wire and Tube Southeast Asia 2019: Celebrate twenty years successfully; reassert positions as the region’s leading trade fairs in their sectors

Held on 20 September at BITEC, Bangkok,  wire and Tube Southeast Asia 2019, the International Wire, Cable, Tube and Pipe Trade Fairs for Southeast Asia, concluded with strong and robust showing.

Read: wire and Tube Southeast Asia 2017 attracted record-breaking 8,458 visitors

Reflecting the heightened industry demand for the synergistic sectors, backed by the region’s rapid urbanisation, rising middle class and infrastructure spending, the two co-located specialist trade fairs unveiled a full gamut of wire, cable, tube and pipe manufacturing machinery and solutions by 376 exhibitors from 29 countries to a record attendance of 9,184 trade visitors from 59 countries, an increase of almost 10 percent in visitorship from the 2017 editions.

Further indicative of the rising interest and investment potential in Southeast Asia was the internationality experienced on the fairgrounds of wire and Tube Southeast Asia 2019. Over 96% of exhibiting companies came from outside Thailand and included 8 national and country groups from Austria, China, Germany, Italy, Taiwan, UK, US, and Singapore. This edition also saw a healthy mix of new and repeat exhibitors, with some first-timers coming from developing markets such as Oman and Turkey. The same upward trend was registered on the visitor front as the fairs received close to 45% in overseas visitors, with top markets being Malaysia, India, China, Philippines, Vietnam, and Singapore.

Vote of confidence from both exhibitors and visitors

The opportune staging of these trade fairs come on the back of Southeast Asia’s expected spend of US$323 billion on infrastructure developments, such as clear water, clean air, energy, roads, ports, railways, to education and healthcare, which will drive demand for wire, cable, tube and pipes thanks to its versatility and diverse applications across industries.

For leading wire and cable tooling manufacturer, Alex Casanovas, Managing Director of Esteves-DWD Shanghai, shared that the Esteves Group has participated in every edition of wire Southeast Asia since its early beginnings as the Group believes in the potential of the Southeast Asian market. “Today, we celebrate this good show, and remain pleased that we have met with customers that we have planned to meet from Thailand Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam. Overall, traffic has been very good for us,” he added.

Echoing his sentiments was Holger Lieder, Sales Director of Sikora AG, a regular exhibitor at wire Southeast Asia. He shared that the fair itself serves as an important trade platform as it the main exhibition for the wire and cable industries here in this region. “What is most interesting is the co-location of wire Southeast Asia with Tube Southeast Asia. Having products and innovations suited for both industries, we are delighted to be able to meet with two groups of quality visitors at a single staging.”

Likewise,  Uwe-Peter Weigmann, WAFIOS’s chairman of the board, gave insights that the company develops 6 to 8 new machines and production systems for wire and tube each year. “It is therefore important for us to transfer this new technology to important markets for us, and one of these is the Southeast Asian market, and this is the reason why we are here at the fairs. We saw good growth as compared to its last edition and received more contacts and discussion opportunities. It has been a positive experience for us!”

Where globalists meet

These positive testimonials were on track as wire and Tube Southeast Asia 2019 saw increased visitors across extended application sectors, including automotive, aerospace, telecommunications, chemical, heating ventilation air conditioning and refrigeration (HVACR), water and energy, and electrical / electronic engineering sectors. They were joined by over 70 local visiting groups from Bangkok Autowire and Cable, Bangkok Cable, Thai Wire Products PLC, KDK Electric Wire, Tata Steel, Rayong Wire Industries and more who made their way to the exhibitions.

Reaffirming wire and Tube Southeast Asia’s draw as a focal point on latest industry developments, face-to-face meetings and a comprehensive sourcing platform was Piboonsak Arthabowornpisan, Advisor to Thai Wire Products PLC. “Having visited the exhibition multiple times, this edition has been a good one as I got to learn more about machines used in the manufacturing of wire products,” he shared.

For first-time visitor from India, Nishant Zunzunwala, CEO of Shrinit Enterprise, he commented that he was most impressed by the size of the exhibitions and the variety and range featured. “I came specifically to look for wire burning machines and brightening acid for tubes and I found what I was looking for. I am pleased to say that negotiations are underway.”

Beyond the strong support by international industry partners towards the trade fairs’ dynamic line-up, the three full on days of action was augmented by training courses, seminar and technical presentations. Led by field experts from TumCivil.com and Technology Promotion Association (Thailand-Japan), along with exhibitors who presented insights to their latest technological innovations for efficient operations, the concurrent events met with overwhelming response and were well-attended by over 700 trade attendees.

The next editions of the exhibitions will take place from 22-24 September 2021 at BITEC, Bangkok. For more information go to: www.wire-southeastasia.com | www.tube-southeastasia.com