Visitors at the show.

THE 35th edition of The Big 5, the region’s largest construction event, has been the most successful edition in the history of the show, according to the organisers.

Thousands of visitors were attracted to the show, held at the Dubai World Trade Centre in Dubai, UAE, last month (November 17 to 20), which saw the participation of 2,700 exhibitors from 60 countries around the world.  Co-located with The Big 5, Middle East Concrete and the PMV Live hosted more than 355 exhibitors from 32 countries.  The event also hosted extensive workshops and conference programmes as well as product launches.

Al Tayer Motors, one of the UAE’s leading automobile dealers, launched Ford trucks in the UAE, while MAN launched its 8 x 8 truck, a specialised vehicle for construction suited for rough and off-road conditions (see Transport & Material Handling).

Danube Group showcased its wide range of sanitary products along with the recently added Alucopanel. Kansai Paints Middle East displayed key innovations such as its ActiveCool formulation that helps reduce a building’s carbon footprint by up to 40 per cent and Activesilver technology that can kill disease-spreading bacteria by up to 99.99 per cent. The company also showcased its Artisan Casa and Artisan Viero range.

Origin, a leading supplier of bespoke aluminium bi-folding doors, exhibited its latest custom-designed windows which feature the company’s superior thermal break technology. 

Meanwhile, Hira Industries’ Diamond Pipe Supports Division and the Netherlands-based Walraven Group announced their joint venture to create a new dimension in installation systems, according to a spokesperson for Hira Industries.

This year’s show added a new feature called The Innovation Trail, which took visitors to pre-selected stands featuring the most innovative products. Atelier Sedap, one of the 39 companies in the trail, presented its Mini Blade 35 used to create perfectly seamless readymade plaster profile for recessing linear LED (light emitting diode) lighting. 

 

GAIA AWARDS

The 12 winners for the 2014 Gaia Awards were selected from several industries including heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) specialists, flooring experts, steel professionals, and building systems. InSinkErator Middle East emerged a winner with its food waste disposal system (see Environment Protection). Other winners included MMFX Steel DMCC, Interforce, Gulf Extrusions Company, Mahy Khoory & Company, Synergy United and  Xtraice.