UAE emerges as the regional hub for lab equipment industry for Middle East, North Africa and CIS regions

This is proving to be the common theme of the marketing strategies of global lab equipment manufacturers who are exhibiting at the 12th Arab Lab and Instrumentation Show, which opens its doors on Monday, February 9, 2004, at the Dubai International Exhibition Centre in Halls 3 & 4. While a number of companies will be exhibiting at the show with the intention of establishing new distributor networks or enhancing existing ones, global majors like the German manufacturer Erba Mannheim and the Swiss Research and Development giant DiaMed are some of the leading global players who have announced plans to open subsidiaries in Dubai to service the MENA and CIS regions.

'It is not surprising that the UAE should emerge as the hub for another technology based industry,' said Anselm Godinho, Managing Director, International Conferences and Exhibitions, the organisers of the Arab Lab and Instrumentation Show. 'Dubai is at the crossroads of Asia, Africa and Europe. It has excellent infrastructure and well established free zones, both providing the required incentive to companies planning to set up base in the city and effectively service the Middle East, North Africa and CIS regions. Over the past 11 events, the Arab Lab and Instrumentation Show has also contributed by providing a forum for networking and exploring business opportunities, an important aspect for the growth of any industry.'

While the Arab Lab and Instrumentation Show focuses on six main segments of the lab technology industry in the Middle East, which include the medical laboratory field, public services, manufacturing, environment, petrochemicals and education, the medical equipment market alone is estimated to be worth US$ 27 million, according to data provided by Erba Mannheim.

Of the market leading technology providers such as Abbott, Bayer, Baxter, Chiron, Beckman Coulter, BD (formerly Beckman Dickinson), DiaMed, Dade Behring, Erba Mannheim, Fresinius, Gambro, Electrolux, Kindro, Roche and Terumo, the majority service the MENA and CIS regions through a well-established distribution network. With Erba Mannheim announcing plans to set up a subsidiary in Dubai, and DiaMed also announcing plans for a full scientific and service centre for the region to be based in Dubai, the market activity in the surrounding regions is set to accelerate.

'With the tremendous growth of centres of medical excellence in the UAE and in other countries of the region, the medical equipment industry is set to be a key growth area,' said Godinho. 'However, other market segments such as education, manufacturing and public services are also investing heavily in cutting-edge lab technologies available in global markets. With an improved networking platform and a larger, more varied exhibitor base than any of the other previous shows, we expect the current show to provide the impetus for further growth of this market.'

The 12th Arab Lab and Instrumentation Show has registered strong participation from Austria, France, Germany, India, Iran, Japan, Korea, Lebanon, Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, the UAE, the UK and the USA. Over 400 exhibitors from a total of 40 countries will showcase the latest technological innovations entering the global lab industry. The Show will be open to trade visitors from February 9 to 12, 2004.