SteelFab sees strong foreign participation

Shaikh Salim bin Abdul Rahman Al Qasimi, Saif Mohammed Al Midfa and senior government officials during the opening of the Sharjah Steel Fabrication Show at Sharjah Expo Center on Monday. — KT photo by M. Sajjad

The four-day exhibition was inaugurated by Shaikh Salim bin Abdul Rahman Al Qasimi, chairman, Sharjah Ruler’s Office. The opening was attended by Saif Mohammed Al Midfa, chief executive officer, Expo Centre Sharjah, senior government officials and industry representatives. The impressive presence of foreign exhibitors has been attributed to the increasing global attention on the country following the winning bid to host the World Expo 2020 and an economy that is growing at a faster pace than forecast.

“SteelFab 2014 has strong participation by leading manufacturers and dealers from countries like Taiwan, Germany, Italy, Turkey and China. Germany and Taiwan have special pavilions, while Italy and Turkey are facilitating the participation of a large contingent. This is apart from exhibitors from other countries,” Al Midfa said.

“While the UAE has always been on the radar of foreign manufacturers and dealers, now they have more reasons to increase their presence in the country and the region, given that we are going to host some of the largest and most prestigious events in the world and our economy is back on the growth track,” he added.

The foreign pavilions have been set up in association with industry bodies from those countries and form an integral part of SteelFab 2014. The German Pavilion is hosting 17 exhibitors who are displaying sawing tech, punching & bending machines, precision tools, grinding products, vacuum systems and plate bending machinery and equipment. This is apart from other German exhibitors who are taking part in the show.

The Taiwan Pavilion is showcasing spot welding, pipe making, fittings, roll forming & welding, CNC drilling seamless tube and linear motion components by nine exhibitors, apart from several more exhibitors who are exhibiting independently.

The foreign bodies that are supporting SteelFab include Ucimu Sistemi Per Produrre - Association of Italian Manufacturers of Machine Tools, Robots, Automation Systems and Ancillary Products; Association of the German Trade Fair Industry; German Engineering Federation; and Machinery Trade International. Other major foreign participant countries include Italy with about 33 exhibitors, China with 23, Turkey with 14 direct and many others represented, and the UK with 11 direct exhibitors.

The growth in the core sector that propels the regional fabrication industry has resulted in SteelFab expanding fast, with the show this time occupying 50 per cent more exhibition space at 24,000sqm than the previous edition in 2013. The number of exhibitors too has increased by 25 per cent to 300, and the brands represented at the show stand at more than 700.