METALEX Vietnam 2019 officially kicked off

Ribbon cutting for the 13th edition of METALEX Vietnam

The exhibition will be held until October 12 at Saigon Exhibition & Convention Center (SECC), Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, under the theme of “Rising with Innovations”.

Organised concurrently with METALEX Vietnam 2019 are two co-located shows, Welding Vietnam 2019 specialising in welding and cutting materials, equipment, and technologies in Vietnam and ROBOT X HCMC displaying a vast array of advanced industrial robots. The event has gathered more than 500 brands from 25 countries and is expected to attract at least 10,000 trade visitors.

A wide range of enterprises are moving their factories from other countries to Vietnam, illustrating the high potential for the strong growth of local manufacturing and metalworking industries. Vu Trong Tai, general manager of Reed Tradex Vietnam, shared, “The prolonged trade war is reordering the global supply chain and Vietnam could stand to be a winner for overseas investors. The country’s $300 billion economy is expected to rise between 6.6 to 6.8 per cent this year. In particular, manufacturing remains the key driving factor to accelerate economic development.”

He added, “Demands for automotive machinery are evolving and higher standards are being implemented, therefore, Vietnamese manufacturers are still facing obstacles regarding quality and productivity.”

In order to solve the problem, trade exhibitions focusing on manufacturing and metalworking play a vital role. He affirmed that, “Over the past decades, METALEX Vietnam has been a steadfast ally of Vietnamese manufacturers to catch up with the ever-evolving innovations and knowledge in the field of metalworking. Additionally, it is an ideal platform for technology providers from different countries to showcase their advanced machines and share their pragmatic solutions to leading industrialists in order to maximise manufacturing capabilities. As the organiser of METALEX Vietnam, we have recorded a surge in interest from both local and international exhibitors. The number of METALEX Vietnam 2019’s exhibitors increased by 30 per cent compared to last year’s edition."

Besides, Welding Vietnam, the leading international exhibition specialising in welding & cutting materials, equipment, and technologies in Vietnam, is co-located with METALEX Vietnam. The show promises to be an all-in-one platform for Vietnamese and overseas industrialists to discover the most up-to-date techniques and solutions in the welding industry. Equally important, ROBOT X HCMC will feature state-of-the-art industrial robots and solutions from renowned providers.

Having the same opinion on the importance of trade exhibitions to drive the growth of the manufacturing industry, Adhip Mitra, additional executive director of the Engineering Export Promotion Council (EEPC) of India and the leader of the Indian Pavilion (METALEX Vietnam 2019’s Partner Country) shared his perspectives: “Among the ASEAN nations, Vietnam shares close economic and cultural ties with India and plays a critical role in India’s growing relations with the ASEAN nations. The two countries have dynamic trade ties. In 2018-2019, the total trade between the two countries was to the tune of $13.66 billion, a growth of 6.76 per cent over 2017-2018."

"Given this background, it is a great honour to see that India has been selected as a partner country for METALEX Vietnam which is one of the most established exhibitions of the ASEAN region. I sincerely hope that this edition of METALEX 2019 brings further momentum to Indian-Vietnamese engineering trade relations. I also wish that more such exhibitions can be arranged in both countries for future interactions between our engineering industries,” he added.

On the same note, Apirat Sugondhabhirom, Consul-General of Thailand to Ho Chi Minh City, said that METALEX Vietnam and other related exhibitions this year are organised at an opportune time in order for countries like Thailand and Vietnam to take the paradigm shift in tackling the emerging economic challenges and re-think how to achieve sustainable economic growth. Deeper integration into the global supply chain, more advanced manufacturing through innovation and technology, and strengthened supporting industries are therefore the keys for our countries to move up the value chain and to be on par with international capabilities and requirements.

That is why trade exhibition could serve as a driving force to leverage industries to a new frontier of manufacturing advancement. The events like METALEX Vietnam and other related exhibitions today will be a meeting platform where manufacturers, engineers, and industrialists can enhance their capabilities and take their fill of unprecedented knowledge, ideas, and inspiration to generate new strategies through thought-provoking seminars, and search new potential partnerships through business matchmaking programmes.