The Arabplast and Teknotube Arabia 2009 exhibitions, the leading international exhibitions on plastic, rubber, industrial machines, metal works, tubes and pipes, were opened by UAE minister of foreign trade, Sheikha Lubna Bint Khalid Al Qasimi.

These exhibitions offer visitors access to a wide spectrum of technological innovations in the plastics, packaging, rubber, chemical and polymer and petrochemical, tubes and pipes, industrial machinery and machine tools, metal working machinery and welding machinery industries.

Lubna said these industries were significant to the national economy and they contributed to accelerating the pace towards a more diversified economy in the UAE.

She also said Dubai was defying the global crisis in diverse ways and the strong international presence in these exhibitions was proof of this trend.

Lubna said that the fact that Arabplast and Tekno/Tube Arabia 2009 have attracted 900 exhibitors representing 34 countries at a total area of 35,000 sq. m. with an increase of 25 per cent to last edition is clear evidence that the UAE is the ideal platform to target the Middle East market.

Lubna pointed out that it was also a sign that these industries in the Gulf were not seriously affected by the crisis.

"The UAE has successfully emerged as the regional hub of the Middle East markets. International and regional industry players find this market lucrative for their operations."

The importance of these exhibitions stems from the fact that state of the art technologies on par with latest international standards including tubes, plastics, industrial machinery and metals are being displayed at both shows," Lubna added.-TradeArabia News Service