Companies told: Invest in technology

Engineers of Vinacomin Electrical Equipment Joint Stock Co assemble anti-explosion circuit breakers. Metalex Viet Nam 2001 in October will introduce new machinery, equipment and metalworking technologies.

But to remain competitive, local companies had to invest in modern technology, said Chainarong Limpkittisin, managing director of Reed Tradex Company.

Trade exhibitions could help them achieve that goal because exhibitions were an effective business platform and could provide face-to-face connections for buyers and sellers, he said.

Chainarong said he hoped local firms would attend the Metalex Viet Nam 2011, the large-scale exhibition of machinery, equipment and metalworking technologies to be organised on October 6-8 in Ho Chi Minh City.

The exhibition will bring together 500 well-known brands from 25 countries and territories, including Singapore, Thailand, mainland China, Japan and South Korea.

The three-day exhibition will introduce new machinery and technologies in welding, factory automation, molds and dies, wire and tube technology, control measurement, tools and tooling, and many more.

"There will also be a high-tech zone called the Robot Demonstration Zone and a Business Matchmaking Programme to enable participants to find the right business partners through an online programme," he said.

The event will also include professional seminars where leading experts will present the latest industrial trends.

The exhibition this year will run alongside the international exhibition on electronic parts manufacturing technology, Nepcon Vietnam 2011, which will create an all-under-one-roof meeting centre for the manufacturing community.

Chainarong said this year's exhibition was expected to attract at least 20 per cent more visitors than the one held last year, when 11,400 people attended.

On August 25, the organising committee of the two exhibitions will organise a forum at the Sheraton Hotel that will discuss recovery strategies for small – and medium-sized enterprises and the secrets of business negotiations.