EVENTS
Kobelco in the outdoor area of bauma CONEXPO AFRICA 2015.
the past two years for more sophisticated
DEUTZ liquid- and air-cooled electronically
controlled engines.”
Sew-Eurodrive national sales and marketing
manager Norman Maleka notes that while the
market in general has not been favourable,
Sew-Eurodrive South Africa has forged ahead
with major investment in both stock and
personnel. “Despite the negative outlook, we
continue to increase our sales of industrial
gears, as well as pushing our IEC motor
range,” he says.
Other exhibitors
But bauma CONEXPO AFRICA will not
only feature prominent, leading companies,
but also important industry organisations
and associations, such as the Concrete
Society of Southern Africa (CSSA) — a non-
profit organisation that aims to promote
excellence and innovation in the use of
concrete as a material.
John Sheath, CEO and director of the
CSSA, describes some of the situations
currently shaping the southern African
Elaine Crewe, CEO of trade fair organiser BC Expo South Africa.
cement mixer market: “Government
programmes have recently been encouraging
investments to be made in smaller projects.
This is shifting demand from large, expensive
machines and systems to smaller, less
expensive units, which also suit smaller
contractors. In order for us to achieve
success in the market, these systems will
also need to be easier to operate than their
big brothers, as they will be used by less-
skilled workers.”
According to Sheath, bauma CONEXPO
AFRICA represents an excellent opportunity
to further increase awareness of the support
provided by the concrete-related associations
in South Africa and provide its target groups
with information to enable them to take even
more profound decisions.
A large number of international pavilions
are also planned for bauma CONEXPO
AFRICA. China, Finland, Germany, North
America, and the UK have all registered,
and Portugal and Singapore will also have
a pavilion at the trade fair for the first time.
“This clearly shows the importance of
bauma CONEXPO AFRICA for international
companies,” Crewe says.
Frank W Reschke, sales director and a
member of the Board of Management at
Masa, Germany, also underscores the key
role played by the trade fair: “For us there
is no comparable trade show, no other
international trade fair in Africa, for Africa.
bauma CONEXPO AFRICA delivers on our
expectations.”
Brian van Buuren, managing director
of earth-moving equipment components
supplier ITR Africa, agrees. “The previous
trade fair was an incredibly successful show
for us, and the professionalism shown
by bauma CONEXPO AFRICA allowed us
to showcase our products and enjoy the
success we continually strive for.”
Changes are being made to the upcoming
event, including access to an additional
entrance, which will improve visitor flow to all
exhibition areas. The addition of this entrance
will introduce a new outdoor exhibition area
that will provide exhibitors with more space for
their displays. ■