Intermat 2012 the best ever!

Intermat has just closed its doors and we take a look at some of the highlights of Paris’s international construction event. With 1,350 exhibitors, 67% international, and more than 200,000 visitors ― a record for a B2B exhibition ― including 145,082 identified trade visitors (up 15.8% on 2009), 34.2% international, Intermat again demonstrated its international reach and confirmed its positioning in the Mediterranean and African markets.

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Highlights and hot topics

Sales exceeding expectations
Business was brisk at this session with a large number of orders taken. “The total value of the equipment on offer over the 6 days was estimated at $2 billion, some 5% of which translated into orders, an equivalent of approximately $100 million,”  says Exhibition Manager Maryvonne Lanoë. The 9th Intermat was an intense time for construction equipment and machinery professionals with many deals struck and partnerships formed.

China present in force
The world is changing and Intermat mirrored that: several Chinese equipment manufacturers exhibited, with stands worthy of the big western names. The huge increase in the number of Chinese exhibitors, occupying more than 26,250 m² of exhibition space and representing 9% of the offer in number of exhibitors, reflects the significant foothold China has gained in European markets. The exhibition was also an opportunity for Chinese  manufacturers to announce their European acquisitions. Like Japan and South Korea before it, China is preparing to compete with the west in high-tech manufacturing.

What’s new in equipment?
Another highlight was the large number of technological innovations launched at Intermat, largely to comply with the new European regulations and progression to stage IIIB of the European emissions standards. One of the key trends of Intermat 2012 was the presentation of process equipment to address the growing demand for across-the-board site mechanisation, at a time when the working environment is being redefined to better prevent musculoskeletal disorders and other risks. Construction companies (the users) want faster, quieter and more efficient equipment that will boost productivity and save energy.

International market leaders
During this exceptional week, Intermat welcomed the bosses of many major international construction equipment manufacturers, representing 80% of the global market:

• Christian Stryffeler, Executive Vice President, Ammann
• Geert Follens, President, Atlas Copco Airpower
• Henk Brouwer, President, Atlas Copco Construction Tools
• Markku Teräsavasara, President, Atlas Copco Surface Drilling Equipment
• Gary Bell, CEO, Bell Equipment
• Paolo Fellin, Vice President, Caterpillar EMEA
• Mario Gasparri, the new President of CNH
• Tony Helsham, CEO, Doosan Infracore
• Jean-Claude Fayat, Managing Director, Groupe Fayat
• Zeng Guang’an, President, Guangxi Liugong Machinery Co. Ltd
• Pierre Saubot, Chairman and CEO of the Haulotte Group and Alexandre Saubot, Chief Operating Officer
• Moriaki Kadoya, the new President and CEO of Hitachi Construction Machinery (Europe)
• S.W. Kim, General Manager, Hyundai Heavy Industries Europe
• Tsutomu Kikuchi, President, Ihimer Spa
• Greg J. Owens, Chairman and CEO, IronPlanet
• Sir Anthony Bamford, Chairman of JCB
• Keiko Fujiwara, President and CEO, Komatsu Europe International n.v.
• Vesa Koivula, CEO, Kramo
• Shinichi Miyake, President, Kubota Europe
• Sophie and Yann Liebherr, representatives of the Liebherr family (3rd generation)
• Alain Bohrer, CEO of Liebherr France. President of Cisma
• Tao Deng, President, LiuGong Europe
• David Beatenbough, Chairman of the Board of the new entity, LiuGong Machinery (Poland)
• Henri Marchetta, CEO, Mecalac–Ahlmann
• Dr Georg Sick, CEO, Mecalac–Ahlmann
• Amilcare Merlo, Chairman and founder, Merlo
• Guylain Turgeon, Managing Director, Ritchie Bros
• Thomas Schulz, President, Sandvik Construction
• Xiang Wenbo, President, Sany
• Li Dianhe, Vice President, Shantui Construction Machinery
• Ichiro Shimada, Vice President International Development, Sumitomo
• Akio Takeuchi, President and founder, Takeuchi
• Ron DeFeo, Chairman and CEO, Terex
• Tim Ford, President, Terex Aerial Work Platforms, Terex Corp.
• Pat Olney, CEO, Volvo CE
• Jean-Marie Osdoit, President and CEO, Volvo Construction Equipment in France. President of Seimat
• Neil Stothard, Group Managing Director, Vp plc
• Cem Peksaglam, CEO, Waker Neuson
• Stefan Wirtgen, Joint President, Wirtgen
• Zhao Qing Sheng, Department Manager, XCMG
• Jason Weng, CEO, XGMA Machinery Company
• Peter Schrader, Managing Director, Zeppelin Rental GmbH
• Helen Huang, General Manager, Construction Crane Division, Zoomlion.

A week of official visits with a focus on the Middle East
The exhibition was officially opened by Bernard Accoyer, Deputy Mayor of Annecy-le-Vieux and President of the National Assembly of France. Patrick Bernasconi, President of the FNTP (French association of civil engineering firms) chaired the awards ceremony for the 2012 Innovation Awards. Johann Sailer, President of the CECE (European construction equipment committee) was present and chaired the CECE press conference held at the exhibition. His Excellency Mohamed Meer Abdalla Al Raeesi, United Arab Emirates Ambassador to France, came to give official support to INTERMAT Middle East, due to take place 8―10 October 2012 in Abu Dhabi: “This annual event in Abu Dhabi is a real opportunity for the Gulf states to promote the region’s construction companies and their innovations, results and projects, as well as for exhibitors to share their experiences,”  said HE Al Raeesi. The programme for ‘Middle East Day’ included a series of talks and a panel discussion with the special participation of delegations from the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (DED) and the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center (ADNEC).

In the run-up to INTERMAT an extensive interanational promotional campaign was rolled out, resulting in over 40 official international delegations being hosted at Intermat 2012, from Algeria, Bulgaria, Brazil, Chile, China, Israel, Japan, Mali, Morocco, Tunisia, Russia, Senegal, Northern Europe and the Middle East. Russia enjoyed a particularly high profile at Intermat 2012, sending a number of delegations, as did several North and West African nations.

Record international press presence
Almost 500 journalists, 75% of them international,  covered the event. The press made a huge contribution to its success.

Intermat harnesses the power of Web 2.0
Intermat has fully embraced the digital age, setting itself apart with a sophisticated ecosystem to facilitate the visitor experience and stimulate information exchange and networking. A website, a blog with a wealth of articles, videos and photos, wide-scale presence on social networks (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn), a dedicated mobile application, and a daily online news bulletin with articles, videos and photos produced  during the exhibition by a team of 30 international journalists. A print version of the Dailynews in English was handed out at all the entrances.

Intermat 2012 was THE international virtual and real-world gathering of the entire construction industry, as the success of this 9th session shows!

Exhibition Manager Maryvonne Lanoë sums up: “The 9th Intermat confirmed the recovery of the construction equipment sector, with a clear upturn in business worldwide and turnover of more than $100 billion* in 2011. So Intermat in fact heralded the 2012 recovery. We look forward to seeing you all in Abu Dhabi in October 2012 and again in Paris in 2015.”

Intermat continued…  
The Intermat network is growing and the next event will be the 2nd INTERMAT Middle East, 8, 9 & 10 October 2012 in Abu Dhabi. This annual event takes place in an important region for construction with a high number of largescale  infrastructure and construction projects underway. INTERMAT Middle East is an opportunity for international site equipment manufacturers and their local distributors to meet clients, project managers and contractors from the Gulf states. For further information see www.intermat-middleeast.com

* Sources: Off-Highway Research

About Intermat 2012
International Exhibition of Equipment and Techniques for the Construction and Materials Industries. http://www.intermat.fr

About Comexposium
COMEXPOSIUM, Europe’s leading events organiser, has a portfolio of 136 conferences, B2B and B2C exhibitions covering 17 sectors. It organises five of France’s biggest events: SIAL, Intermat, Equip Auto, SIMA and the Foire  de Paris. With 400 employees and a strong international development strategy, COMEXPOSIUM had revenues of €208 million in 2010. The group is jointly owned by the Paris Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIP) and UNIBAIL RODAMCO.