Conmex, the Middle East’s first exclusive trade exhibition for construction machinery, equipment, and vehicles, was inaugurated at Expo Centre Sharjah on November 25, 2006, by H.E. Sheikh Essam Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Sharjah Ruler’s Office.

Present at the inauguration ceremony were Mr. Ahmed Mohammed Al Midfa, Chairman of the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), Mr. Saif Al Midfa, Director General of Expo Centre Sharjah, and officials of various government departments, and members of the diplomatic corps and trade associations.

The four-day exhibition, organized by Expo Centre Sharjah with the support of SCCI, is displaying the entire range of construction related machinery, equipment, and vehicles used in the construction process including plant and machinery, commercial vehicles, lifting and conveying equipment, construction equipment, tools and special systems, formwork and scaffolding, construction site facilities, spare parts and accessories, communication and navigation equipment, and safety equipment.

‘The Middle East region is currently experiencing a frenzy in construction activities, resulting in a huge consequent demand for related machinery, equipment, and vehicles,’ said Mr. Ahmed Mohammed Al Midfa, after the inauguration ceremony.

‘Despite the high demand, the region lacks a dedicated one-stop platform that can claim to be exclusively catering to the demand for this category of products from the construction industry. Conmex, with its very focused exhibit profile, will fill that void,’ he added.

The debut edition of Conmex is hosting over 250 brands and companies from 21 countries. Among the major international brands that are being represented at the event are COPMA, Caterpillar, Hyundai, Sennebogen, Kobelco, Liebherr, Potain, Alimak, Dynapac, Atlas Copco, Stetter, Sandvik, Vogele, Snowkey, Sany, Raimondi, Eicher, CGR, RKF, Scania, Daewoo, Hyster, Bobcat, Grove, Konecranes, Soilmec, Terex, and Belle.

Though just in its first edition, Conmex is occupying a massive exhibition space of 16,000 sq. m. including both indoor and outdoor display area.

The outdoor exhibition area is mainly being utilized for showcasing medium to heavy machinery and vehicles. It is for the first time that a construction industry trade event in the region is utilizing such a massive indoor and outdoor display area for exhibition purpose.

‘The Middle East construction industry is currently experiencing an unprecedented boom and in the process attracting astronomical investments,’ said Mr. Saif Al Midfa.

‘The demand for equipment, machinery, and vehicles, has shot up significantly in the last few years as a result of the heightened activities in the construction sector. Given the robust economies of the region, there is no indication that there will be any let up in the Middle East real estate and construction growth in the near future. The demand for construction related machinery, equipment, and vehicles will therefore further shoot up. Conmex is fully geared to meet the growing demands of the region’s construction sector,’ he added.

The impact of the region’s booming construction sector on the demand for related machinery and equipment can be gauged from the fact that in Dubai alone over 30,000 towering cranes are in operation. As per statistics available, there are 125,000 tower cranes operating worldwide. At present, the annual market demand just for used machinery in the Middle East is valued at over Dhs. 5 billion.