Bangkok bags major international trade show
In what is seen as a major coup for Bangkok, Intermat, the international trade show for construction machinery and materials, has teamed up with Thailand’s leading trade show organiser Impact to launch the first edition of Intermat Asean, scheduled for the 8th to the 10th of June next year.
Intermat is recognised as among the top three construction shows worldwide. Recognising the fast growth of Asean as a potentially key component for future demand Intermat has recognised Thailand as the potential prime mover for its expansion into the Southeast Asian region.
Thailand has been positioned as the leading nation in Southeast Asia in terms of the growth and potential of its construction industry. The recently announced major economic support programme by the government aimed at boosting the nation’s construction industry will see more than 1.7 trillion baht’s worth of infrastructure projects implemented through to 2020.
Additionally, Bangkok currently has more than 10,000 commercial and residential buildings of 1,000 square metres or greater, one of the highest numbers in Asean.
The commercial and residential developments are expected to continue its strong growth to contribute 25 percent more buildings to Thailand by 2025. As well, the Housing Business Association is estimating the real estate industry could grow by at least 10 percent in 2016.
The Thai Shopping Centre Association has also announced that shopping mall developers are spending 150 billion baht over the three years to expand retail space from 18 to 21 million square metres. Other retail developments are also estimated to more than double by 2020, as Thailand is rapidly evolving into a major retail hub in the region. All these factors make the Thai construction industry an exciting one with significant growth potential in the next decade to become the rightful hub of the industry in Southeast Asia.
Intermat Asean will present a complete range of products suitable to the region’s needs: production and use of construction materials, earthmoving, civil engineering, concrete manufacture, buildings and work sites, lifting, handling, drilling, boring, road infrastructure, mining and quarry equipment, vehicles and transportation, components and accessories, demolition, recycling, and much more.
Intermat Asean has the full support of the Thai Contractors Association and the trade show will bring a trend-setting platform to the market aimed at uniting and leading the regional construction industry towards higher standards as well as better success and greater recognition on the world stage.
Isabelle Alfano is the show director for Intermat and has said, “Thailand is a fast growing country with strong construction challenges. Being present in Thailand will enable Intermat to spread all around Asean countries, bringing experience from well-established construction equipment manufacturers to provide Asian professionals with strong and efficient solutions to meet their needs.”
Her words were backed up by Loy Joon How, the general manager of Impact, who emphasised Thailand’s strategic location within Asean. ”With the launch of the Asean Economic Community [AEC], comprising 600 million people, connectivity is the key for trade and economic growth. As such, the region requires US$60 billion in annual investments to support its infrastructure development needs. This is the motivating factor for us to stage Intermat Asean 2017 as the strategic regional construction platform to bring technology, innovation and support the growth of Asean’s construction industry and markets,” he said.
