| THE five-day MetalAsia 2004 exhibition that opened at the Asia Pacific Auction Centre in Subang yesterday is expected to generate RM350mil in sales, according to Ian Roberts, general manger of Malaysian Exhibition Services Sdn Bhd, which is co-organising the event with Singapore Exhibition Services Pte Ltd. Some 565 companies from 31 countries are participating in the exhibition, of which some 100 are local companies. This augurs well for the Malaysian metalworking industry, Roberts said, adding that it also showed Malaysia was one of the most viable manufacturing centres in the Asean region. The exhibition, featuring some RM500mil worth of the latest machinery, equipment and precision engineering technological solutions, is targeted at the region's manufacturing industries. Major international brands such as Amada, Agie, Charmiles, Brother, Carl Zeiss, Mitsubishi Electric, Nikon, Olympus are participating. In conjunction with the exhibition, the Malaysian Industrial Development Authority is organising a two-day seminar, Investment Opportunities in Machinery and Related Supporting Industries in Malaysia, which will feature papers from leaders such as DMG, Makino, Trumpf and Robin-Baasel. SIRIM Bhd is holding a seminar, Keys to Productivity and Efficiency for Competitive Advantage, at which Dr Wan Rahman Wan Harun who will present a road map to achieving competitive edge with computer aided design, manufacturing and engineering tools. The exhibition is expected to draw at least 15,000 trade visitors from the Asean region.
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