Third edition of SteelFab showcases Middle East steel working industry's growth

The third edition of the show got off to a grand start yesterday at Expo Centre Sharjah and on the first day itself attracted over 2,300 trade visitors from across the globe, particularly the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region.

As per the visitor count on the evening of January 29th, of the total trade visitors on the first day, 1,720 were from the GCC region including the UAE.

Among the other countries from which visitors had an imposing presence on the opening day were Egypt, India, Iran, Italy, Kenya, and Turkey. The visitor profile included fabrication yard managers, production managers, procurement managers, estimators, planning and design engineers.

Compared to the last edition, SteelFab 2007 is expected to witness a 60% increase in the number of visitors by the time the show concludes on January 31st.

Besides increased visitor turnout, the rapid growth in the regional steel working industry is also evident from the number of exhibitors at the SteelFab exhibition this year. The current edition of the show features 280 brands and companies from 34 countries, an increase of 32% over the last edition in terms of number of exhibitors. Country participation from Italy has also gone up in size significantly.

UCIMU-SISTEMI PER PRODURRE - the Association of Italian Manufacturers of Machine Tools, Robots, Automation Systems, and ancillary products (NC, tools, components, accessories) is showcasing 27 companies under its umbrella. These companies are displaying a diverse range of products including welding sources, welding consumables, grinding, machines for steel forming, flexible sheet metal working, press brakes, shears, band saws, roll forming, plate & section bending, laser cutting, profile cutting, flanging, punch presses, and lathes.

"Given that SteelFab is the only exhibition of its kind in the Middle East, the regional steel working industry attaches great importance to the event for its sourcing requirements," said Mr. Saif Al Midfa, Director General, Expo Centre Sharjah.

"The show, due to its profile, attracts only focused and quality visitors. The turnout on the first day has been highly encouraging and we expect it to further pick up," he added.

SteelFab is the Middle East's largest display of Steel, Fasteners, Accessories, Surface Preparation, Machinery and Tools, Welding and Cutting, Finishing and Testing equipment, and Coatings and Anti-Corrosion material.

The event concludes on January 31st. It is open to trade visitors only from 10 am to 7 pm daily.

Meanwhile, the two-day Gulf Iron and Steel Conference concluded today. The concluding day saw experts from the regional iron and steel industry focusing on issues like Technology - Enabler for cost competitiveness and growth and Steel trading - emerging markets and emerging applications.

SteelFab is an initiative of Expo Centre Sharjah with the support of the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI).