF, making it the largest trade show under one roof. More than 1,050 exhibiting companies spread out over more than 618,000 square feet of exhibit space in the GWCC.

1996: Following on the heels of the '96 Olympic Games, IWF experiences a slight letdown in terms of overall attendance, but was up with regards to international attendance. The '96 show drew 42,942 people and 1,254 exhibitors.

1998: IWF expands into the nearby Georgia Dome in order to utilize 699,485 net square feet of exhibit space for 1,206 exhibiting companies. IWF 1998 draws approximately 53,744 people (visitors and exhibitors combined), the largest attendance figure to date.

2000: A record-breaking 47,119 people from 88 countries attend IWF '00. Of the nearly 1,300 companies occupying the sold-out 706,000 net square feet of exhibit space, 281 are first-time exhibitors.

2002: The completion of the Phase IV expansion to the GWCC allows show management to decommission the Georgia Dome and many of the meeting rooms. Approximately 1,300 exhibitors will spread out over 800,000 net square feet of exhibit space in Buildings A, B and C. Phase IV added 420,000 total square feet of exhibit space (Building C), plus an extra 75,000 square feet of meeting rooms, a second ballroom (27,000 square feet), a 3.6-acre landscaped plaza and a new entrance.

Check Out the IWF Connection

In addition to the IWF 2002 Web site, www.iwf2002.com, attendees can also preview the show on IWF's new database site, www.iwfconnection.com.

On IWF Connection, attendees can search by type of product, type of service or company name. Also included on are detailed floor plans of each exhibit area.

"IWF Connection offers buyers a quick and easy way to get information about the suppliers that meet their needs --24 hours a day, seven days a week -- and offers an excellent place for buyers to plan their trip," says John Bassett Ill, IWE 2002 chairman.

Visitors to IWF Connection can also link straight to contact e-mails or company Web sites for additional information.