UAE's focus on manufacturing to be highlighted at SteelFab
SHARJAH, January 6, 2016
The UAE’s renewed focus on the manufacturing and other industrial sectors to tide over the after-effects of low oil prices will be highlighted at the upcoming SteelFab event in Sharjah.
With the UAE aiming to increase the contribution of the manufacturing sector to the overall gross domestic product (GDP) from 11 per cent to 25 per cent in 10 years, the diverse industrial sectors are receiving more investments and policy push, encouraging them to expand, upgrade and set up new units, said a statement.
Growing with the industry, SteelFab, which will run from January 17 to 20 at the Expo Centre Sharjah, has expanded its focus areas to cater to the various segments of the manufacturing sector, it said.
Saif Mohammed Al Midfa, chief executive officer, Expo Centre Sharjah, said: “Initially, SteelFab catered only to the steel fabrication, metal working and metal manufacturing industry. Gradually, along with the rising requirements from the various sectors of the manufacturing and other industries, SteelFab started expanding, adding more special focus areas.
"Today, SteelFab is the most comprehensive trade event that caters to a wide range of industrial segments and sub-sectors in the country and the region.”
Apart from the manufacturing industry, the show is a key sourcing point of other core sector industries like construction, infrastructure, plastics, cement and ceramics, oil and gas, ship building and pipelines, among others.
One of the two new special focus areas of the show - Wear Resistant and Hard Facing Cladding – has a strong bearing on heavy industries like the country’s formidable cement and ceramics industries that draw on the abundant natural resources of the country.
The new section will help regional fabricators source products and services that optimise performance under severe environmental and chemical conditions and improve machine life span, decrease the damage to main engine, reduce power consumption and enhance production efficiency.
Another special focus area – Stainless Steel – will cater to regional fabricators who prefer this metal due to its remarkable strength and resistance to high temperatures.
The special section will be a boon for key sectors like construction, oil and gas, food production, healthcare and kitchen equipment and utensils.
The plastics industry, which saw production growing six per cent last year, has been upgrading to new machines to improve efficiency, lower operating and utility costs and increase production.
The machine tools section will be a boon for the plastics processing industry since it is a one-stop shop for high-precision machine tools, accessories, parts and services.
Meanwhile, the new vertical Fasteners World Middle East and other special focus areas and pavilions such as Welding and Cutting, Pipe and Tube Machinery, Steel-Tech, Fabricators' Pavilion and Steel Showcase will feature general products required for regional fabricators and have a strong presence at SteelFab 2016. - TradeArabia News Service
