AS THE Asian economies continue to recover from economic turmoil, attention is turning again to major rail projects. So exhibitors at the Exporail (Asia) 2000 event on May 3-5 will be expecting plenty of interest, not least because of the numerous schemes under way or proposed for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (p247).
This year’s venue is the Convention & Exhibition centre in Hong Kong, where two associated seminars are being organised by the Institution of Civil Engineers in association with the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers and the Institution of Railway Signal Engineers. Both seminars will address the development and commissioning of new railways.
Exporail (Asia) 2000 enjoys the official endorsement of both Kowloon-Canton Railway Corp and MTR Corp. It is the fifth in a series of Asian events organised by Interfama Brooks Exhibitions Pte Ltd and the third to be staged in Hong Kong.
Several trade organisations will be represented at the event. These include Australian Railway Industry Corp, Britain’s Railway Industry Association and the Korea Rolling Stock Industries Association. Australian companies include rolling stock builder Goninan, air-conditioning supplier Air International, Foxboro, Delkor, Erico, Mackay Consolidated Industries, Thermit Australia, TMG International and Transtechnik Asia Pacific. Brisbane-based asset management group Mincom will have details of its A$50m contract to supply software for MTRC’s new Finance, Logistics & Maintenance system.
British suppliers attending include fastenings specialist Pandrol, suspension and damper manufacturer Metalastik, Racal MES, Corus Rail, Brecknell Willis, Hi-Force Hydraulics, Smiths Industries Hydraulic Co, Transmitton, Atlas Engineering, Aphol Ltd, LPA Industries Ltd, suppliers of commercial and project management expertise Schofield Lothian, RSIS Group, Tiflex and MTR Training Ltd.
Among exhibitors from Germany are gangway manufacturer Hübner, Jacob, Pfaff Silberblau, Phoenix and HPM Kabel. Swiss companies present will include cable protection specialists PFA, catenary supplier Furrer & Frey, Arthur Flury, cable supplier Huber & Suhner and track materials manufacturer Schwihag.
Among exhibitors from France will be Alstom, Alcatel and SAFT, while Austrian companies present will include Getzner Werkstoffe and Semperit. Workshop equipment will be on the stand of Proceco from Canada and Officine Meccaniche BBM SpA of Italy. Danish supplier Semco will be promoting its latest vacuum toilet technology.
Also looking for additional business in the Asian market is Fine Products of Spain, which supplied emergency evacuation equipment for the Hong Kong Airport Railway trains.
Information on the exhibition can be obtained from Tom Ho at Interfama Brooks Exhibitions Pte Ltd: tom.ho@mackbrooks.co.uk
Details of the seminars from Sue Frye at the Institution of Civil Engineers: frye_s@ice.org.uk
