Sharjah - MENA Herald: The UAE’s renewed focus on the manufacturing and other industrial sectors to tide over the after-effects of low oil prices is set to underscore the importance of an upcoming trade event in Sharjah.
With the UAE aiming to increase the contribution of the manufacturing sector to overall GDP from 11% to 25% in the 10 years, the diverse industry with distinct groups of sectors is receiving more investments and policy push, encouraging it to expand, upgrade and set up new units.
Growing with the industry, SteelFab, which started off as a show focusing only on the metal working industry more than a decade ago, too has expanded its focus areas to cater to the various segments of the manufacturing sector.
“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,” said Mr Saif Mohammed Al Midfa, CEO, Expo Centre Sharjah.
Apart from the manufacturing industry, the show is a key sourcing point of other core sector industries like construction, infrastructure, plastics, cement & ceramics, oil & gas, ship building and pipelines, among others.
One of the two new special focus areas of the show -- Wear Resistant & 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 machines’ 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 stainless steel due to its remarkable strength and resistance to high temperatures. The special section will be a boon for key sectors like construction, oil & gas, food production, healthcare and kitchen equipment & utensils.
The plastics industry, which saw production growing 6% last year, has been upgrading to new machines to improve efficiency, lower operating and utility costs and increase production. The Machine Tools section is a boon for the plastics processing industry since it is a one-stop shop for high-precision machine tools, accessories, parts and services.
The new vertical Fasteners World Middle East and other special focus areas and pavilions such as Welding & Cutting, Pipe & Tube Machinery, Steel-Tech, Fabricators' Pavilion & Steel Showcase feature general products required for regional fabricators and have a strong presence at SteelFab 2016.
Both the shows will be open from 17 to 20 January 2016 at Expo Centre Sharjah with the show timings as 10 am to 7 pm daily. Admission is free and open to Trade & Professional visitors only.
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