Germany will showcase a pavilion for the first time at SteelFab, the Middle East's leading trade show for the metal-working, metal-manufacturing and steel fabrication industry, following a 36% rise in non-oil trade between Germany and the UAE since 2006.
Ten major companies have signed up for the show so far, HONSBERG Metallsägen GmbH, WEICON GmbH & Co. KG, August Rüggeberg GmbH & Co. KG, KNUTH WERKZEUGMASCHINEN GmbH, AGTOS Ges. für tech. Oberflächensysteme mbH, SLF Oberflächentechnik GmbH, Messer Cutting & Welding GmbH, A. S. Exclusiv, Kahrl & Wiemann' Kaltenbach Maschinenfabrik GmbH & Co. KG which takes place at Expo Centre Sharjah, on 17-20 January 2011. The German Engineering Federation (VDMA), the AUMA – the Federation of German Trade Fair Industry – and the Federal Ministry of Economics & Technology will organise the official German joint companies' presence at the exhibition.
Germany is one of the world's most important steel-producing nations with 45.8 million tonnes of crude steel in 2008. With traditional export markets within the EU and in the US slowing in the aftermath of the downturn in construction, the UAE and indeed the wider GCC region still represents growing potential.
"Real estate development may have slowed in some areas of the GCC, but major infrastructure projects worth billions of dollars and a rapidly growing population will continue to drive demand for steel and finished products," said Saif Mohammed Al Midfa, Director General of Expo Centre Sharjah.
The need for a designated pavilion is self-evident, given that Germany is the UAE's fifth largest trade partner, as well as the largest from continental Europe. The value of non-oil trade between the two countries has risen from $6.188 billion in 2006 to $8.448 billion in 2009, a 36.5% increase, according to UAE Ministry of Foreign Trade figures.
According to Al Midfa, a substantial number of German manufacturers have taken advantage of previous editions of SteelFab to promote their products regionally. "Given the rise in trade between the UAE and Germany, it was a natural step for German companies to consolidate their presence under the umbrella of the German Engineering Federation," he said.
More European support has been pledged to SteelFab with UCIMU – Sistemi per Produrre – the Association of Italian Manufacturers of Machine Tools, Robots, Automation Systems and ancillary products, attending for the sixth time, and PROMOS MILANO, the agency of the Milan Chamber of Commerce, organizing a collective participation from Lombardy, who will be looking to further boost trade links, after yearly exports to the UAE and Saudi Arabia increased more than 25% and 16% respectively.
The 2011 show will see another first, with the Taiwan Association of Machinery Industry, poised to display a pavilion.
The last edition of SteelFab held in January 2010 attracted over 6,000 trade visitors from the metal-working, metal manufacturing and steel fabrication industry and related segments. More than 150 direct exhibitors showcased over 500 brands in a total exhibition area of 16,000 square metres.
