Machinex & Propac Arabia 2013 to kick off in Feb

Jeddah’s international trade exhibitions for 2013 kick off with MACHINEX & PROPAC Arabia, which will be held at the Jeddah Centre for Forums & Events from February 18-21. A large contingent of major Saudi companies will be showcasing machinery and equipment from Middle Eastern and Western countries at the event. Turkey will be the largest participant with a national pavilion supported by Ministry of Economy displaying a wide range of machinery.

Described as Saudi Arabia’s 3rd International Machinery and Equipment Exhibition, and the 18th International Event for Production, Processing, Packaging and Plastics and Chemicals, MACHINEX & PROPAC Arabia is aimed at pursuing the Saudi government’s policy to greatly reduce reliance on imports with the aim of achieving self-sufficiency. “The exhibition brings new machinery, equipment and advanced technology to the Kingdom, offering distributors, agents, manufacturers and the industry at large new lines of plant and manufacturing opportunities,” Zahoor Siddique, Vice President at Al-Harithy Company for Exhibitions (ACE), the organisers of trade shows, told the media.

International participation includes major Turkish national pavilion with individual participants from Europe, Far East and Arab World. The large Saudi contingent will display machinery and equipment from Austria, China, Finland, France, Germany, Iran, Spain the United States and the UK.

“MACHINEX & PROPAC arabia provides businessmen and entrepreneurs with a unique opportunity to plan and invest in joint manufacturing ventures and to explore the huge prospects prevailing in the region’s most lucrative market,” Siddique added.

The exhibition is being held at a time when Industry has become one of the fastest growing sectors in Saudi Arabia creating unparalleled demand for the full range of industrial machinery, machine tools and spare parts.

The Kingdom’s industrial growth during the past 20 years is nearly twice its economic growth. Industrial cities in particular have seen tremendous strides in recent years.

The third industrial city in the south of Riyadh is to accommodate more than 120 factories on an area of 1 million sqm requiring a 20 million sqm infrastructure development.

The demand for industrial projects is so high that the second industrial city in Jeddah received a response beyond expectation, according to the Saudi Industrial Property Authority (MODON), which is setting up 40 industrial cities throughout the Kingdom by 2015.
MODON, which started with 14 industrial cities in 2007, now boasts 22 such developments. The government is setting up new towns and expanding existing cities located in the neighbourhood of the industrial cities to boost local industry.

The Kingdom needs the latest and most advanced machines and machinery for improving competitiveness of national products, keeping pace with developments in international markets, expediting transfer and adoption of technology.

Dealing with WTO and improving industrial management and sustainable development are among the factors being focused on for manufacturing a better quality basic product that can compete effectively in local and export markets.

In addition to the two mega industrial cities in the Royal Commission of Al Jubail and Yanbu and the five economic cities coming on stream, industrial cities are well established not only in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam but also in Makkah, Madinah, Taif, Rabigh, Tabuk, Jizan, Najran, Qassim, Hail and Asir providing a wide range of manufacturing industrieZoom Kobe 1 Protro