Innovation at the heart of the Carrefour International du Bois

Available and renewable, wood also finds its place in new fields of application, particularly in technology and innovation.

In this regard, the Carrefour International du Bois, which will take place from June 1 to 3, 2022 at the Parc des Expositions in Nantes, will give pride of place to innovation within a dedicated space for the second consecutive edition. Located in hall 1, the innovation space will present advances in the sector on R&D topics as well as new products and services. Afpia Solfi2A, Bois HD and Xylofutur, players in the sector, will animate this platform dedicated to exchanges and discoveries. For this 2022 edition, Wood Tech, the leading network of start-ups in the forest and wood sector, is joining the ranks and will be accompanied by 4 of its members on a stand.

The Carrefour International du Bois gives pride of place to jobs of the future

After 4 years of absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the sixteenth edition of the Carrefour International du Bois is eagerly awaited by the entire industry. Leading show, it is dedicated to professionals and wood products in all their forms. It brings together over 3 days 563 exhibitors and more than 11.500 visitors from 85 different countries. An unmissable meeting place for business, the Carrefour is also a meeting point for the professions of tomorrow. Focused on innovation, the forest-wood sector sometimes extends to unexpected but nevertheless essential sectors of activity or fields of application, both in environmental, economic and social terms.

The leading network of forest and wood start-ups, Wood Tech is a concrete example: "After a little over a year of existence, our group now includes 29 young innovative structures that are evolving in the digital field to facilitate interventions in the forest or improve knowledge of species. Some of these start-ups are also working on the creation of platforms for direct contact between wood professionals and individuals or even in more "product" oriented applications such as wooden touch screens or reusable and composed food packaging. only vegetable fibres”, explains François VULSER, manager of Wood Tech.

Of the 29 members of Wood Tech, 4 will be present at the Carrefour International du Bois in the innovation space. Their participation is a wonderful opportunity to meet their markets, their partners, their suppliers and their future customers. François VULSER admits: "The Carrefour is an undeniable business accelerator and a showcase that can be vital for the launch of their activity".

Wood tech start-ups present at the Carrefour International du Bois

EPUR (Occitanie) is a start-up whose two co-founders, both carpenters, have joined forces to design and develop a portable digital robot that facilitates, optimizes and secures the work of carpenters. EPUR participates in relaunching industrialization through the production of machine tools labeled Origine France Garantie and Made in France.

NOIRDEBOIS (Hauts-de-France) is the leading French manufacturer of burnt wood cladding and wall covering. This ancestral technique of Japanese origin which consists of burning the outer surface of a wooden cladding blade in order to make it more resistant.

EKWATO (Occitanie) is a professional and innovative digital solution for managing and controlling risk throughout the wood product supply chain. It facilitates the monitoring of the application of a purchasing policy for wood products, of CSR, normative or regulatory requirements which require the performance of a risk analysis, from the forest manager to the distributor.

CLICOBOIS (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes) is an online click and collect timber sales service, linking industries in the timber sector and end customers, timber users. This direct relationship allows individuals to buy products from their territory at a competitive price (crossbars, borders, siding, beams, boards, etc.).

An edition punctuated by highlights, markers of initiatives in the sector

The second edition of the “Canopée Challenge” forest-wood innovation competition is in full swing. Since the beginning of 2022, the nominees have been presenting their project to a jury during a tour of France. At the end of the 7 stages, the national winners will pitch their projects on the innovation space.

These different highlights around innovation demonstrate the commitment of the Carrefour International du Bois to promote all initiatives in the forest-wood sector that are geared towards the future. Virtuous and sustainable, wood and biosourced materials are true allies in meeting current climate challenges. As such, Carrefour visitors will be able, during the 3 days of the show, to identify innovative projects with positive, significant and measurable impacts.