The MEP Group, which claims to be the biggest Italian manufacturer of steel reinforcement processing equipment and a leader in coil processing technology, will be putting the spotlight on its new Format 16 stirrup bender as well as its wide range of innovative solutions at the Big 5 show.

The company, which says it introduced the world’s first stirrup bender for coil processing in 1967, is hoping to make further inroads into the steel bending markets of the Gulf countries with its Format 16 — a very fast and reliable stirrup bender capable of processing up to 16-mm wire and two 12-mm wires simultaneously.
 “At the Big 5 PMV exhibition, this machine will be shown in its standard layout, consisting only of the main body of the machine. However, this range of stirrup benders offers a very high degree of flexibility in production when equipped with a side bench table, allowing it to be effectively operated as a straightener as well as a large shape bender,” says a company spokesman.
“The series is also available in two more versions — as the Format 14 of maximum diameter 14-mm wires or two 10-mm wires simultaneously as well as the Format 12 of maximum diameter 12 mm or two 10-mm wires simultaneously,” he adds.
Listing out the advantages of the Format range, the spokesman points out that this series is also equipped with the latest enhancement of the MEP straightening system — the new AFS (Advanced Feeding System) — which features a large pulling roller capable of creating a large surface of contact with the steel wire, thus reducing the applied pressure and thereby damage to the material compared to the traditional MEP system.
Comprising nine dynamic companies, the MEP Group produces stirrup benders, straightening machines, bending and cutting machines, cage and pre-cage assemblers, mesh plants and lattice girder plants and cold rolling plants, all of which are characterised by exclusive patented and technologically-advanced solutions.
It includes the Superflex and Flexiplus plants and the Cut-Line plant, which combine a high production capacity with the capability of managing the production process in a flexible and effective manner. All plants can be equipped with bending robot stations such as CS40 and CS440 models.
Another group company is Omes, a traditional manufacturer of cut/shear and bending robot systems for straight bars. The group also includes Beta Systems, a well-known supplier of electro-welded mesh plants, lattice girders and cold drawn lines and ACM, whose research and development division services the entire MEP Group.
The production range includes also solutions for cage assembling such as the Pratica and the Preform machines and the GAM 1500 pile cage assembler that features a unique design and working method.
MEP’s coil machine offers a wide range of solutions for straightening as well as bending coils of up to 20 mm into stirrup and large shapes.
In view of the increasing use of coil up to 16 mm, particular in the Gulf countries, MEP offers a full range of large shape benders. This includes the latest product offering of Planet 16, a state-of-the-art machine that was introduced to the market at the Bauma Exhibition in Germany in April this year. This machine, equipped in standard version with a high-speed automatic multi-wire pre-feeder, has a very high level of automation and is expected to set a new standard in the field of large shape bender coil machines.
“With 80 patents filed representing a unique technical asset in this manufacturing field, machines operating in more than 90 countries and staffed with over 300 employees, the MEP Group has what it takes to become a reliable partner in competitive markets such as the UAE in particular and in the Gulf in general, the spokesman states.