Events are showcasing over 120 brands of fenestration, exterior faade, roofing and cladding products and solutions
The third edition of Front and the second Middle East edition of Roof & Cladding exhibitions got underway at Expo Centre Sharjah on Tuesday, March 20, 2007.
The exhibitions were inaugurated by Sheikh Khalid Bin Abdullah Bin Sultan Al Qassimi, Chairman of the Sharjah Ports Authority.
Present at the inauguration ceremonies were Mr. Ahmed Mohammed Al Midfa, Chairman of the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), Mr. Saif Al Midfa, Director General of Expo Centre Sharjah, and officials of various government departments, and members of the diplomatic corps and trade associations.
Front is the Middle East's only dedicated sourcing platform for doors, windows, walls, related equipment, accessories, and machinery.
The Roof & Cladding exhibition, on the other hand, is a trade platform for roofing systems, architectural cladding, structural glazing, curtain walling, faade engineering, metal building systems, skylights and sky domes, and waterproofing.
The current editions of Front and Roof & Cladding are featuring more than 120 brands of fenestration, exterior faade, and roof and cladding products from Finland, Sweden, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Turkey, China, Taiwan, India, France, UK, Qatar, UAE, CIS countries, and the USA.
"The entire Middle East region is currently in the midst of a construction frenzy, resulting in a huge consequent demand for fenestration, exterior faade, and roof and cladding products," said Mr. Ahmed Mohammed Al Midfa.
"However, despite the skyrocketing demand, there is no dedicated sourcing platform in the region for fenestration, exterior faade, and roof & cladding, that the construction sector can turn to for its requirements. The Front and Roof & Cladding Exhibitions are aimed at filling that void. The exhibitions have received overwhelming response from the regional construction sector in the previous editions," he added.
The Gulf region now boasts of active construction projects in excess of USD $ 1 trillion. Of this, the UAE accounts for projects in excess of USD $ 221 billion.
In other parts of the Middle East, Iran and Iraq have several high value construction projects with the total worth being USD $ 97 billion and USD $ 27 billion respectively.
A major attraction of this year's Front exhibition is the dedicated country pavilion from Finland. The pavilion is hosting ten companies. Among them is CT Building Material Manufacturing, a company engaged in the manufacturing of micro cement.
Micro cement is an extract from ordinary cement and is ground, refined, and toasted to be made extremely fine (like starch). The cement, after the entire process, acquires strength, which is five times the usual cement. The strength and efficiency of one ton of micro cement equals the strength of five tons of ordinary cement.
CT Building Material Manufacturing Company will be utilizing Front to launch micro cement in the Gulf and also to attract investments for its proposed cement factory in the region.
Some of the other participating companies in the two events that are bound to generate considerable interest among visitors are UNICOIL - Universal Metal Coating Company Ltd. - Saudi Arabia, Zamil Steel Industries, Taiyo Membrane Middle East LLC - UAE, National Paints Factories Co. Ltd. - UAE, Euwin European UPVC Windows - UAE, and ALSTONE.
"The Front and Roof & Cladding exhibitions, given their exclusive exhibit profile and participation from global companies, have established themselves as credible sourcing platforms for fenestration, exterior faade, and roofing and cladding products and solutions in the Middle East," said Mr. Saif Al Midfa, Director General, Expo Centre Sharjah.
"The events target a very focused set of visitors. The idea is to bring together global majors dealing in fenestration, faade, roofing and cladding products and technologies, and the regional construction sector on a single platform. This year, considering the increased tempo in construction activities in the region, we expect a 15% increase in visitor turnout over last edition," he added.
The 2006 edition of Front and Roof & Cladding attracted more than 2,600 visitors.
Front and Roof & Cladding will attract Architects, Designers, Builders, Contractors, Construction professionals, Consultants, Civil, and structural engineers, Planners, Importers, Property Managers, Investors, and Government Authorities as visitors from across the Middle East.
Like in the previous editions, this year's Front and Roof & Cladding exhibitions will host a number of industry specific product presentations and seminars.
The seminars will cover a range of important issues concerning the regional construction industry including inverted and green roofs - A solution for utilising urban space, Balconies and Walls - Weather proofing in the Middle East, and Built-up Roofing, Cold Fusion bonding, Utilising Zero heat and Zero flame technology, among others.
Both Front and Roof & Cladding are initiatives of Expo Centre Sharjah with the support of the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI). The events will run till March 22, 2007.
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© Press Release 2007
