// Event Review
Materials Handling ME Materials Handling Middle East 2017 concluded on September 13, bringing a successful end to three-days of networking and discussions of the latest trends and innovations in the market
M
aterials Handling Middle East 2017 featured 126 exhibitors from 21 countries, and welcomed 3,300 visitors from 50 countries at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre. The 9th edition of the biennial three-day event saw the participation of seven of the world’s top 20 materials handling systems suppliers, including the global top three of Daifuku from Japan, German company SSI Schaefer, and the American-headquartered Dematic. It also featured major local suppliers and service providers such as Kanoo Machinery, Al Futtaim Motors, General Navigation and Commerce Company (GENAVCO), SPAN, and ACME, while a two-day Supply Chain and Logistics 48
Forum and a Forklift driving competition ensured visitors and exhibitors alike were informed and entertained. Much of the discussion on the showfloor centred around the readiness of warehouse automation in the GCC, with exhibitors showcasing a full range of wares from manual wracking and semi-automated order picking solutions, to fully automated high-bay warehouses incorporating Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT), otherwise known as Industry 4.0. Dematic, one of the world’s leading specialists in automated intralogistics solutions, was a debut exhibitor at Materials Handling Middle East 2017, along with the fact that in January 2016, it secured the contract for what will
// construction business news me // October 2017
be the Gulf region’s largest automated distribution centre upon completion towards the end of 2018. Michael Kreeft, sales manager from Dematic’s European office which handles the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region, was on-hand at Dematic’s Materials Handling Middle East 2017 booth. He said while he couldn’t go into specifics, the Dubai-based project was the largest Dematic had secured in the company’s 100-plus year history. “We signed the project in January 2016 and it’s going live next summer hopefully. “There’ll be people working in pick stations, but it’s highly automated. We have project managers working on it, and 50 resident engineers based here along with a customer service office. It’ll