Highland timber goes global: reflections from LIGNA 2025

In May, I went with nine fantastic timber and construction businesses from across the Highlands and Islands on a learning journey to LIGNA 2025 in Hanover, Germany - the world’s leading event for woodworking and timber processing.

Representing Scotland were: Makar Construction, Macleod Construction, DMM Timber, Woodblocx, Munro’s Sawmill, Moore Timber, Fynewood, Logie Timber, and Treecraft Woodwork.

For all but one of us it was the first time at the event. From the moment we stepped into the venue, the scale of LIGNA hit us, and not just in terms of square footage, although our step counts did average 25,000 a day!

It was a full-on showcase of the future of timber, with cutting-edge tech, robots, and global experts all under one roof. With LIGNA 2025’s focus on engineered wood and circular construction, the Highland businesses aligned perfectly with the event’s themes. They explored CO₂-binding wood materials, timber recycling technologies, advanced safety technology and low-waste production systems.

Here are four big takeaways from the experience:

1. Global Connections, Local Ambition
LIGNA brought together people from over 100 countries. It was an amazing chance for our Highlands and Islands cohort to:

•    Build international relationships
•    Explore export opportunities
•    Learn from global leaders in sustainable construction and mass timber
 
2. Highland innovation on show
It was brilliant to see how well our local businesses stacked up in areas like:

•    Sustainable forestry
•    Engineered wood products
•    Off-site and prefabricated timber construction

Scotland has real strengths here - and this trip helped show how relevant and future-facing our approach is.

3. Tech that’s changing the game
From automation and robotics to the latest in CLT and glulam, we got up close with the tools and trends shaping the industry. It’s clear: investment in innovation isn’t optional - it’s essential.

4. Sustainability at the core
Circular construction, low-carbon materials, timber recycling: LIGNA is laser-focused on climate conscious solutions, and that aligns perfectly with Scotland’s net zero goals. It was great to see how our businesses are already contributing to greener futures - and what more we can do together.

It wasn’t all serious though - there was plenty of good chat, new connections formed, and, yes, more bratwurst than I care to admit. And while the ideas were energising, our legs were less so - sore feet were a common theme by the end!

Our group came home feeling inspired, full of ideas on new technology use, and for me, more convinced than ever that timber innovation is key to unlocking challenges like rural housing - and creating real, green jobs in the process.

Our Innovation team is delighted to have made this happen for the businesses. If you are interested in how HIE can help you look at new ways to scale up or make your business more efficient then find out how we can help:

Our innovation service