Third edition of SteelFab to open at Expo Centre Sharjah on January 29

SteelFab is considered to be the Middle East's only trade platform for manufacturers and distributors of machine tools, welding machinery, consumables and other items related to the steel working business, and organizations and companies involved in the steel fabrication industry.

The last edition of SteelFab, held from January 22-24 this year, was an overwhelming success. The event hosted 212 leading companies and brands from 29 countries. Of this, 74 leading companies from 17 countries including a dedicated pavilion by India's Engineering Export Promotion Council (EEPC) were direct participants.

The response received from the regional steel working industry for the exhibition was equally encouraging. Fabrication yard managers, production managers, procurement managers, estimators, planning and design engineers from across the globe, especially the Middle East and North Africa region, visited the event. In all, 3,755 key steel industry personnel from 44 countries visited the event.

The highest number of visitors was from the UAE, which had 1,961 visitors, followed by visitors from Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar.

"The SteelFab exhibition, since its inception in 2004, has been growing in size, both in terms of exhibition area and number of visitors," said Mr. Saif Al Midfa, Director General, Expo Centre Sharjah.

"The last edition of the exhibition witnessed an increase in visitor turnout from the UAE as well as other GCC states. In particular, visitors from UAE went up by 30% and from Saudi Arabia by three times over the previous edition. We expect a further a 15-20% increase in visitor turnout from the GCC region, which is our primary target market, in the coming edition," he added.

Other geographical areas from which visitors had a significant presence at the exhibition were the Indian sub-continent, which had 32% of the total visitors, followed by Middle Eastern countries other than GCC (28%), Europe and Central Asia (15%), Africa (13%), and Australasia (10%).

Almost all exhibitors at the last edition of SteelFab reported being satisfied with the response received during the event.

"The 2007 edition of SteelFab will see an increase in the number of brands, direct participants as well as the national pavilions that will be featured," said Mr. Saif Al Midfa.

"The rapid expansion of the SteelFab exhibition is a reflection of the unprecedented growth that the Middle East Steel Working industry is currently experiencing," he said.

The Middle East region currently commands the second largest share of project finance in the world - an industry worth USD $ 100 - USD $ 150 billion globally with major areas of concentration being power, water, oil and gas. Project growth in the GCC States particularly is at a record high with more than USD $ 130 billion worth of projects on the table.

"The demand for fabricated steel in the region is at an all time high owing to the massive industrial and infrastructure development that is taking place," said Mr. Saif Al Midfa.

"SteelFab with its unique and composite exhibit profile is mainly aimed at providing the unbelievably fast growing regional steel working industry with a one-stop sourcing platform," he added.

A major attraction of the SteelFab exhibition will be the product presentations and technical seminars that will be held on the sidelines of the event. SteelFab is organised by Expo Centre Sharjah with the support of the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI).