Photos: Woodworking
The 5th edition of the Canadian Woodworking Machinery Distributors Association’s Woodworking Technology Days is on deck for Oct. 22-25.
Focusing on the latest in technology and automation, this year’s event will once again showcase a wide selection of machinery and specialized production equipment and a large number of demos.
“It’s a milestone for us,” says Murat Dogan, president of IMA-Schelling Canada and president of the CWMMA.
“We started Woodworking Technology Days in the middle of the pandemic, as you remember our first one was a week after a major shutdown was announced, and we still went ahead with it, taking all the Covid precautions, and it was a success.”
“WTD is nine member companies having open houses at the same time and in a physically small geographic location. So customers are able to - if we want to use the tradeshow concept, instead of going from booth to booth – drive from showroom to showroom. And they have a few days for their tours,” Dogan says.
“We also have various suppliers, from tooling to software, glue and material, take part as sponsors, which means they are present at various locations and they are able to provide information to the customers as well.”
Dogan says the pandemic notwithstanding, even the very first WTD event was a success in a sense that “we as suppliers were happy for various reasons, among them the fact that we didn’t have to send our valuable service technician to another location to install machines for machine demos. They were in house and they were able to service customers.
“And the customers were happy because they were able to see machines in a showroom setting where, in most cases, they might not have been able to see that much variety because it was either too costly or physically impossible to have that much at a show. So in that regard it was a success, a win-win for everyone involved and that’s why we decided to continue with that event,” he says.
“I definitely believe in trade shows and they serve an important purpose, but it is an unfortunate physical and financial reality of today, that makes it more efficient and worthwhile for us to have open houses. And we can definitely show much more in our showrooms during this kind of open house than what we could at a show.”
Registration is open and
Dogan encourages customers
to go to WTD’s website at:
www.woodworkingtechnologydays.com
to register and also check out each company’s showcase for the event.
“Also, if you are looking for, or researching a specific type of equipment, it makes sense to call the suppliers you would like to visit and make appointments with them, just like you would at a trade show. That ensures you get the very best service.
“And of course we also have a list and map of showrooms on our website to help you plan your visit.”
Dogan says the word is out about the event and it is getting bigger and bigger as more companies from Newfoundland to Vancouver Island made the trip last year and they hope to see even more visitors from across the country at this year’s event.
