Intermat 2009 promises to be bigger than before

For 2009, the Intermat exhibition will prove a major event on the off-highway equipment calendar

This year's 242 INTERMAT construction equipment exhibition in Paris promises a great deal for the visitor. The show will feature a total surface area of 180,000m² including 30,000m² of outside demonstration areas and this represents 7% more space than for the previous exhibition in 2006. Some 1,320 companies are exhibiting and come from 43 countries, with 64% of exhibitors coming from outside France. Around 209,032 visitors from 127 countries attended the previous show in 2006, 16% more than in 2003 with 45% of attendees from outside France, and the organisers hope to further capitalise on this growth for the 2009 event.

Other key attractions for the 2009 event will be a symposium on reducing the environmental impact of road construction and the Intermat innovation awards scheme. To further widen the range of industries the event covers, Intermat encompasses broader business sectors than before and also includes mining and quarrying as well as drilling and boring. The organisers have also established a special area for the Quarry Professionals Association as well as offering quarry visits prior to the show opening and introducing a special programme for quarry professionals and buyers. Other developments include the addition of a special area for equipment, components and accessories intended to attract suppliers, major construction firms and sub-contractors as well as a handling and logistics area that will include fork-lift manufacturers.

A 30,000m² live operating area is located outside the halls, which allows exhibitors to demonstrate their equipment. Some 83% of the show's visitors visited the live demonstration area in 2006 to see machines working in a construction-site context and a similar percentage is expected for this year's event.

According to data from the show organisers, Intermat offers a highly favourable international visitor profile in comparison with the rival 688 Bauma and 3485 Conexpo exhibitions in Münich and Las Vegas respectively, with some 94,064 international professionals at the last event.

The world's leading firms are exhibiting at the show, with the 1,320 companies representing 43 countries, of which 72% come from Europe, 17% from Asia/Oceania 17% and 9.5% from North & South America. There are also national pavilions for firms from China, Korea, Spain, Finland, Great Britain, and Italy.

A breakdown of the business sectors to which attendees at the last event belonged showed that some 31% were from the earthmoving sector. Lifting/handling and components/equipment also included a larger percentage of the total visitor count, at 15% and 14% respectively.

Visitors to the exhibition can also opt to spend their time away from the show areas and instead attend a symposium on sustainable road construction. The symposium extends for two half-days and focuses on sustainable development, covering the latest technological advances. These include: the carbon footprint of machines, from design to end-of-life; European certification of materials and traceability; safety, standards and European regulations - the guarantees offered by European-made machines.

An important focus of the symposium will be how to integrate European environmentally-friendly materials in road construction and maintenance projects. The discussion will investigate the construction and maintenance of roads without contributing towards the destruction of natural resources or causing ecological damage, which has become a challenge for equipment manufacturers who now have to address sustainable development issues. Road maintenance entails taking numerous factors into account: equipment lifecycles, reduction of noise pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, lower energy consumption, recycling and preserving resources. Environmental protection is becoming a competitive advantage in many markets and many of the leading firms in the construction industry are seeing major business potential in offering lower environmental and impact, green technologies. A number of the major European manufacturers of road-building machinery as well as numerous industry experts will speak about the latest techniques intended to improve the roads of the future.

The symposium will run on Tuesday, 21 April, 2009: from 2-4.30pm and on Wednesday, 22 April, 2009: from 10-12.30pm. Admission to the presentations is free and the event will be translated simultaneously into English and Arabic.

The Intermat Innovation Awards programme is intended to show recognition for advances in materials, products, techniques and services that can contribute to progress in the construction industry. An international jury of European experts has been drawn from the fields of research and industry to assess the entries. During the first meeting, a restricted Committee distributed the various applications among the jury members, according to the duties they were assigned and the areas being handled. During a second meeting, the whole jury is assessed all the applications. Award winners include 217 Fayat, MADE, Mecalac-Ahlmann, 3186 Flexxaire Manufacturing, 3191 Poclain Hydraulics Industrie, 3747 Carlson Software, and 2992 Keestrack.

The awards will provide a major marketing stepping stone for winners. The award-winners are being given a range of promotional tools to showcase their innovation(s) and draw visitors to their stands. Meanwhile the official awards ceremony is being attended by the French and international press and all the institutions in the sector. In the aftermath of the show, the results of the competition will remain online for a full 12 months. However it is worth noting that the award scheme is reserved exclusively for exhibitors. ·