Bahrain's credentials as a world-class industrial hub will come under the spotlight this week as the Gulf Industry Fair, the Northern Gulf's leading annual B2B industrial trade exhibition, will be staged for the sixth consecutive year.

Gulf Industrial Fair 2013 is being held from tomorrow to Thursday, under the patronage of HRH Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, caters to the fast-growing industrial sectors of Bahrain, the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia and the Northern Gulf, said a report in our sister publication, the Gulf Daily News.

According to organisers Hilal Conferences and Exhibitions (HCE), the fair provides the ideal networking opportunity for specialist industrial products and service providers, distributors and agencies - representing the aluminium, energy and environmental protection, steel and alloys, industrial processes and manufacturing, ports, logistics and free zones, training and security and safety segments.

The non-oil industrial sector is a key contributor to Bahrain's economy, already one of the region's most diversified. The kingdom is home to world-scale, export-orientated primary industries which have been flying the flag for the country internationally for decades.

One legacy of Bahrain's rich primary industrial heritage is the presence of a thriving community of secondary manufacturing facilities and specialist products and service suppliers. Consequently, Bahrain's industrial spaces have experienced a 'cluster effect' as companies at different stages of the supply chain draw on mutual synergies.

Underpinning the kingdom's ability to attract inward investment and position itself as a regional gateway is its 'business friendly' corporate tax and regulatory environment, as well as the government's commitment to developing key transport and logistics networks to ensure smooth and seamless flow of goods into and out of the country.

Bahrain is (with Oman) also one of only two GCC countries to have signed a free trade agreement with the US. It is also ranked the Middle East's freest economy, and 12th freest in the world, in the latest Index of Economic Freedom published by the US Heritage Foundation.

Bahrain's collective industrial might will be on display at the fair.

In addition to the high-level presence afforded by Aluminium Bahrain - one of the world's largest aluminium smelters - and Bahrain Petroleum Company - a leading integrated energy company - the show will demonstrate the capabilities of several established service-related companies.

These include A A Bin Hindi, a trading group; Ahmed Mansoor Al A'ali Group, a specialist engineering company active in contracting, manufacturing, real estate and trading; Al Thawadi Electrical and Mechanical; Midal Cables Limited (Aluwheel), which manufactures aluminium rods and electrical conductors; Ameeri Industries, involved in manufacturing, electrical contracting and trading services; Arabian International Mechanical Contracting Establishment; and Asry, one of the region's biggest shipbuilding and repair yards.

Also taking part in the fair are Bahrain Alloys Manufacturing Company; Bahrain Foam Factory; Bahrain Ship Repairing and Engineering Company, a leading ship repair and conversion facility provider to the Middle East marine and offshore engineering sector; Bahrain Aluminium Extrusion Company, the Gulf's first aluminium extrusion plant; Bahrain National Holding, a Bahraini insurance group offering insurance and risk management solutions; and BRC WELDMESH (GULF), which provides concrete reinforcement solutions.

Those taking part in the event also include Bukhari Salam Technologies, which specialises in vehicle fleet management systems; Falcon Trading Company, which stocks more than 25,000 industrial tools and accessories from around the world; Gulf Aluminium Rolling Mill Company, which supplies both standard and non-standard cut-to-length aluminium sheets, coils and circles; industrial products supplier Kavalani and Sons; Metals of Bahrain, which produces engineered ferrous and non-ferrous castings and components; Mohammed Jalal and Sons, which has interests in construction, engineering and trading; Nass Corporation, an industrial conglomerate and construction powerhouse; and ScanTech International, which builds storage tanks in carbon steel, stainless steel and other process equipment used in industries such as food and beverage, pharmaceuticals and petrochemicals; and Zayani Polymer Factory, which supplies environmentally friendly products for packaging, agricultural and construction industries.

Bahrain Training Institute will take part in the fair. Its participation comes out of its role as a training institution that contributes to the professional development of human resources in the industrial sector in Bahrain.

These companies boast world-class projects and products under their belt supplying countries with developed economies such as the US and Canada to the BRIC countries and developing new links in Africa and the Far East.

"Gulf Industry Fair is not a local show, but a local showcase for leading companies trading in the global economy," said HCE managing director Jubran Abdulrahman.

"Many of them use the fair to invite their international client base to get a feel of their latest projects and capabilities. Last year, for example, the Panamanian Minister of Commerce came to visit a major investor in his country who was exhibiting at the fair. We were all proud that this company was Bahraini." – TradeArabia News Service