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| bauma a magnet for international mining industry  Demand for raw materials, particularly strong in China and India, coupled with a rise in prices worldwide, has brought orders flooding in to the manufacturers of mining machinery. For the second time these manufacturers will be taking part in bauma 2007 in Munich, the world´s biggest international trade fair for machinery and equipment for the building and construction, building-materials and mining industries. According to sector estimates, last year around 20 billion euros worth of mining machinery was sold worldwide, excluding equipment for the oil and gas industries.The three largest machinery-manufacturing countries are Germany, Great Britain and the US. Around 40 percent of world trade is accounted for by these three alone. The main markets are in China, the US and Russia. And demand from Iran last year was extremely strong, as German manufacturers reported. According to Germany´s engineering federation (VDMA – Verband Deutscher Maschinen- und Anlagenbau) exports rose almost 100 percent over the figures for 2005, to 120 million euros. Sector experts believe the country is preparing itself for the time when the oil has run out. China is gaining ever more significance, not only as a customer for, but also as a producer of mining equipment. In the rankings of the world´s leading manufacturing countries, the country is in fourth place, close behind Great Britain. Yet China´s own needs, in particular as regards safety technology, are tremendous. Mostly high-tech is being imported, and this is benefiting the western manufacturers. Their exports into China have risen strongly in recent years. How long this will remain so, depends on the further technological development of the Chinese mining industry. Worldwide the prospects for the sector are positive. Rising demand for energy and raw materials, together with increasing prices, is encouraging the exploitation of new deposits. Deposits that previously were considered not cost-effective to mine, can now be very lucrative. The trend is towards underground mining. The deposits of raw materials that can be extracted by open-cast mining are gradually running out and so companies are being forced to turn to underground mining. Examples of this development can be seen in coal mining in Australia and copper mining in Chile. Even in high-wage countries like Great Britain, France and the Netherlands, serious consideration is now being given to opening up new coal mines. The world´s biggest international trade fair for machinery for the building and construction, building-materials and mining industries takes place at the New Munich Trade Fair Centre from 23 to 29 April 2007. write your comments about the article :: © 2007 Construction News :: home page |