More than 214 exhibitors engaged with over 3,500 visitors at the Middle East’s dedicated trade show for hardware, tools, materials and machinery in Dubai, UAE, recently.

The 16th edition of Hardware+Tools Middle East welcomed a full spectrum of trade buyers from the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region, including distributors, retailers, exporters, importers, contractors, fabricators, consultants and industry professionals involved in the booming regional construction sector.

They were presented with more than 250 brands at the three-day event, many of which took centre-stage at the new Expert Zone, a dedicated display of innovative tools and machinery from leading internationals brands such as Bosch Power Tools, Rhodius, Sparky, Rothenberger, Knipex and Milwaukee.

The event showcased a full spectrum of hand and power tools, construction and building material and accessories, and featured country pavilions from China, Taiwan, and Thailand.

The exhibitors and trade buyers alike expressed satisfaction with the amount of business leads and footfall generated at the show and expected favourable outcomes from their participation.

The keen interest in the Middle East from international manufacturers is driven by the strong regional demand for hardware, tools, materials and machinery, which according to industry sources, is estimated to be worth Dh10 billion ($2.7 billion).

Ahmed Pauwels, chief executive officer of the organiser Messe Frankfurt Middle East, said: “We are extremely pleased with the success of this edition of Hardware+Tools Middle East, which generated a large number of business enquiries and deals for our exhibiting partners and attracted robust trade visitor numbers.

“This encouraging showing underlines the tremendous potential of the region as a major market for machinery, hardware and tools and demonstrates the effectiveness of Hardware+Tools Middle East as a viable business development platform.”

Vijesh Kumar Padmanabhan, service manager at UK manufacturer Milwaukee, said: “This show is great and growing in size. The way it has been organised in order to meet varying exhibitors' needs is excellent. We are excited to be returning next year when we plan to launch a few new products.”
 
Aghil Chris, sales executive at UAE-based Arwani Trading, which represented the Sparky and Rhodius brands, added: “The exhibition has been busy, and we have met many potential customers and distributors. We were focused on the professional end users and we were successful in reaching many of them. We’ve been able to have a successful presence at the show because of the quality of our products.”

The event witnessed a score of regional launches by a vast range of international brands including Companion Brands from Australia, Italian companies Vipa and Tecnotubi Picena, and Japanese companies BIC Tool and Nitto Kohki.

Peter Littlewood, international sales manager at Companion Brands, said: “This is our first year at Hardware+Tools Middle East and we’ve been very busy meeting potential customers and clients. We look forward to extending our products across the MENA region through our distributors.”

Claudio Pasquino, export manager of Vipa, added: “We’re tremendously happy with the exhibition, and our stand has always been busy. The show is far better than others that we’ve attended in Europe or other countries. We’ve had many more visitors at Hardware+Tools Middle East than what we would’ve met in five days at other exhibitions. We’ve met many potentials clients and distributors and certainly look forward to returning next year.” - TradeArabia News Service