Construction World March 2018

bauma CONEXPO AFRICA

A glimpse into topics of the future

The African and international construction and mining industries will get together at the trade fair for construction machinery, building material machines, mining machines and construction vehicles at the Johannesburg Expo Centre, South Africa, from 13 to 16 March, 2018. Visitors can get a first look at the new machinery, systems, and solutions on an exhibition area of 68 000 square metres. “bauma CONEXPO AFRICA is the largest trade fair of its kind in Africa and offers numerous innovations and interaction opportunities,” says Stefan Rummel, Managing Director of Messe München GmbH. More than 400 exhibitors and around 20 000 visitors, including delegations from Botswana, Chile, Ethiopia, India, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, and Zambia, are expected at bauma CONEXPO AFRICA. The focus of the third edition of this trade fair will be on networking and communication between specialists from various fields. In the demo area, located between hall 5 and the open-air grounds, selected exhibitors will give live demonstrations of their machines and equipment. Industry experts will be able to experience the technical innovations first hand. The speakers’ corner provides visitors the opportunity to engage with exhibitors regarding the latest developments in the industry through presentation and case studies. The North American-based Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), joint venture partner of bauma CONEXPO AFRICA, is bringing to the show tech talks with top representatives from renowned businesses and universities. The recorded sessions were first presented at AEM’s CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2017 exhibition. The topics discussed will range from the smart construction site, The supporting programme for bauma CONEXPO AFRICA gives both exhibitors and visitors a comprehensive overview of the technologies of the future. The focus will be on networking and communication between specialists from various fields.

with the use of robots, to technologies for building resilient and sustainable infrastructure. The development of the world’s first 3D-printed excavator, designed at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), US Department of Energy, in Tennessee, will also be presented during the tech talks. 

Equipment suppliers gearing for year ahead Local construction and mining equipment suppliers are preparing to meet changing requirements of companies within the rapidly changing political and economic landscapes of Southern Africa.

Recent developments in Zimbabwe and South Africa especially may encourage renewed investment while commodity price stability and increased demand for raw materials promises to reignite some under- performing sectors of the mining industry. This could spell good news for equipment suppliers and has spurred a call from the Construction and Mining Equipment Suppliers Association (CONMESA) for members to begin to actively engage with markets in order to anticipate future demand. Tradeshows like the upcoming Bauma Conexpo Africa will also be a pivotal in forging communications between suppliers and users of construction and mining equipment. “CONMESA has worked in partnership with Messe Munchen International

(MMI) and the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) since the inception of the shows in South Africa in 2013. We believe it is a good meeting point and this year’s show in March 2018 is perfectly timed to provide guidance for our industry. It will also be a welcome respite from the tough times economically in Southern Africa,” says CONMESA chairman, Lawrence Peters. “We wish, not only our members, but all exhibitors, local and International visitors and all role-players success at the event and hope that it will be used to anticipate future demands, showcase suitable technologies, forge new business opportunities, exchange ideas and build on current success. “Preliminary figures for 2017 show an improvement over the previous year’s figures and we remain cautiously optimistic that

Lawrence Peters, president of the Construction and Mining Equipment Suppliers Association (CONMESA)

sales will continue to grow into the New Year. Communicating with a wide spectrum of the users across different industries is not only a good way to gauge future demands and trends, but shows like Bauma Conexpo Africa also provide a platform for improved sales going forward,” Lawrence concludes. 

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CONSTRUCTION WORLD MARCH 2018