WoodWorking Middle East to debut at Expo Centre Sharjah on January 22

The show, which is the region's first dedicated trade event aimed at meeting the A-Z requirements of the industry, will bring together some of the leading names in the global woodworking business.

The event will be a focused platform showcasing wood, woodworking machinery, tools & equipment, consumables and furniture accessories. The displays will cover the entire range of veneers, plywood, laminates, glues, lacquers, fittings, accessories and supplies for woodworking machineries and consumables. The visitors to the show will be the carpenters, joinery managers, furniture manufacturers, kitchen equipment manufacturers, shop fitting specialists, fenestration manufacturers, exhibition stand contractors, carpentry shop managers of construction companies, architects, general managers, procurement managers, estimators, and planning and design managers from the regional woodworking industry.

'WoodWorking Middle East is making its debut at a time when the Middle East region, particularly the UAE, is experiencing a major construction boom,'

said Mr. Fasahat Ali Khan, Acting Director General, Expo Centre Sharjah, in a press statement.

'There has been a major increase in spending on construction activities by the public as well as the private sector in the region. This has resulted in a huge demand for doors, windows, fixtures and furniture, fueling unprecedented growth in the regional woodworking industry. The increased activity within the industry has created a lucrative market for suppliers of woodworking machinery, equipment and consumables,' Mr. Khan said.

Mr. Khan further added that the WoodWorking Middle East was the only focused exhibition in the region through which companies engaged in the manufacturing and trading of woodworking machinery, equipment and consumables could reach out to the large number of players in the booming regional woodworking industry.

The world market potential for forestry and woodworking is expected to reach USD $ 92,312 million by the end of this year. Of this, Europe will be the largest market with USD $ 42,588 million followed by Asia with USD $ 19,932 million. The Middle East's share is expected to hover around USD $ 4,907 million.

In 2002, the largest importer of rough, squared, and semi finished wood in the Middle East was Saudi Arabia with import worth USD $ 190 million followed by UAE with USD $ 100 million.

During this period Saudi Arabia also imported USD $ 166 million worth of Veneers and Plywood. UAE's share of import of Veneers and Plywood during this period amounted to USD $ 141 million.

The Middle East's import of woods is expected to further go up in the coming years due to the rising construction activities in the region, The construction boom, in the meantime, has already had a very positive impact on the regional woodworking industry with many small joineries contemplating expansion. Several construction companies, on the other hand, have begun operating their own joinery divisions to cope with the increased demand.

Given the focused show profile, WoodWorking Middle East will attract the entire supply chain engaged in the regional woodworking industry including manufacturers, distributors, dealers, hardware/building material suppliers, as well as traders and importers. Participation is expected from over 20 countries including Austria, China, Czech Republic, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, Switzerland, Taiwan among others.

Visitors are expected from the entire Middle East and North Africa. The event is also expected to generate substantial interest from the Indian sub-continent and the CIS countries.