History-making edition of M&T Expo attracted a public of 54,597 visitors

The show’s history-making edition moved some R$ 1.2 billion (US$ 666 million), considering actual deals concluded. The figure corresponds to approximately 10% of the segment’s total annual sales and represents an increase of 20% compared to the last edition of the event in 2009.

The perspective of good business, which has now been confirmed, firmly establishes M&T Expo 2012 (held from May 29 to June 2) as a thermometer of the market for construction and mining equipment as a number of buyers chose to wait for the opening of M&T Expo 2012 to see news that manufacturers would bring to the show and to negotiate the purchase of new equipment, or finalize deals they had already begun to make. In 2009, the fair had been a watershed for the segment upon achieving R$ 1 billion (US$ 555 million) in business, reversing the consequences of the economic crisis that affected many countries at that time.

 

At this year’s edition, the amount of business done was also expressive and reinforced the role of M&T Expo as a meeting place for executives who decide what their companies will buy and for professionals in the sector of construction and mining. Case Construction Equipment, for example, reached the end of the show with a list of about 500 orders; the Wirtgen Group exceeded its sales target (which was considered very bold) by 90%; and the number of machines sold at the event has grown over 500% compared to 2009. New Holland Construction has also succeeded in achieving its sales targets, besides having sold at the fair their releases in motor graders and telehandlers. GTM Máquinas e Equipamentos, the official distributor of XCMG, accomplished over R$ 5 million (US$ 2.78 million) in business; Randon Vehicles concluded the sale of 43 machines including trucks and backhoes; Manitowoc sold 13 machines to the Odebrecht construction company and an automatic hydraulic crane to equipment-rental firm Central Locadora, which also signed a letter of intent providing for the purchase of ten more units.

"These examples attest to the role of M&T Expo as a generator of business for manufacturers and resellers of equipment, promoting competitiveness and economic, financial and technological development throughout the sector of construction and mining," says Afonso Mamede, president of SOBRATEMA - Brazilian Association of Technology for Equipment and Maintenance; the creators and organizers of the trade fair.

This amount of business can be explained by the prospects for investment in infrastructure in Brazil until 2016, and also the quality in the profiles of visitors to M&T Expo 2012. In all 54,597 people visited the show - including 2,053 foreign visitors from 71 different countries. Attendance was 32% higher than in 2009 and 21% higher than expected by Sobratema prior to the opening of the fair. Considering domestic visitors alone, this year the trade show was attended by professionals coming from all of Brazil’s 26 states and its Federal District. There was also an increase of 5% in the number of visitors from other states, excluding São Paulo. "This capillarity of the fair reinforces the show’s positioning as a trade fair for entrepreneurs from North to South," explains Mamede.

The visiting public, made up of purchasing decision-makers, professionals and technicians from companies linked to the industry, including contractors and construction and mining companies, was interested in the 1,042 brands and about 3,500 items of equipment on display at the Centro de Exposições Imigrantes in the city of São Paulo. "On 62,057 square meters of exhibition area, these visitors had the opportunity to get to know a wide variety of machines for earthmoving, paving, hoisting, rock drilling, mining, among others, as well as engines, undercarriages and other parts and components," says Mamede. Two highlights of this edition were: compact equipment, which can perform work in locations with limited maneuvering space; and increasingly advanced simulators for the education and training of equipment operators, providing the same sensations they experience when actually operating machines.

In terms of participating companies, M&T Expo featured 494 exhibitors, 270 of whom national, from nine Brazilian states, and 224 international from 15 different countries. To them, besides bringing business, the fair also showed the reality of the Brazilian market for construction and mining equipment. "Technological development applied to machines, the competitiveness of companies in the sector, the arrival of new players in Brazil, and the demand for equipment capable of increasing productivity while simultaneously reducing environmental impact are four examples of what was on exhibit at the fair and that can be found in day-to-day work in our sector, "says Mamede. The fair also featured the international pavilions of four countries: China, South Korea, Spain and the United Kingdom.