Summary Box:
- Xylexpo showcases woodworking machinery technologies
- The show is June 9 to 12 in Milan
- Xylexpo will be co-sited next to shows for composites and plastics technologies
- SCM and Biesse and large anchor exhibitors
Italy is well-known for its wood-product manufacturing excellence and heritage.
Whether it’s furniture and interior design surfaces, wood-based panels or solid wood, the country has a wide array of manufacturers and it’s no surprise that many of the world’s leading machinery brands used to make those products are also produced there.
Xylexpo, the International Exhibition of Wood and Furniture Industry Technology, will be opening its doors once again in Milan on June 9 to 12 at the Fieramilano-Rho showgrounds.
It will be the 29th biennial Xylexpo in Milan – the first show taking place back in 1968. About 150 exhibitors will be present over approximately 15,000m2 of exhibition space.
The combination of seeing leading woodworking technology innovations and the flamboyant, historic Milan setting has been a strong draw for European woodworking companies over the years.
It hasn’t been plain sailing though. Over the years disagreements between the show’s organisers and some of the industry giants have taken place – mainly to do with the show format and location. The advent of Covid, more recent economic challenging times and competition from rival international events have added to pressure.
So, this year’s event represents a new angle, according to organiser Acimall (the Italian Woodworking Technology Association). It means joining together with two other events to form a larger exhibition, where visitors have a big variety of companies to visit.
Enter “Matec-materiali e tecnologie” (MaTec) a combination of Xylexpo, Plast – the exhibition of technologies for the industries of plastic materials and rubber, and Composites Future, an expo-conference dedicated to technologies and materials for composites.
For Xylexpo it represents a turning point and a chance to create new opportunities between industries that are working more closely together, Acimall says.
The move essentially recognises an increasing demand of solutions and tools focused on multi-materiality.
The June dates (normally May) is also a timeframe driven by the previous allocation of the FieraMilano-Rho fairgrounds to the organizers of the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics. The fairgrounds in Milan hosted the speed skating races and a few ice hockey games, consequently forcing the exhibition calendar to rearrange its calendar.
The three exhibitions have created a new exhibition layout based on segments, technologies and materials that, in the future, might include other segments of the manufacturing industry, showing a shared desire to respond to the changing needs of exhibitors and visitors.
“The next edition of Xylexpo is a milestone in the journey we started a long ago to create ever stronger, more tangible and ‘attractive’ synergies for an audience looking for more articulated and complex answers”, said Enrico Aureli, president of Xylexpo and Acimall.
“The birth of Federazione Confindustria Macchine, the closer connection of associations representing the manufacturers of instrumental goods for the wood, plastic, ceramic and packaging industries, and the identification of a destination shared with the composite materials industry, enable us to look at the future of our exhibitions from a different perspective, pursuing closer integration and collaboration in order to provide visitors and exhibitors with an innovative context, where they can discover technologies created in contiguous industries and that, more and more often, respond to shared needs”.
Xylexpo will be in Hall 14 and Hall 18, (Porta Ovest) at the Rho fairgrounds, with Composites Future also in Hall 18.
Exhibitors
SCM and Biesse are clearly the two anchors of Xylexpo 2026. The Italian companies are among the largest woodworking machinery companies in the world and produce technology for processing wood-based panels and solid wood, with SCM also having notable expertise in timber construction technology.
At SCM’s Hall 14 stand, visitors will experience a comprehensive and integrated ecosystem of advanced technologies, software and digital services, developed with a clear goal: to provide companies in the sector with a solid, strategic and long-term partnership to tackle the challenges of an increasingly dynamic and competitive global market.
This vision is embodied by SCM’s technological innovation, showcased at the exhibition through a major new launch: the accord 500 edge, the latest addition to the accord range of CNC machining centres.
The accord 500 edge multifunctional solution integrates edgebanding technology to meet increasingly advanced production requirements, both for solid wood processing and the furniture industry.
Designed for medium and large-sized companies, accord 500 edge is particularly suited for specific sectors such as contract furniture, bedrooms, boats and caravans. The machining centre has also been designed to suit the requirements of customers who work on a ‘just in time’ basis, as this machine combines all the functions of a factory in a single solution.
SCM will place great emphasis on its integrated service ecosystem, designed to deliver higher efficiency, more stable operational control and continuous production through technologies that transform machine data into actionable value.
At the core of this is WinMES, SCM’s Manufacturing Execution System developed in partnership with Tecnest, a Group company specialising in advanced software solutions for production planning, manufacturing management and supply chain management.
WinMES is designed as the “digital brain” of the factory, integrating and interpreting real-time data to optimise production flows, accelerate operational decision-making and enhance overall process control.
Significant focus will also be placed on IoT Solution, SCM’s renewed digital platform which touts +20% efficiency, +30% product quality and -30% operating costs.
Fellow Italian woodworking machinery giant Biesse says the market is increasingly shaped by multi-materiality. It anticipates change with integrated solutions designed to process a wide range of materials with efficiency and innovation.
“The new layout of the trade fair, which introduces plastic and composite materials as an integral part of a broader approach to multi-materiality, perfectly reflects the evolution of the market and of a wood industry that is redefining its boundaries, expressing new ideas, and opening the door to change for the sector,” Federico Broccoli, Biesse chief commercial official.
Biesse will feature a dedicated digital corner showcasing Biesse technologies for wood processing. It will be an interactive experience that allows visitors to explore the full range, dive deeper into solutions, and discover how each technology fits into a connected ecosystem.
The use of multimedia screens, and not just machinery models, is increasingly being used by exhibitors to showcase what’s possible and get their message across to visitors effectively.
Other exhibitors include Barberan, Cursal, Felder, Greda, Maggi, Salvador, Storti, Superfici, Sarmax, Zaffaroni, Casadei Busellato, CML Engineering, Costa Levigatrici and EssePigi, covering a broad range of technologies spanning furniture production, timber cutting, surfacing and joinery manufacture.
“The participation of big groups reaffirms Xylexpo’s role in a context like the Italian market, one of the top destinations for woodworking and furniture technologies”, commented Dario Corbetta, exhibition director.
Xylexpo has also made a strategic synergy with interzum forum Italy, planned just a few days before – June 4-5 – at the Bergamo fairgrounds.
Interzum will feature 216 exhibitors from 24 countries (36% international participation), showcasing design, components, materials, upholstery, and solutions for the furniture, contract, and interior sectors to professionals from across the entire wood–furniture supply chain.
“This partnership represents the new direction taken by Xylexpo”, said Dario Corbetta, exhibition director.
“The collaboration with the semifinished materials industry (Interzum), the concurrency with Plast – the exhibition for the industry of plastics and rubber – and the debut of the expo & conference Composites Future, dedicated to technology and materials for the composites business, are strong evidence of our determination to provide visitors and exhibitors with a comprehensive exhibition, built on solid foundations to generate new value”.
