Middle East's first exclusive trade show for Steel Working Industry inaugurated at Expo Centre Sharjah

The ceremony was attended by Mr. Mohammed Salem Al Mosharrekh - Board Member (SCCI), Mr. Fasahat Ali Khan - Acting Director General of Expo Centre Sharjah, directors of various government departments, and members of the diplomatic corps and trade associations.

M.E.I.S - Steelfab 2004 is being organised by Expo Centre Sharjah with the support of the SCCI.

The three-day event is the region's largest display of Steel Working Machinery and is Middle East's first exclusive trade show that fully caters to the needs of Steel Working Industry. Some of the world's most well established brands in the industry, including companies from Iran, Taiwan, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Korea, Taiwan, India and China, as well as their regional distributors and agents, are showcasing the latest in cutting, bending, shearing and related machinery at the exhibition.

Some of the major product highlights at the show are Hydraulic Press Brake, Box & Pan Brake, Hydraulic Swing Beam Shearer, Hydraulic Shearer, Mechanical Shearing Machine, Motor-Driven Shearer, Foot Power Shearing Machine, Roller Bending Machine, Lock Former Machine, Cladding Machine, Pipe Threader, Hydraulic Section Bender, Notching Machine, Hydraulic Combined Punching & Shearing M/C, Drilling & Milling M/C, Cut - Off Machines, Welding M/C, Bench Grinder, Power Press, Lathe Machine Power Press, Hand Pallet Truck, Hand & Electric Stacker, Shop Cranes, and powder coating systems.

"The current demand for fabricated steel in the Middle East is an all time high of 750,000 tonnes. With infrastructure and industrial development placed high on the agenda of the region's respective governments, complemented by stabilized oil prices, this demand is expected to go even higher," said Mr. Howaidan after opening the exhibition.

"SteelFab has been incorporated in to the Middle East Industrial Show with the aim of filling the hitherto void that had been created due to the absence of a trade show to exclusively cater to the needs of the region's steel fabrication industry," he added.

M.E.I.S - Steelfab 2004, besides displaying the entire range of machine tools, welding equipment, supplies, machines and consumables used in pre-treatment, working, and post-treatment of steel, is backed with product presentations and powerful seminar programmes that will deal with new technological developments and also the burning issues facing the industry today.

UK-based Acecad Software will conduct a detailed presentation on Oct 11, 2004, at 11 am, on StruCad 3D design and detailing system and also on StruM.I.S fabrication system. A special preview on the latest in wood-working machinery is also going to be featured during the show.

"In the UAE, several infrastructure and large construction projects, and oil and gas initiatives are on the anvil. In Qatar too, several large under-construction projects as well as the country's continuing offshore gas development initiatives, have given rise to a huge demand for steel fabrication in the region. Other factors like marine and offshore constructions in Iran, massive rebuilding of Iraq, and infrastructure, construction, and oil and gas projects in Saudi Arabia have also contributed immensely towards the growth of the steel fabrication industry in the region," said Mr. Fasahat Ali Khan, Acting Director General, Expo Centre Sharjah.

"This growth in demand will subsequently result in a surge in demand for machinery, equipment, and consumables required by the regional steel fabrication industry, and M.E.I.S - Steelfab 2004 has been conceptualized keeping this particular need in mind," he added.

Mr. Khan further said that M.E.I.S - SteelFab 2004 would help increase the efficiency and competitiveness of the regional steel fabrication industry.

"Supply of steel has been seriously affected in the Middle East as a result of surging demand across the globe, especially in the Far East. Steel fabricators in the region have therefore no option but to explore new alternative products and technologies, and M.E.I.S - SteelFab 2004 gives an opportunity to do exactly that," said Mr. Khan.

A majority of the trade visitors at M.E.I.S - Steelfab 2004 will be from the Middle East and North Africa region, particularly from the Oil and gas, Power and water, Construction, and the Marine and shipbuilding sectors.

The show will also be of special interest to decision makers of companies engaged in the tertiary sectors like vehicle body manufacturers, industrial kitchen manufacturers and steel cast products manufacturers besides distributors, dealers, hardware and building material suppliers, small traders and importers.

M.E.I.S - Steelfab 2004 will be open from October 10-12, 2004, from 10 am to 1 pm and 5 pm to 9 pm to trade visitors only.