Metal-Expo'2009 Press-release
Metal Week in Moscow, the biggest industrial forum with Metal-Expo’2009 15th International Industrial Exhibition as its key event was held on November 09-13, 2009 in Moscow, Russia. 500 companies from 25 countries participated in the exhibition and 2.7 thd professionals received 18.5 thd visitors on their stands.
The program of events of the exhibition including meetings, negotiations, panel discussions etc. seemed quite tense to heads and professionals of steel companies. Under the current economic conditions finding common interests with customers, distributors, and suppliers of steel products and raw materials becomes more urgent. When speaking about the results of the exhibition quite a lot of exhibitors pointed efficiency of presentations and negotiations they conducted during the event. Some exhibitors already reported of some practical results they had.
Along with meeting and negotiations the program of Metal Week in Moscow also included 30 conferences, round tables, seminars, and presentations where more than 400 reports were given. Some 3 thd heads and professionals of steel and related companies participated in the program of events of Metal Week in Moscow during which they had a good opportunity to discuss the most pressing problems of supplies of raw materials, mesh products, and secondary resources as well as IT technologies, new promising materials and equipment, estimation of state of things and future development of such industries as fuel and energy complex, transport, and construction. At Metal-Expo the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation held a workshop of Coordination Council for the Steel Industry on using new types of steel products in the automotive industry with the participation of the leading Russian steel companies.
According to The Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation the charge of steel making facilities has reached 93% of the pre-recession period while consumption of metal and steel products in the domestic market in 2009 has fallen 35-40% as compared to 2008. The biggest recession has been registered in the automotive industry (50% down), machine–building (40% down), construction (35% down), and fuel and energy complex (20% down). According A. Dementyev, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation in 2009 investments in the ferrous industry have reached 150 bln rubles. A. Dementyev noted that in the future the government would support only projects aimed at the domestic market.
Fall in consumption is not a short-term process. According to D. Gorshkov, Vice-President of Russian Steel it will take a long time for the market to recover. Surge of imports will not safe the situation in the domestic market. In the 3d quarter of 2009 (as compared to the corresponding period of 2008) flats consumption in Russian has fallen by 48%, long products – by 43% while production of flats has fallen by 19%, and long products by 32%. However, recovery of export prices in 2009 has not exceeded 50% of the level of 2008. This has affected activities of steel companies. In 9 months of 2009 profit of steel companies has fallen 50%.
Steel makers and state officials intent to turn the Coordination Council for the Steel Industry into an efficient mechanism with a set of tools for solving problems in the steel industry. At the workshop on using new types of steel products in the automotive industry the Coordination Council decided to work out a schedule of quarterly coordination meetings. “The task of the workshop is to establish a dialogue between cars and steel makers. We need to understand the way of development of the automotive industry and the requirements of customers to steel companies”, stated A. Pinchuk, Deputy Director of Department for Basic Industries, Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation. A. Rakhmanov, Director of Automotive Industry and Agriсulture Machine-Building Department noted that in the 10 months of 2009 the fall in the market volume reached 51%, the total production volume in 2009 reached about 1.5 mln of cars. Since 1 January 2010 the market will close to used cars due to adoption of Euro-4 norms. Since February 2010 an experimental program on used cars recycling and stirring up demand for new cars will be launched. As part of the program the government is going to spend 10 bln rubles of the state budget on recycling of some 200 thd cars.
During Metal-Expo heads of extrusion plants held a meeting to discuss problems and development of aluminium extrusion. Companies such as Aluminium Products and TMK met with distributors during Metal-Expo. “Under the current difficult economic conditions characterized by a considerable fall in volumes of the global and regional markets, cooperation with leading regional metal and steel traders becomes more important. It helps reduce negative affect of the recession and increase volumes of supplies of high quality reliable tubular products in the regional markets”, stated S. Bilan, Deputy Director General for Marketing, TMK.
A big scientific and technical program has been held during Metal-Expo’2009. For the first time scientific and research institutes were represented at the exhibition on a joint stand. The most pressing problems of development of fundamental and applicable sciences in the ferrous and non-ferrous industries were discussed at scientific symposiums during which companies were awarded Metal-Expo golden and silver medals for application of the best developments in the ferrous and non-ferrous industries.
In 2010 Metal-Expo will traditionally be held in November to present the whole range of modern equipment, technologies and products of ferrous and non-ferrous industries. Together with the expositions of steel-making and machine-building MetallStroyForum’2010 the exрosition of metal and steel products for construction will be arranged to jumpstart development of cooperation of steel makers and builders.
Organizing Committee of Metal-Expo`2009
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Metal-Expo is a full member of Global Association of Exhibition Industry (UFI) and Russian Union of Exhibitions and Fairs and an associated member of Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs. Metal-Expo is one of a few exhibitions which passed international auditing. The exhibition is held every year. Metal-Expo International Industrial Exhibition is endorsed by the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, International Metallurgists’ Union, Russian Union of Metal Exporters, Russian Union of Metal and Steel Suppliers Metallurgmash, and patronized by Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.