The Dubai Woodshow 2006 – a dedicated wood and wood machinery exhibition in the Middle East – has proved to be a resounding success with the organiser claiming the signing of deals worth over Dh23 million ($6.26 million) during the three-day event, held last month.

In what was one of the biggest single deals clinched at the debuting Dubai Woodshow 2006, Alomi, a producer of solid, engineered and wide-face engineered wood flooring sold 100,000 sq m of its English Oak Flooring totalling $1 million to a major Saudi Arabia-based property developer. Alomi also used the platform to launch its English Oak flooring and will be the first regional producer of solid pre-finished wooden flooring in the Middle East with the launch of its manufacturing unit in the region.
Danube, another major player in the UAE market, also reported the signing of over a million-dollar worth of deals at the show. “We are totally satisfied with the returns from our participation at the show and have no doubt that the exhibition will grow significantly in the coming years,” says Rizwan Sajan, the group chairman of Jebel Ali-based Danube.
“We are certainly thrilled with the outcome of the show, held at Dubai World Trade Centre (April 10 to 12), as the success achieved has far exceeded our expectations,” says Dawood Al Shezawi, managing director of Strategic Marketing and Exhibitions, the organiser. “The success of this year’s debut event can be ascertained from the fact that more than 90 per cent of the exhibitors have already confirmed their participation for next year’s edition. It has been encouraging to note that both exhibitors and visitors at the event were equally benefited from the opportunities that the show presented,” he adds.
“With the UAE becoming one of the largest wood consumers in the Middle East, the value of US hardwood exports to the country, witnessed significant growth and was up 14.5 per cent to touch $7.8 million last year. Analysts have attributed this significant rise in local wood consumption to the surge in demand for wood and wood-based products – a direct result of growth in construction sector,” Shezawi points out.
“The entire Middle East is witnessing frenetic activity in the construction sector, sparking the growth of the wood industry and transforming the region into a major wood consumer. The UAE in particular is seeing major growth, given the scale and enormity of mega projects being undertaken in the city, such as The Palm islands, the Dubai Waterfront or the Burj Dubai – tipped to be the tallest building in the world. More importantly, the city has been witnessing large-scale construction of residential and commercial complexes, in addition to business zones, luxury hotels and shopping malls and all of this signifies immense potential for growth of the wood sector,” says a spokesman for the organiser.
The Dubai Woodshow 2006 also featured an extensive American line-up, led by the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) – the foremost trade association for the US hardwood industry. “Lumber constitutes the bulk of US hardwood exports to the UAE, with exports of American hardwood lumber and veneer to the region increasing by 7 per cent and 90 per cent respectively while flooring exports registered an astonishing 1,345 per cent jump, last year. Wood imports to the UAE also grew 34 per cent to touch Dh 5.2 billion, last year,” he says.
AHEC had a major presence at the Dubai Woodshow, marking the launch of a broader AHEC promotional campaign through Middle Eastern wood markets. Presently, much of the American hardwood products are making their way into the UAE via intermediary countries in the Europe and Middle East. “Through our strong participation at Dubai Woodshow 2006, we aimed to change this scenario by increasing direct imports and strengthening our trade relations with the UAE,” says David Venables, the European director of AHEC.
With a series of specialised seminars that were held on the sidelines of the exhibition, the Dubai Woodshow 2006 was the ideal platform for the global exhibitors for business networking and communication with potential partners, buyers and industry experts, says the spokesman.
The show showcased products and innovations such as medium density fibreboard (MDF) wood, plywood, hardwood, softwood, veneers, timbers, parquet, laminates, finished wood merchandise and paper products, moulding machines, woodworking machinery and tools, accessories, components and auxiliary equipment.
Besides the AHEC, the international line-up of exhibitors at the show, also included reputed names such as the Quebec Export Council from Canada, Jovat from Germany, Roy O Martin from the US, Holz-Point from Italy, Foret Afrique from South Africa and Pidilite Industries and Century Plyboards from India.
The strong international representation was complemented by an extensive local presence, and among the prominent UAE-based participants were Danube Building Materials, Simco, Al Rahmani General Trading Company, Mona Trading, Al Humoudi, Arab Technical Equipment, DeWalt, United Agencies, Italdeco, Hamriya Free Zone, Mohiudeen Woodworks, Cobra Machinery, Al Hattab, Mughal Wood Works and Hakeem Machinery.
Simco, a regional leader in the field of woodworking and carpentry machinery, exhibited CNC machines, woodworking machines and painting line at the trade show. As the authorised dealer of renowned Italian wood machinery manufacturers such as Sicar Group, Euromac and El Wood, Simco showcased some of the latest technologies from these industry leaders at the exhibition, with the highlight having been the company’s new line of production that enables companies to reduce manual labour.