Bapco was again a strategic sponsor, representing the oil and gas segment

FOR exhibitors at Gulf Industry Fair (GIF) 2013, the event was an opportunity to network, pursue deals and showcase products and technologies primarily to the Northern Gulf market.

The Dutch pavilion was conspicuous with 14 companies participating, among them Euroboor and MH Hydraulic for whom the event will be particularly memorable.

German exhibitor Nordluft attracted much interest among business visitors with their purification products while Saudi firms Aaarico and Belts were on hand to portray their gauges and conveyor products respectively. Alaa for Industry put on view its hydraulic products and industrial equipment and the British Offset Office showed how its offset programme was helping investment in Saudi Arabia.

Alba was the sponsor of the Aluminium
Village

Taking part in GIF were 110 companies including a large number from Bahrain that comprised SMEs and large establishments. The SMEs appreciated the prospect of presenting their products alongside international companies and competing in a market they felt was large enough to find a place for them.

Bahrain’s ministries lent support to the fair while providing an insight into their services. The message was clear that Bahrain was at a pivotal position to serve the Northern Gulf. The country was the first to promote trade and commerce in an organised way and also the first to discover oil in the Gulf region. The following are brief accounts of some of the companies that were present as exhibitors. There will be other companies featured similarly in the March edition of Gulf Industry.

BAPCO
Bahrain Petroleum Company (Bapco) chairman Adel Khalil Almoayyed said Gulf Industry Fair 2013 came at a crucial time for Bahrain. “This is a stage for the future of business and industry in Bahrain,” he said in a statement. Describing Bapco as a major influence for contractors, he said: “We’re an operation that will be looking to outsource a lot of work in  the future as we grow and it is important for us to be able to call on local businesses for this effort.” He added that GIF gave companies the opportunity to showcase their abilities and communicate what they could offer in the construction and oil sectors.

MH Hydraulics’ stall at the Dutch pavilion

Bapco exports crude oil to world markets and sells petroleum products locally and internationally. It also supplies and sells aviation fuel at the Bahrain International Airport through an affiliate. The company provides the full requirements of natural gas to the power generating plants and other industries in the country.

The Bahrain Refinery – one of the largest in the Middle East and the oldest in the GCC – refines over 250,000 barrels of crude every day. About one-sixth of this crude originates from Bahrain Field,wih the remainder pumped from Saudi Arabia in pipelines extending 27 km overland and a further 27 km under the sea before reaching the northwest of Bahrain.

ALBA
The company said its pledge to advocate the forward thinking and investor-friendly nature of Bahrain’s economy provided one of the incentives behind the company’s decision to be a strategic partner representing the aluminium sector at GIF 2013.

Alba supported the ‘Aluminium Village’ at the exhibition, which allowed both Alba and the various downstream companies in Bahrain to promote their products and services under one single platform.  

“We are proud to be associated with Gulf Industry Fair 2013 and recognise its importance in showcasing Bahrain’s attractiveness as an industrial hub as well as a magnet for international investors,” said CEO Tim Murray. “It also provides an ideal springboard for promoting the diversity of Bahrain’s aluminium industry, and for Alba in particular, it presents an opportunity to showcase its portfolio of high-grade aluminium and its growing regional and global presence.” Alba reported record output and sales during 2012 (see News-Regional feature).

The AABin Hindi stall

ASRY
The participation of Asry, the region’s leading ship and rig repair yard, in GIF was to emphasise the company’s capabilities to serve new markets and establish partnerships, utilising its major new facility expansion which opened in December 2011 at a cost of $188 million, its CEO Chris Potter said.

The company exhibited is offerings in ship repair and offshore maintenance services, tug building, power generation during disasters and accommodation boats.

“We are proud to be part of this event alongside other companies we work with to showcase the potential of Bahrain as a major player in the Gulf’s industrial capabilities,” he said.

DUTCH PAVILION
Dutch honorary consul in Bahrain Jaap Vaandrager said this year’s participation by Dutch firms was way better than their indirect presence in the previous edition when they were represented through brochures. For GIF 2013, as many as 14 firms participated physically after a road show in the Netherlands a few months earlier.

AA Bin Hindi highlighted Volvo
construction equipment among
several other products

“Already a number of companies who have come to Gulf Industry Fair this year are looking to set  up joint ventures and do business in the region,” said Vaandrager.

Two of the Dutch companies, Euroboor and MH Hydraulic, finalised deals at the show.While Euroboor will have a distributor in Bahrain, M H Hydraulic is teaming up with a local company to set up a joint venture repair facility.

Albert Koster, director of Euroboor, said the company is looking to sell its power tools and cutters in the kingdom and the region.

“We have been in the region for the last 18 years with an office and big warehouse in Sharjah, UAE. We now want to spread our wings,” he said.

Euroboor, specialising in industrial portable tools, was founded in 1977 and is now actively involved in 58 countries. It produces and supplies magnetic drilling machines, annular cutters, bevelling machines, sawing machines and many accessories among other things. The emphasis is always on safety, diversity and quality, it says.

MH Hydraulics, active in more than 64 countries, is a world leader in the field of maintenance, repairs, overhauls and sales of hydraulic pumps, motors, cylinders and components for the maritime, industrial and transport industries.

Belts Store made a maiden appearance at
Gulf Industry Fair and (below) a
product traded by the company

Also at GIF was Imtech Industry International, which specialises in the development or re-development of facilities such as gas-to-liquid plants and refineries. It executes projects from the basic design stage to start-up and after sales.

D-TEC showcased its grapple and container trailer lines and new, innovative products (See Marketing and Innovations feature).

Other Dutch companies at the fair were VDL Group, whose expertise in working with metals and plastics is best seen in the manufacture of stadium seats; Allpacks International, which specialises in the development, production and worldwide distribution of hydraulic, piling, foundation and offshore equipment; Wess FZE which participated in the Dutch pavilion on behalf of its principal DuroVac, a specialist in mobile and stationary industrial vacuum systems; TGS, The Grab Specialist BV, which designs, develops and manufactures grabs for the dry bulk cargo, dredging and recycling industries; ROVC, a leader in competency development, providing training and consultancy for the technical sector; Hydroflex Hydraulics, which is active in the field of hydraulic system components in The Netherlands and Belgium and has partnerships in Europe and the Middle East.

Also present was Vanex, which was founded in 1984 with the aim of assisting companies in the Mena region with purchasing services and has now expanded to become a reliable player in helping Dutch companies access the Mena region.  

AA BIN HINDI
A multi-divisional company, AA Bin Hindi had two divisions participating at Gulf Industry Fair – Special Projects and Heavy Vehicles and Construction Equipment (HVCE) and both were actively fielding enquiries about the products they handle.

Venugopal Kurup, general manager for Special Projects, said: “We represent some of the largest companies in the world for electrical, mechanical and instrumentation solutions.

“The Ministry of Water and Electricity, Bahrain, is a leading purchaser of our top-selling products.” AA Bin Hindi is an agent for US Pipe and Foundry and for some of the reputed brands such as Time Electronics (UK), Scan Sense AS-Norway, Dranetz (USA), Marathon Electric (USA/India), Eriez Magnetics (USA/India), Aximum (France), Raychem RPG (India), Phenix Technologies (USA), Enervac Corpn (Canada), Ele (UK), Vanguard Instruments (USA) Testboy (Germany), Ducati Energia (Italy), T&R Test Equipments (UK) and ElettronicaVenet (Italy) among others.

Fast-selling products include ductile iron pipes, valves, fittings and accessories, CAM switches and digital/analogue panel meters.

The Projects Division is in expansion mode. “We have plans to introduce new products in  the mechanical engineering section. We’re looking at steel pipes and round bars and also at Hardox plates (wear resistant plates. We’re currently in the negotiating stage with manufacturers. A deal could happen this year,” said Kurup.

Among the busiest at AA Bin Hindi’s stall was Paul Varghese, sales manager, HVCE. In 2009 the Heavy Vehicles Division was merged with the Construction and Industrial Equipment Division, resulting in stronger market penetration and reinforced after-market support.

Companies whose brands the division has been marketing include Volvo Construction Equipment, Renault Trucks, FG Wilson (diesel generators), Silla and Esquire Machines (both for small construction equipment), TCM (industrial vehicles), Nichiyu (material handling equipment), Manitou (rough terrain handling equipment) and HTC (floor solutions) among other companies.

Varghese said the division planned to introduce new products in industrial equipment and it was actively looking to represent a reputed manufacturer for air compressors. “Earlier, we had US compressor company Sullivan Palatek, but we discontinued distributing their products a few years ago.” The company is in the process of finding a replacement brand to market in this region.

TAMKEEN
As many as 55 companies received Tamkeen support to participate in GIF 2013. The support came through Tamkeen’s Tarweej scheme, one of the main plans under its flagship Enterprise Development Support Programme.

Euroboor officials with their company’s
equipment at the Dutch pavilion

Tarweej is a co-financing scheme designed to support business enterprises achieve sustainability by expanding the outreach of their products and services through local and regional exhibitions.

Mohammed Bucheery, senior manager for private sector support at Tamkeen, said considering a robust industrial sector was central to achieving the goals outlined in Bahrain Economic Vision 2030, Tamkeen was pleased to provide support to Bahraini businesses to showcase the strength of Bahrain’s industrial sector through the event.

Since the third phase of the Enterprise Development Support programme commenced in Feb 2012, around 580 business enterprises have benefited from the Tarweej scheme with a total support amount of over BD1 million ($5.24 million), a statement said.

BRITISH OFFSET
British Offset manages the Saudi British Economic Offset Programme that offers opportunities for international companies to take part in lucrative joint ventures in Saudi Arabia.

At the fair, the organisation’s officials explained how companies could take advantage of a huge range of incentives available to international joint venture partners both under the Offset Programme and from the Saudi Government.

Over the years British Offset has registered major successes including a partnership between Tate & Lyle and Savola (now fully owned by Savola) in the production of sugar. Among projects that came to fruition in recent years was a joint venture between Swiss company Durfeco and Saudi firm Tarqa. Another successful project was a joint venture between US company Huntsman and Saudi group Olayan.

British Ambassador Ian Lindsay visited the British Offset stall.

NORDLUFT
Nordluft, the German air purification technology specialist, presented air purification equipment and held demos which proved very popular to visitors thanks to the novelty of the machines and their effectiveness.

A throng outside the Nass booth

“We’re in the process of setting up an office in Bahrain,” said Gitta Mudersbach, the company’s business development and management assistant. Referring to the launch of proOxion,  a  new  patented, TUV-certified  air  purification  and  cooling  system  developed  in  Germany, she said: “There has been very, very vast interest because it is new technology and we have provided for every budget.” The product cleans the air, eliminates dust and odours and removes all bacteria, viruses and VOC’s  in  the  air.   

The  proOxion  system  can  be  applied  in  industrial  settings  such  as manufacturing  plants,  any  kind  of  industrial  facilities and  warehouses as well as  residential and  non-residential  buildings  such  as  schools,  kindergartens,  hospitals,  public  administration offices, banks, hotels, restaurants and public buildings such as concert halls, museums, and shopping centres.

AARICO
Ashcroft Al Rushaid Instrument Co (Aarico), the Jubail (Saudi Arabia)-based manufacturer of sophisticated pressure and temperature instruments, presented to visitors at GIF its new products including the A Series stainless steel pressure switch for a wide variety of industrial and OEM installations. Other new products introduced were improved performance gauges XLL-Plust, Heise DXD digital pressure transducers and gas actuated thermometers.

Aarico has a strong presence in Saudi Arabia as well as in Bahrain and Kuwait where it markets its products through agents. The company enjoys strong technical support from Ashcroft USA. With the 2005 acquisition by its longtime sensor partner Nagano Keiki of Japan, Aarico has access to additional engineering expertise and superior, exclusive sensor technology.

ALAA
Jubail-based Alaa for Industry (AFI) showcased some of the international brands it has been marketing in the region.  Among them are Igus, makers of energy chain cable carriers, and Parker hydraulic and pneumatic products as well as Leroy-Somer, an Emerson company, which makes electric motors and gear boxes. AFI also designs and manufactures at its Jubail factory products including hydraulic systems cylinders for industrial and mobile applications and fabricates and assembles mobile systems and recently built a workshop to serve Jubail industries (See Saudi Review).

BELTS STORE TRADING
Dammam-based Belts Store Trading has been in business for over 50 years but this was the first time it took part in Gulf Industry Fair. The company supplies transmission belts and pulleys, bearings, conveying system parts and accessories, rubber products, chains and sprockets and industrial insulation.

Syed Nizamuddin, marketing and sales manager, said the company was in the process of gaining vendor licences from leading Bahraini companies Bapco, Alba, GIIC (maker of iron pellets) and SULB, the new steel plant.

He said 89 per cent of sales came from Saudi Arabia and 8 per cent from Bahrain and most enquiries at the fair were for transmission belts, bearings, conveyor belts and transmission chains.

Top-selling products were transmission and automotive belts from Optibelt and Mitsuboshi, the official said.

MIDAL - ALUWHEEL
The company has seen its production rise to 180,000 tonnes annually over less than 30 years. Midal Cable makes rods, wires and conductors and is a market leader in the development and production of aluminium alloys and a leading player in the industry for new technologies. It is also one of the foremost privately owned companies in Bahrain and is contributing to its economy while promoting a national skilled workforce within its outfit. Midal exports its products throughout the Middle East and to other regional destinations.

An official at the Midal Cables-Aluwheel stall

Visitors to the Gulf Industry Fair had an opportunity to learn more about Aluwheel, a Midal subsidiary that makes wheels for passenger cars and trucks.

Many were surprised that Bahrain is the site of a high-tech company supplying to OEMs worldwide, said Anil Kumar, area sales manager for Midal Cables.

Kumar said people were curious to know what raw material was used and were surprised when told it was aluminium as they thought the wheels looked more like steel.

Several car and truck wheels sparkled under the lights. It was in 1992 that Aluwheel was established as a joint venture between Midal and Al Zayani Investment one side and BBS Kraftfahrzeugtechnik AG of Germany on the other.

Aluwheel has capacity of over half a million wheel castings for such brands as Audi, Saab, Volkswagen, Opel, Volvo, Rover, Peugeot, Fiat, Citroen, Honda and many other car makers in Europe and the US who are served through wheel producers.

It is also credited as being one of the very few producers of fully finished truck wheels who use low pressure die casting technology and has the distinction of producing corporate coloured wheels for the truck and trailer wheel sector under the brand “Tuna Wheels.”

MAJAAL
Officials of Majaal, the leading provider of warehousing and industrial facilities for SMEs, were elated following the signing of a new tenancy agreement with Middle East Environmental Technology Services (ME-ETS).

The announcement was made with GIF as a backdrop. ME-ETS, a start-up company in Bahrain established to provide new technology environmental remediation solutions for the Mena region, chose Majaal to house its manufacturing facility, where it will manufacture the Ivey-sol remediation solutions.

Amin Al Arrayed, general manager of First Bahrain and managing director of Majaal Warehouse Co, commented, “This key partnership endorses Majaal’s unique offerings and the state-of-the art facilities that suit various business models.”

Majaal is strategically located within close proximity to all ports as it is located within the Salman Industrial City at the Bahrain Investment Wharf, providing easy access to Khalifa bin Salman Port and other major transport links in the Kingdom of Bahrain”. 

AL CEM
Bahrain-based Al-Cem ApS Representative Office, a first time participant, hopes to use the GI platform to promote its interests in environmental sustenance, cement and concrete production.

It plays a major role in international trade development through its global partners F L Smidth, Hasle, KVM and Damman-Croes.

KVM, a leader in high quality block making machinery, asphalt plants and moulds for block making machines, supplies tailor made solutions for asphalt and concrete industries throughout the world. Drawing on more than 50 years of experience, KVM is an environmentally conscious company involved in continuous and intensive product development.

Key partner Hasle Refractories develops, manufactures and supplies unique refractory materials for a number of different industries. Among others it serves the cement, power, waste, steel, glass and paper industries.

Damman-Croes develops and produces complete pre-cast concrete batching plants, custom-made or standard versions. It installs separate machinery and components or complete turn-key solutions in addition to adapting and modernising existing batching plants.

AMEERI INDUSTRIES
Ameeri Industries, a Bahrain firm which manufactures road safety products, light poles, electric panels and light fittings, launched its latest product, parapet bridges.

Discussing the new product, Adel said most bridge parapets used in the Gulf are imported and Ameeri’s new line would help substitute some of those with ones made in Bahrain.

The company, largely active in Bahrain, has hopes of making it big in the wider Gulf market (See News-Regional feature).

JANADA
Janada is a Bahrain-Czech company that showcased groundbreaking solutions for rubber and cement production.

“We are pioneering a revolution in rubber,” said president and chief executive officer Nader Said Eldajani.

Visitors were introduced to Aarico products

The company’s core operation revolves around the milling machine and devolcanising mixer that help in producing high-quality rubber particles that are less than 100 microns “This fine powder-like granules are obtained by recycling rubber crumbs,” explained Eldajani, adding, “This is also used to produce asphalt for paving roads.”

This high quality road building material is heat-resistant, resilient and therefore suitable for heavy vehicles besides helpful in cutting noise by reducing friction, according to Eldajani.

This rubber product is also used in the manufacture of shoes and paint. 

The machines, Eldajani said, also grind concrete from demolished buildings to produce 20 to 30 micron cement.

“We don’t sell machines,” Eldajani stresses, “whereas we set up factories with the machines we manufacture, partner with universities to train students in the nuances of operating such machines and effect technology transfers.”

Eldajani said the fair helped Janada promote this futuristic concept, and is positive about potential partnerships with leading companies. 

ZAYANI MOTORS
A leading Mitsubishi dealer, Bahrain-based Zayani Motors said its Mitsubishi Fuso trucks and Fuso crane truck generate major interest. A first time participant, the company said the response was quite satisfactory and received lots of enquiries.

“Visitors were looking for 14-tonne vehicles much higher than the six-tonne vehicles we had on display,” a spokesman said.

Zayani Motors said it will put up a much bigger exhibition stand that will aim to occupy a prominent place in next year’s fair. The company manufactures 20 to 25-tonne Kalmar lift trucks that are primarily dedicated to handling of heavy loads like steel, metal, concrete or stone blocks both at industrial sites and in ports and terminals.

Mitsubishi forklift trucks are heavyweight machines that have exceptional lift speed and gradient performance, thanks to a high-powered engine and efficient transmission.

Mitsubishi Fuso Canter is a new light-duty truck that offers great driver comfort with some of the key features being high-rigidity frame, rigid cab for safety and ergonomically situated meters and controls.