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Metal China and Metallurgy China Exhibitions

In 2008, the Metal China and Metallurgy China exhibitions will again be held on the same dates at the Shanghai New International Exhibition Centre (SNIEC). The duo, known collectively as Metal + Metallurgy China, is expected to field over 1,000 exhibitors and attract some 25,000 visitors. Spanning over 21,000 sqm (226,040 sq. ft.) of display space, it will track the latest trends in all areas of the metal industry, focusing on the foundry industry, industrial furnaces, suppliers and subcontractors, metallurgy as well as iron and steel. Metal + Metallurgy China runs from 3 to 6 June 2008.

The joint-showcase, single-venue format is proving a major hit, with several large corporations and market leaders already signed up as exhibitors. These include companies like Danieli, DISA, Hunter Automated Machinery, Maschinenfabrik Gustav Eirich, Inductotherm, Loramendi, Siemens/VAI, the SMS Group, Techint, Wurth, Timken, Toshiba and Vesuvius. This puts Metal + Metallurgy China firmly at the head of the pack in the Asia Region抯 rapidly growing metal-industry expo sector.

Metal + Metallurgy China mirrors the dynamic growth experienced by the metal industry in the Asia-Pacific Region. Since 2006, China has gone from being a net importer of crude steel to a net exporter and today produces more crude steel than the four next-largest steel producing nations combined. The nation抯 steel consumption has quadrupled since 1998 and looks set to grow by up to five percent annually over the next few years.

On the other hand, the investment boom of recent years has resulted in significant overcapacity in certain sectors of the Chinese steel industry. China抯 government is now driving the consolidation wave sweeping the industry in a bid to stabilize profits and free up capital for much-needed modernization. The government抯 stated aim is to have China抯 ten biggest steel producers producing half of the country抯 output by the end of the current decade ?an objective that will require foreign investment and Western technology. Perfect conditions, then, for international dialogue at Metal + Metallurgy China.

China's foundry industry has well and truly recovered from the lull of the mid to late 1990抯 and has moved ahead in leaps and bounds since 2000 ?a turnaround that is built on leading-edge technology and innovative business processes and methods. China抯 largest foundries are now level-pegging with the top players in the Western World. At the same time, the country抯 growing 搇ove affair?with the automobile is a boon to the whole automotive manufacturing and subcontracting industry ?and hence also to the People抯 Republic抯 foundry industry and the Western manufacturers of foundry machinery who constitute its main suppliers.

Metal China is organized jointly by the CFA (China Foundry Association) and Deutsche Messe subsidiary Hannover Messe International GmbH. Metallurgy China is likewise a joint project ?of two leading industry organizations: the CSA (China Iron and Steel Association) and the MC-CCPIT (Metallurgical Council of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade). The two exhibitions have also long enjoyed strong support from European industry associations CECOF (European Committee of Industrial Furnace and Heating Equipment Associations), CEMAFON (European Committee of the Manufacturers of Materials and Products for Foundries) and E-United Metallurgy (European Metallurgical Equipment Association).

Metal + Metallurgy China 2008 both sport a strong line-up of country and region pavilions to help put exhibitors in touch with potential partners. The pavilions function as central forums for discussing key locational issues, finding answers to legal and organizational questions and making contact with new partners. Germany, Italy, Spain and North America will all have their own pavilions. The Italian pavilion is supported by Amafond (an association of producers of machinery and foundry products), while the Spanish pavilion is sponsored by Siderex (Spanish Association of Steelworks Exporters) and Fundigex (the Casting Exporters?Association of Spain. The North American pavilion is spearheaded by CISA (Casting Industry Suppliers Association).

In 2008, there will be further synergies, thanks to the China International Casting Exhibition, which will be held at the SNIEC venue at the same time as Metal + Metallurgy China and will pull in additional visitors and exhibitors from around the globe.

The German pavilion is organized by the German Engineering Federation (VDMA) in association with Deutsche Messe AG subsidiary Hannover Messe International GmbH. Its great popularity in past years is further testimony to the strong and successful partnership between the Chinese expo organizers and Deutsche Messe.



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