The importance of Gulf Industry Fair (GIF) as a bridge to doing business across the region has again seen it attract a strong showing from international companies.

Tamweser, a Spanish company with business across the globe, is at the show for the second time having seen it as a big success last year.

The company specialises in bulk handling, cranes, waste treatment and renewable energy and sees the Gulf as a growing market for its waste treatment products.

'About 90 per cent of the enquires we have had so far are about these products and that is not surprising because it is an issue the region is now only beginning to address,' said sales director Simon Whalley.

'In the West there are extensive rules about waste handling which prevent people from land filling anything that has not been treated.

'That is not the case here but things are beginning to change and the market is massive,' he added.

He said that international events that were being attracted to the region like the World Cup going to Qatar would also put pressure on governments to clean up their act in this area.

'We are also looking to focus our handling operations towards ports and mining companies,' he added.

'We were very pleased with the results we got from last year's show, which is why we came back, but I would say this year's event is even better.

'The quality of professional visitors we have been meeting is extremely high which is very important and we will probably be back next year,' he said.

German metal spinning machinery manufacturer Leifeld sees its first visit to the event as a key component of developing its Middle East business.

'We already deliver our machinery to about 70 countries and when we heard about this show it struck us as the ideal vehicle to build business here because it is in Bahrain and is strategically placed for access to the rest of the region,' said vice-president sales Oliver Reimann.

'Today has been very good and we have had a lot of serious interest in our products which can machine without chipping.

'We have had a lot of good feedback so far and my impression is that coming here was the right decision and that we should return next year,' he added.

English publishing company Machinery Trade International (MTI) is making its second visit to GIF, having been impressed with last year's event.

The company produced a specialist magazine for the second-hand metal cutting and forming machinery market which is distributed in 82 countries.

'We exhibit worldwide every year and we are here because this is one of the markets we want to be in,' MTI chief executive Bob Sadat said.

'We are basically here to promote the people who are buying and selling machine tool products and I believe there is a strong and growing market for this in the Middle East.

'We were successful last year and I would expect to do better this year because it is a bigger show,' he added.-TradeArabia News Service