The UAE has emerged as a key sourcing centre for used construction machinery for markets such as India and North Africa where a construction boom is in the offing.
The annual Dh6 billion market for second-hand construction machinery and related equipment in the Middle East is growing at 22 per cent, according to a source in the major industry.
The UAE also has the world's largest number of tower cranes in use.
"In the UAE, at least 430 construction projects are on hand, raising the demand for new machinery and equipment," said Sanjay Nepali, project manager at Expo Centre Sharjah, which is hosting the Middle East's largest construction machinery exhibition, Conmex.
"It is estimated that currently more than $1.5 trillion [Dh5.5tr] worth of projects have been planned or are under way in the Gulf," said Harald Muller, chairman of Internationaler Messe (Imag), the co-organiser of the show.
"The UAE, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain are expected to spend $150bn [Dh550.82bn] on infrastructure over the next three years. This increases the demand for modern construction equipment," he added.
The UAE markets mainly use new machinery with low maintenance cost and the older equipment requiring high maintenance is reexported. The emerging demand is in rail construction, which is going to be a sunrise segment with extensive interregional link-up projects in the pipeline.
The second edition of Conmex, the Middle East's most comprehensive trade event for construction machinery, equipment, and vehicles, opened yesterday.
The four-day exhibition is displaying the entire range of construction plants, machinery and equipment, earthmoving and road construction machinery, construction and commercial vehicles, lifting and conveying equipment, formwork and scaffolding, construction site facilities and safety equipment.
This year's Conmex occupies a total exhibition area of 31,000 square metres including 15,000 square metres of outdoor space. More than 280 brands from 23 countries including the UAE, United States, United Kingdom, Australia, China, Korea, Japan, Italy, Germany, Russia, India, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Romania and Iran are represented at the event.
"Conmex is considered to be one of Middle East's leading sourcing avenues for high quality construction related machinery, equipment, vehicles and spares," said Fasahat Ali Khan, adviser to the chairman and board of directors of Expo Centre Sharjah.
"We are expecting a large number of key construction industry officials not only from the Middle East but also from the North Africa region as visitors.
"Besides being the region's most exclusive sourcing platform for the construction sector, Conmex 2007 will also prove to be an ideal networking platform.
"Other than facilitating meetings and interactions amongst visitors, it will provide ample opportunities for serious dialogue with senior representatives of the companies that are exhibiting at Conmex," he said.
By Emirates Today Staff
© Emirates Today 2007
