The 2nd edition of Saudi International Machinery & Equipment Exhibition (Machinex Arabia 2012) saw several business deals signed between Saudi and international companies and was "a spectacular success," involving 150 local and international exhibitors and drawing more than 8,000 visitors. Most of the visitors to the three-day event organized by Al Harithy Company for Exhibitions under the auspices of Saudi Industrial Property Authority (MODON) and industrial equipment leaders Alruqee Group as the main sponsor, were Saudi businessmen, industrialists, trade professionals and university students, said Zahoor Siddique, Vice President of Al Harithy Company for Exhibitions. "This 2nd edition of Machinex Arabia was a spectacular success, the number of exhibitors and visitors increased significantly - there were more than 8,000 visitors - and several business deals were concluded, which will eventually lead to beneficial cooperation and accelerate the industrial development of Saudi Arabia," he said. Showcased at the exhibition were the latest in machinery and equipment, processing and assembly lines and related technologies. The highlight this year was the Turkish national pavilion supported by the Turkish Ministry of Economy with 40 companies in participation. Bulent Erten, leader of the Turkish Group expressed his deep satisfaction on behalf of his group. "Most of our exhibitors have made deals with the Saudi companies and we look forward to a larger participation in 2013" he commented. A wide range of industrial companies from China and Taiwan also took part, in addition to several leading Saudi companies representing international brands from Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Korea, Holland, Switzerland and the United States in the area of production of machiney and factory processing lines. "A huge number of businessmen, owners of companies and factories visited the exhibition," Siddique said. "Most of the exhibitors, many of them repeat participants, were satisfied." Engineer Saleh Ibrahim Al-Rasheed, Director General of Saudi Industrial Property Authority (MODON), said the exhibition was "very well organized." Alruqee Group, one of the major exhibitors and sponsors, sold SR3 million worth of machinery during the event. "Machinex Arabia 2012 offered us a unique opportunity to showcase our latest machinery imported from Germany, Italy and Spain, including metal plates punching machines made by the German firm TRUMPF," the group said in a statement released by its Marketing Director Mohammed Abu-Naama. "We hope the exhibition will be held more than once a year for the benefit of all those involved in this important sector." Ahmed Konhi, Sales Manager of Alhazim Machineries, which participated for the second time, said they received more than 50 requests for more information and pricing, "which reflects the great success of the exhibition." The company represents leading German, Italian, Spanish and American companies.
