Middle East focus at CATME
04 October 2016
There are still free places available for the first Cranes and Transport Middle East (CATME) conference. The event will be a powerful networking and educational event for the Middle East lifting and transport sector. IC previews the event
Cranes & Transport Middle East (CATME), the first specialist conference organised by KHL Group in the region, will offer a rich insight into trends in the Middle East’s lifting and specialized transport sector.
Many issues face the industry, including the medium and long term impact of the lower oil price; the continuing pressure to improve safety standards at a time when cost control has become all-important, and techniques and methods to increase the efficiency and productivity of heavy lift and transport projects.
The programme for the one-day event has been designed with all of these themes in mind, and entry to the event is free for industry professionals.
Setting the economic scene at the conference will be Matthias Herles, director consulting at IHS Economics & Country Risk for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, who will report on the Middle East economy in the context of lower oil prices, and also look at the potential impact of Iran.
“It’s a very, very interesting time right now in the Middle East”, Herles told IC, “The [oil price] fall creates some winners and losers, and I will ask what it means for the GCC countries. It also provides some opportunities for countries to diversify; that is a big topic right now.”
How this changing economic backdrop will impact on the lifting and specialized transport sector will be specifically addressed by Maher Kabbani, manager of the Heavy Lift Department at Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC), one of the largest contractors and crane owners in the region, with a fleet of more than 900 cranes.
CCC has activities throughout the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) and wider Middle East, and operates in civil infrastructure, oil and gas and as an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor, so Kabbani is well placed to comment.
Other speakers from companies that include Sarens, Mammoet, ALE, Sennebogen and Modulift will address trends in safety, project management and new technology.
The tower crane sector will also have a special focus, with Dr Peter Schiefer, Wolffkran CEO and owner, setting the scene on the latest trends in tower crane management. That will be followed by a round-table, with two of the largest tower crane owners in the Middle East – NFT’s Nabil Al Zahlawi and Samir Al-Mughanni of Liebherr dealer United Equipment Group – joining Dr Schiefer for a discussion on efficient site management of tower cranes.
Whatever the difficulties facing the Middle East at the moment, it remains one of the world’s most active crane and specialized transport markets, with numerous mega-projects planned or underway – not least the 2020 Expo in Dubai and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
CATME will be the perfect event to network with fellow equipment buyers and users, and to learn about prospects for the region.
