Messe Duesseldorf expands activities for the international plastics and rubber industry

Exclusive alliance forged with ARABPLAST in Dubai

Messe Düsseldorf, the successful organiser of international fairs devoted to the plastics and rubber industry, has now entered into an exclusive partnership with ARABPLAST in Dubai. Even for the upcoming staging, the 7th Arab International Plastic & Rubber Industry Trade Show in March 2005, Messe Düsseldorf has taken on the job of canvassing and supporting exhibiting companies from Europe, North and South America, Russia, Ukraine, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. In addition, the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Labour has entrusted Messe Düsseldorf with the task of organising the official German delegation for ARABPLAST 2005.

Messe Düsseldorf amassed its expertise in plastics and rubber fairs above all as the organiser of K. Every three years, this global No. 1 trade event in its industry is the place where machinery and plant manufacturers, raw materials suppliers and the processing sector come together with specialists from buyer industries. In addition to K, Messe Düsseldorf stages top regional plastics and rubber trade fairs – on its own behalf and in conjunction with its subsidiaries – including INTERPLASTICA in Moscow and ASEANPLAS in Singapore. The trade fair company has cooperated for many years with the organisers of Plastindia and regularly orchestrates German joint participations in plastics fairs on behalf of the Federal Economics Ministry, including those in Egypt, Brazil and China (Chinaplas).

ARABPLAST, which will be staged next year for the 7th time by Al Fajer Information & Services, has established itself as the leading platform for the plastics and rubber industry in the Middle East. The most recent staging in March 2003 attracted 228 exhibitors, including 193 international companies, aswell as over 6,500 visitors from 29 countries. ARABPLAST 2005 will host national delegations from Germany and Austria, sponsored by the German Economics Ministry and the Austrian Chamber of Commerce. ARABPLAST is supported by the German Rubber and Plastics Machinery Association within the VDMA. Messe Düsseldorf anticipates a representative international turnout, with occupied space totalling around 2,000 square metres. Hall 3 of the ultra-modern Dubai International Exhibition Center will be devoted exclusively to the participation.

The Middle Eastern and Persian Gulf region is increasingly becoming an interesting sales market, notably for investment goods. The six countries of Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have become the most important trade partners for Germany in this region, where German products are highly regarded. VDMA statistics show that exports of German machinery to the Middle East increased from a total of EUR 2.7 billion in 2001 to over EUR 3.3 billion in the two years subsequently. And the trend continues unabated: German machinery exports to the region had risen an additional 15 percent by April 2004. Lively business relations are confirmed by additional statistics: According to the German Office for Foreign Trade, the trade volume between Germany and the United Arab Emirates alone rose by 6.4 percent between 2002 and 2003. The economy in the Gulf region is booming: While experts anticipated a 3-percent economic growth in the UAE during 2004, for instance, they have now adjusted their forecasts upward, to a good 5 percent – reaching USD 75 billion.

The Middle East and the Persian Gulf nations play a key role in the global plastics industry, mainly due to the fact that these countries supply almost 80 percent of all crude oil worldwide. Against this backdrop, the region’s plastics sector is also developing dynamically, with the number of small and medium-size processing plants constantly on the rise.

Dubai can be considered the hub of economic activity on the Arabian Peninsula and the gateway to the markets of neighbouring countries. The Dubai International Exhibition Center, where ARABPLAST 2005 will be held, boasts a state-of-the-art exhibition infrastructure.

For more information on ARABPLAST 2005, please contact Jörg Dübelt at Messe Düsseldorf GmbH.
phone: +49 211/4560-7729,
E-mail: DuebeltJ@messe-duesseldorf.de

Photograph available upon request.
Press contact:
Eva Rugenstein/Ruth Füßer
phone +49 211/4560-240
fax +49 211/4560-8548

Mail:
RugensteinE@messe-duesseldorf.de
FuesserR@messe-duesseldorf.de