INTERMAT 2012: The Best Ever

INTERMAT has just closed its doors and organizers proclaim the international construction show, which took place April 16-21 in Paris, a rousing success. With 1,350 exhibitors, 67 percent international, and more than 200,000 visitors  ― a record for a B2B exhibition ― including 145,082 identified trade visitors (up 15.8 percent on 2009), 34.2 percent international, INTERMAT again demonstrated its international reach and confirmed its positioning in the Mediterranean and African markets.
   
A number of trenchless companies took part in the exhibition such as Vermeer, Ditch Witch, Prime Drilling GmbH, American Augers and Tracto-Technik.Business was brisk at this session with a large number of orders taken. “The total value of the equipment on offer over the six days was estimated at $2 billion, some 5 percent of which translated into orders, an equivalent of approximately $100 million,” says Exhibition Manager Maryvonne Lanoë.
    
The ninth INTERMAT was an intense time for construction equipment and machinery professionals with many deals struck and partnerships formed.

The world is changing and INTERMAT mirrored that: several Chinese equipment manufacturers exhibited, with stands worthy of the big western names. The huge increase in the number of Chinese exhibitors, occupying more than 26,250 m² of exhibition space and representing 9 percent of the offer in number of exhibitors, reflects the significant foothold China has gained in European markets.

The exhibition was also an opportunity for Chinese manufacturers to announce their European acquisitions. Like Japan and South Korea before it, China is preparing to compete with the west in high-tech manufacturing.

Another highlight was the large number of technological innovations launched at INTERMAT, largely to comply with the new European regulations and progression to stage IIIB of the European emissions standards. One of the key trends of INTERMAT 2012 was the presentation of process equipment to address the growing demand for across-the-board site mechanization, at a time when the working environment is being redefined to better prevent musculoskeletal disorders and other risks.

The exhibition was officially opened by Bernard Accoyer, Deputy Mayor of Annecy-le-Vieux and President of the National Assembly of France. Patrick Bernasconi, President of the FNTP (French association of civil engineering firms) chaired the awards ceremony for the 2012 Innovation Awards. Johann Sailer, President of the CECE (European construction equipment committee) was present and chaired the CECE press conference held at the exhibition.

His Excellency Mohamed Meer Abdalla Al Raeesi, United Arab Emirates Ambassador to France, came to give official support to INTERMAT Middle East, due to take place Oct. 8-10, 2012 in Abu Dhabi. “This annual event in Abu Dhabi is a real opportunity for the Gulf States to promote the region’s construction companies and their innovations, results and projects, as well as for exhibitors to share their experiences,” said HE Al Raeesi. The program for ‘Middle East Day’ included a series of talks and a panel discussion with the special participation of delegations from the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (DED) and the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center (ADNEC).

In the run-up to INTERMAT an extensive international promotional campaign was rolled out, resulting in more than 40 official international delegations being hosted at INTERMAT 2012, from Algeria, Bulgaria, Brazil, Chile, China, Israel, Japan, Mali, Morocco, Tunisia, Russia, Senegal, Northern Europe and the Middle East. Russia enjoyed a particularly high profile at INTERMAT 2012, sending a number of delegations, as did several North and West African nations.

The INTERMAT network is growing and the next event will be the second INTERMAT Middle East on Oct. 8-10, 2012 in Abu Dhabi. This annual event takes place in an important region for construction with a high number of large-scale infrastructure and construction projects under way.  INTERMAT Middle East is an opportunity for international site equipment manufacturers and their local distributors to meet clients, project managers and contractors from the Gulf States. For further information see www.INTERMAT-middleeast.com.