ABOUT 55 French companies will be displaying a diverse range of products – all boasting internationally-acknowledged quality – at the French Pavilion at The Big 5 this year.

Almost half of these exhibitors will be making their debut at the show, encouraged by a buoyant civil works sector in the Gulf.
World-renowned company Saint Gobain, including its affiliate Clipper – which offers solid partitions, window partitions, and partitions with cover strips or hollow joints – will be among pavilion exhibitors.
Other leading exhibitors include the Ciat Group, a major manufacturer of equipment for central air-conditioning, heating by heat pumps, air handling and heat exchange, and Concepturbain, a prominent street furniture designer and manufacturer (see separate articles).
The majority of exhibitors are highly responsive small and medium enterprises (SMEs), able to produce bespoke work in response to specific customer requests, according to Jean François Le Borgne, the project manager of UbiFrance, the French government agency for international business development.
They include Terreal (terra-cotta facing panels), Schutt Grande Forge (wrought iron art), Euroslot (stainless steel decorative products), Sénidéco (a mural creator which has just been awarded an Export Trophy Award for its decorative paintings), and La Rochère (upscale glass products), to name but a few.
“France has always been at the leading edge of the civil works sector, thanks to its many research centres such as the Laboratoire Central des Ponts et Chaussées (LCPC, Central Laboratory for Roads and Bridges), the Centre Scientifique et Technique du Bâtiment (CSTB), and the French Environment and Energy Management Agency (Ademe),” says Le Borgne.
In addition, through the Grenelle de l’Environnement roundtable, the country is in the process of adopting one of the world’s most comprehensive legislations aiming at fostering sustainable growth, he says.
“The fight against global warming, the preservation of biodiversity and the reduction of sources of pollution are all sectors where French standards are being reinforced, encouraging French companies to take the lead driving these sectors,” he says. “Also, it is in Paris that the Bâtimat trade show, the world’s leading building sector event, is held every two years.”
French companies, fully aware of the importance of Middle East markets, are attending The Big 5 for the 10th consecutive year.
The French pavilion will be set up in Halls 3 and 4, Stands 3 A141 to 4 E156.