Pictured: May's cover star - Extractly

Welcome to our May edition! The team has returned from a successful and energising trip to Telford for the inaugural Furniture Components Expo. No one is ever quite sure what to expect from the first iteration of a show, especially given the current climate in which people are rightly protective of their budgets and investments. However, both the presentation of the show itself, and the quality of leads generated by exhibitors were widely lauded. There was a feeling that the more specific focus of the event generated a diversified audience and alternative nature of enquiry that made it eminently worthwhile.

It’s a pleasure to see homegrown exhibitions succeed, and we look forward with great interest to watching the show grow, and hopefully prosper, into 2025 and beyond. Make sure to check back next issue for our full review.

Anticipation is growing, too, for the upcoming Materials & Finishes Show in Birmingham later this month. It will be fantastic to welcome back the furniture and joinery trade’s main UK event, complete with its fresh new team, look and concept. Find out more about what you can expect in our sizeable preview, beginning on page 20, and please do come by and see us at Furniture & Joinery Production’s stand – H76.

Elsewhere this issue, explore how Biesse’s Rover A Edge 1632 has instigated a marked improvement in efficiency and finishing quality, along with dramatic reductions in waste, for Kent-based Gopak; read about the impact Fercell’s complete turnkey installation has had upon the operations of a luxury yacht manufacturer; and explore how a HOMAG CABTEQ S-250 press has proven a worthwhile investment for specialist kitchen furniture manufacturer, Kent Home Improvements.

Our product focus this issue spans the latest developments and launches within the Sanding Technology and Abrasives, CNC Machinery & Tooling, as well as Fittings, Material & Components sectors.

Finally, we look forward to seeing many of you at the Materials & Finishes Show in just a few weeks. We welcome you to come and find us on Stand H76 – the full team will be in attendance, and we’d love to catch up and hear your news!

Read the issue here