Metalex Thailand 2012: Gaining strength through high precision

I was there to report for International Metalworking News for Asia and what I saw was a thriving industry going from strength to strength.

Metalex is the largest metalworking and machine tools exhibition and conference in the region.  This year marked the 26^th edition of the show.  There were 2,700 brands from 50 countries on display, and eight international pavilions from Singapore, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, China, Germany, Russia and the UK.  Russia, led by the Department of Science, Industrial Policy and Entrepreneurship of the city of Moscow, was the new participant of Metalex.  The Russian pavilion featured welded and seamless steel pipe products for use in the oil and gas sector, machine-building products for ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, and magnetic and electromagnetic industrial material handling equipment.

One of the key conferences was the Nano Forum.  Experts from the US, Dr. Mihail C. Roco from the National Science Foundation and Dr. Ioan D. Marinescu from the University of Toledo, presented trends and case studies on technology transfer.

The organizer, Reed Tradex, said that Metalex was setting the trends for metalworking technology and investment decisions in the region.  It was also the place “where ideas are born, relationships are forged, and business gets done”.

In a testament to the importance of Thailand and the Southeast Asia region, Yingluck Shinawatra, prime minister of the Kingdom of Thailand, said: “Thailand has been viewed as one of the most promising emerging and frontier markets for investors and one of the easiest places to do business.  With the establishment of an ASEAN Community by 2015, the new single market and production base of 600 million people will present both opportunities and challenges for Thailand as well as its metal and steel related manufacturing industries.”

“With 50,000 enterprises and 400,000 workers, Thailand’s machinery and metalworking industry continues to grow, supported in part by Thailand being the largest car manufacturer in Southeast Asia and other industries.  Demand for more sophisticated machinery is growing, especially among domestic downstream industries, creating attractive opportunities for investors.  This is because the local industry offers limited supply of high-end machinery and parts, resulting in many companies looking for imports.  It is therefore important thatEntrainement Nike