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International support for inaugural bauma Africa

A scene from bauma 2013, which was held in the German city of Munich earlier this year. The organisers of the first bauma Africa will be hoping to capitalise on the success of the bauma brand. (Image source: Messe München GmbH)

Looking ahead to a key event in the calendar for all stakeholders - investors, manufacturers, operators and services firms - in African construction and mining

The first bauma Africa, which takes place 18-21 September 2013 in Johannesburg, South Africa, is directed primarily at construction markets in sub-Saharan Africa. It is an excellent opportunity for the many machinery enterprises exhibiting a broad spectrum of specialist equipment, and showcasing new and innovative ideas suitable for southern African markets.

More than 500 exhibitors and 15,000 visitors from the African construction and mining sectors will be present. The trade fair covers more than 60,000 square metres (sq m) of exhibition space. Exhibitors from 34 countries will be participating in the trade fair, with companies at international pavilions representing Austria, China, Finland, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Korea, Northern Ireland and Spain.

Elaine Crewe, chief executive officer of Messe München International (MMI) South Africa, says, "As investors and businesses look towards developing countries for new growth, the mining and construction industries are set to profit from this move. The need for infrastructure present a growing opportunity for those present in these sectors to provide services and products throughout developing countries and benefit from this burgeoning growth.

"The growing pool of international entrants into the African market are a telling sign of just how important Africa is becoming and the need for specialised players in the industry, we trust that bauma Africa will highlight new products in these sectors."

International interest in inaugural event

The premiere of bauma Africa is attracting great interest in the sector, both at home and abroad: the South African Construction and Mining Equipment Suppliers' Association (CONMESA) expressly welcomes the premiere of bauma Africa, the International Trade Fair for Construction Machinery, Building Material Machines, Mining Machines and Construction Vehicles.

A range of other national and international associations and organisations are also supporting the new event. CONMESA was founded in 1992 and it currently has 20 members who represent the most important local and international companies in the construction and mining industry in South Africa.

Marc Carter, president of CONMESA, said, "The Construction and Mining Equipment Suppliers' Association fully supports the initiative of Messe München International in establishing bauma Africa as an international trade show which purely focuses on the construction equipment, construction materials machinery and mining machinery sector.

"This kind of show, with its primary focus on our business environment, is currently missing on the African continent and especially in Southern Africa. We are convinced that bauma Africa will bring considerable value to our members, to the African construction industry and to the worldwide construction machinery industry."

Also among the international supporters of bauma Africa are the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), the Asociación Española de Fabricantes Exportadores de Maquinaria para Construcción (ANMOPYC), the China Construction Machinery Industry Association (CCMA), the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade - Machinery Sub-Council (CCPIT-MSC), the Construction Equipment Association (CEA), the Japan Construction Equipment Manufacturers Association (CEMA), the China Construction Machinery Co., Ltd. (CNCMC), the Costruttori Macchine Movimento Terra (COMAMOTER), the Japan Construction Mechanization Association (JCMA), the Korea Construction Equipment Manufacturers Association (KOCEMA), the Unione Costruttori MacchineEdili, Stradali, Minerarie ed Affini (UCoMESA) and the Unione Nazionale Aziende Construction Equipment & Attachments (UNACEA).

In addition, the German Engineering Federation, the VDMA (Verband Deutscher Maschinen- und Anlagenbau), is making an application to the Ministry of Economic Affairs for it to back an official German pavilion at bauma Africa.

Commenting on the involvement of the association, Johann Sailer, president of the VDMA Construction Machinery and Building Materials Machinery Association and President of the Committee for the European Construction Equipment (CECE), said, "The German industry very much welcomes the initiative of Messe München in establishing a new sector platform in sub-Saharan Africa.

"As a trade association within the VDMA we have been a partner of Messe München for almost 40 years, supporting bauma. We want the brand and the concept of bauma to become as well-established in Johannesburg as it already is in other locations around the world."

At the show, and on their stands Major players like Atlas Copco, ELB Equipment, Goscor Group, Herrenknecht, Hyundai, LiuGong, Pilot Crushtec, Putzmeister, Sany, Shantui, Sumitomo, Terex Finlay, Vermeer, and XCMG are showcasing solutions. Retailers and, thus, sales partners of international brands such as Bobcat, Casagrande, Doosan, Fiori, Genie, Kawasaki and Mitsubishi will also be represented.

Gary Bell, chief executive at Bell Equipment, sees bauma Africa as a real opportunity for his company. He said, "An international exhibition of this stature in sub-Saharan Africa has been long awaited and we at Bell Equipment look forward to supporting an event which will have positive spin-offs for the region, the construction industry and our customers."

Stefanie Herr, head of corporate marketing at Wacker Neuson, added, "Wacker Neuson has long had its own sales affiliate in South Africa. But we never had the chance of presenting the broad range of products and services to a large number of visitors there. We are looking forward to doing that now and meeting customers from the other countries of the African continent."

Exhibitors also include Bauer Maschinen, which is looking forward to welcoming large numbers of visitors to its Stand E 20 in the outdoor area. The selection of equipment shown by Bauer will demonstrate the competence of the Bauer companies in supplying appropriate equipment for bored piles, water well drilling and mining activities as significant activities of the construction industry are expected in these fields.

The Wirtgen Group will also be there, showcasing a representative cross-section of its road and mineral technologies product portfolio on an area of around 800 sq m. The exhibits will feature innovative technologies from the brands Wirtgen, Vögele, Hamm, Kleemann and Ciber - specially tailored to the needs of the African market.

HPE Africa, the sole distributor of Hyundai earthmoving equipment in Southern Africa, will be there - and general manager Neil Sauls affirms that the company will be exhibiting and demonstrating the capabilities of a total of 14 Hyundai machines, including; mini excavators, tracked excavators, wheeled excavators, backhoe loaders, wheel loaders and skid steer loaders.

This article originally featured in the September 2013 issue of African Review of Business and Technology. To read the rest of this article, please click here

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