Technology and innovation at MTE in Dammam

Dammam will host a key industrial exhibition – MTE 2016, the Saudi Arabia International Machine Tools and Machinery Exhibition – organised by IES for this October and expected to have a strong turnout from government and private companies as well as overseas businesses.

Building on the success of the 2015 edition, IES will this time have the event run concurrently with SAOGE, the Saudi International Oil & Gas Exhibition which will be staged in an adjacent hall.

MTE 2016, scheduled for October 17 to 19 at the Dhahran International Exhibitions Centre, is being held in the backdrop of Saudi Arabia’s rapid industrialisation over the past several years which has made it one of the top 10 fastest growing economies in the world as well as the Middle East’s largest and most influential economy.

“The kingdom is considered a wealth of business opportunities with a series of multi-billion-dollar projects and foreign companies flocking to it to take part in this development,” said an IES statement.

It said there was consistently high demand for attendance at MTE from leading Saudi manufacturers, traders, service companies, distributors and international partners. The exhibition will provide the perfect platform for companies to position themselves in the market and critically evaluate the commercial environment, policies and technological innovations, the statement added.  
 

The three–day MTE show in 2015 generated $9.5 million in machine sales

The three–day MTE show in 2015 generated $9.5 million in machine sales

“There is no hiding from the fact that not just Saudi, but most of the world is undergoing a tough commercial situation. How a company reacts to these hard times defines its success and failure.”

IES’ 2015 edition, first of its kind in Dammam, had strong participation from foreign companies evaluating and investing in Saudi Arabia. It welcomed 126 of the most important names in the machine tools industry who came from 25 countries. IES recalled that the three days of MTE 2015 generated more than $9.5 million in sales of machinery and machine tools. “Proud of such a success, and in order to build on our strengths, the IES has expanded the show and will run it concurrently with the Saudi International Oil & Gas exhibition, SAOGE,” it said.   

“The main end-users of the machine tools industry are oil and gas operators; the possibility of doing business will be higher than ever and we are expecting over 10,000 visitors. MTE is shaping up to be the major drawcard and the biggest and most important event in Saudi Arabia.”

The combination of SAOGE and MTE offers increased networking opportunities and much more visibility for exhibitors, IES added.


VENUE SIGNIFICANT

MTE provides an excellent opportunity to sell machines

MTE provides an excellent opportunity to sell machines

Holding the event in the Eastern Province is significant as the province has attracted a large amount of foreign capital and technology, thanks to world-class infrastructure. The region has some of the best transport, telecommunication, utilities and water infrastructure in the kingdom; there is an abundant availability of raw materials and many other favourable factors such as ICT and advanced banking and financial institutions. The government’s liberal economic policies and incentives for the private sector have further encouraged more investments in the province.

While Saudi Arabia is unique as the world’s leader in the oil industry, and has oil and gas as its main engine for economic development, the Eastern Province is considered to be the kingdom’s most industrialised part. More than 86 per cent of Saudi basic industries are located there. Industrial areas in Dammam and Jubail are home not only to local Saudi companies but also to a whole host of joint-ventures with globally recognised household brands. Driving the success is an aggressive public policy aimed at making the province attractive to foreign investment and developing it as the industrial capital of the Middle East. 

“Dammam is the perfect place for growing business and MTE is the platform to find the best machine tools partners, customers and distributors that Saudi Arabia can offer,” IES said to potential exhibitors and business visitors. 


SECTORS PRESENT

The following is a list of sectors that attended MTE in 2015 and which have signed up for MTE 2016: Lathes, Milling Machines, Machining Centres, Flexible Manufacturing, Transfer and Special Production Machines, Drilling Machines, Precision Tools, Workpiece and Tool Holders, Metrology, Quality Control, Tool Grinding Machines, Automation,  Components, Refrigeration, Lubrication, Waste Disposal, Accessories, Grinding Machines, Surface Technology, Honing, Lapping, Polishing Machines, Heat Treatment, EDM, Sawing Machines, Sheet Metal Working Machines, Forming Machines, Industrial Electronics, Robotics, Software, Gear Cutting, Welding.

“MTE 2016 offers the opportunity to meet and strengthen business relationships with both private and public companies, research institutions and government agencies. All of these decision-makers will gather for MTE 2016, the only machine tools and machinery show in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia,” IES stated. 

The IES team offers international expertise for companies wishing to expand current business interests in Saudi Arabia within the machine tools sector. Through its offices and representatives in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Italy and the UK, the team provides extensive guidance, market intelligence and support. For more information, the team can be contacted at exhibition@mtearabia.org.

The exhibition manager is Ms Jelena Ostojic, jo@ies.co.it. Full details of MTE can be had at www.mtearabia.org.