The recent concurrent staging of wire Southeast Asia 2017 – the 12th International Wire and Cable Trade Fair for Southeast Asia – and Tube Southeast Asia 2017 – the 11th International Tube and Pipe Trade Fair for Southeast Asia – in Bangkok closed with a 20% visitor increase: 8,458 international visitors from 50 countries took part the 3-day exhibitions to view the innovative products and technologies presented by 400 exhibitors from 30 nations. A total of 95% of the exhibitors came from outside Thailand, with country group exhibits from Austria, China, Germany, Italy, Taiwan, UK and the U.S. On the attendee side, 39% traveled from overseas, including visiting delegations from Vietnam, India, Japan, Thailand and Malaysia. 65 local group visits from companies such as Bangkok Cable, Phelps Dodge International, Thai Wire Products, Thai Yazaki Electric Wire and The Siam Industrial Wire were recorded.
In his opening ceremony speech, Mr. Kobchai Sungsitthisawad, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Industry, stressed the growth opportunities in Asia and the importance of trade fairs to access this market: “The timely staging of exhibitions like wire and Tube Southeast Asia brings new ideas, facilitates business deals and transactions and provides an environment for ideas and creative solutions, paving the 
way for product manufacturers, raw material suppliers, components and equipment manufacturers and technology innovators to gain their foothold in Thailand and the region.”
Friedrich-Georg Kehrer, Global Portfolio Director for Metals and Flow Technologies at Messe Düsseldorf, added: “Thailand is considered to be the central springboard to the up-and-coming markets of Southeast Asia due to a boom in the building, energy and automotive sectors. This makes wire and Tube Southeast Asia the focal platform for information about the latest developments, equipment and machinery, where contacts for future business relations and deals are made.”
The wire and Tube Southeast Asia 2017 exhibits were complemented by conference, seminar and technical presentations. More than 300 attendees took part in the events led by industry experts and exhibitors focusing on current industry topics.
Exhibitors were pleased with their participation. Mr. Mauritz Von Reden, CEO of Seuthe GmbH, stated: “We are proud to be here at this trade-focused platform to showcase our products and connect with customers. We made many new business contacts with companies from Thailand, China and India and hope these will result in many fruitful dealings and collaborations.”
For SCG Chemicals, one of the largest integrated petrochemical companies in Asia, wire and Tube Southeast Asia 2017 gave the company an expanded channel to promote its business to regional visitors. “This is a very good exhibition since we got to meet with a lot of prospective customers and suppliers for wire and cable. We had many guests at our booth and new customers who are interested in our products and are already planning to be at the next edition of the trade fair,” remarked Mr. Taviphat Konkhum, Sales Manager for SCG Chemicals.
The visitors valued wire and Tube Southeast Asia as a business-promoting forum. For Ir Chang Yew Cheong, Vice President of The Electrical and Electronics Association of Malaysia, the trade fair provided a perfect opportunity for wire companies and manufacturers to see the latest range of products and technologies available in the market, enabling him to share this information with his association members. For Mr Naohiro Une, President of Daishin Industrial Co, the trade fairs reinforced “Thailand’s draw as a regional hub that will connect Japan to the Southeast Asian and Middle Eastern markets.”
The next staging of wire and Tube Southeast Asia is scheduled for September 17 – 19, 2019 at BITEC in Bangkok. For further information on visiting or exhibiting at wire and Tube Southeast Asia 2019, contact Messe Düsseldorf North America, 150 North Michigan Avenue, Suite 2920, Chicago, IL 60601. Telephone: (312) 781-5180; Fax: (312) 781-5188; E-mail: info@mdna.com; Visit our web sites www.wire-southeastasia.com, www.tube-southeastasia.com and www.mdna.com; Follow us on twitter at http://twitter.com/WireTube_
