Materials Handling Middle East 2015 enjoyed a buoyant start due to potential trade opportunities with Iran, according to Ahmed Pauwels, CEO, Messe Frankfurt, the show organisers.
As manufacturers and suppliers set sights on a GCC Materials Handling Equipment (MHE) market estimated to be worth $5 billion by 2020, the show’s eighth edition also celebrated a 15% increase in exhibition size, compared to the previous event in 2013.
Featuring 130 exhibitors from 21 countries, and showcasing over 250 brands, another highlight was the debut attendance by more than 30 exhibitors , making the dedicated showpiece event the most comprehensive and representative in its 14-year history. The show was inaugurated by HE Mattar Al Tayer, chairman of the board and executive director of the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA).
Pauwels credited the surge in interest in the exhibition to the expected trade potential and the proposed lifting of UN-sponsored sanctions against Iran following the country’s nuclear pact between the P5 countries and the European Union. “In addition, the proximity of the Indian subcontinent, the GCC and the Middle East, the African continent and the CIS countries is also pivotal in attracting new exhibitors to this show,” he affirmed.
Speaking exclusively to Logistics News Middle East on the side-lines of the exhibition, Pauwels was upbeat about the increase in exhibitor participation. “We are gratified at the 15% increase in exhibitor numbers given that the average growth rate of intralogistics equipment segment is only around 4% by industry estimates,” asserted Pauwels.
“There is also emphasis on equipment cost and performance efficiency, optimum use of storage space, the harnessing of solar power as well and highlighting ecology and environmental concerns,” he added.
Pauwels also attributed the growth in exhibitor numbers to increased infrastructural spending on mega projects such as DWC and Etihad Rail in the UAE as also in Saudi Arabia and the remainder of the GCC nations.
“The Expo 2020 is also a significant factor in attracting logistics services and equipment manufacturing companies for Materials Handling Middle East 2015,’’ he acknowledged.
The latest in tailor-made solutions for individual requirements will be the focal point at Materials Handling Middle East 2015, which features six of the world’s top 20 materials handling systems suppliers, including Daifuku from Japan, Germany’s SSI Schäfer and Kardex Remstar, Mecalux and NEFAB from Spain, Swiss company Swisslog, UK company Twintec and the USA-headquartered Bastian Solutions.
The strong international presence at Materials Handling Middle East 2015 is also complemented by more than 30 UAE-based exhibitors, headlined by the show’s regular supporters Kanoo Group, Al Futtaim Motors, General Navigation and Commerce Company (GENAVCO), SPAN Trading, Al Futtaim Auto & Machinery Company (FAMCO) and Acme Industrial Hardware.
A specially customised and sophisticated business matchmaking programme and high-power warehousing and matchmaking conferences held concurrently for the duration of the exhibition are highpoints of the show. Pauwels also revealed that a brand-new feature this year is the Forklift Operator of the Year, a unique competition where more than 70 contestants from throughout the UAE will go head to head in an effort to be crowned the region’s most skilled, safest, and efficient forklift operator.
