The debuting wire and Tube China staged in September 2004 was a great success and won widespread praise from both exhibitors and buyers. A gross exhibition area of 26,000 sqm for the twin events attracted 683 exhibitors from 28 countries and regions and 23,447 professional visitors from all over China, as well as from more than 70 countries and regions in the world.

Numerous international exhibitor groups expressed their great confidence in China's cable and tube market and their continuous concerns. The market potential of China's cable and tube industry has gradually become more and more apparent in recent years, indicating greater opportunities for these industries.

Power grid lines in many regions in China are obsolete and transformer substation equipment seriously aging. Many types of equipment need updating & replacement. According to State Power Grid Corporation, China will invest RMB20 billion (USD2.47 billion) in the large-scale technological renovation of the power grids in 31 key cities, from low-voltage building wire and cable to high-voltage power cable, thus thoroughly solving the problems existing in the power grids in these cites and offering wonderful opportunities for the national wire and cable industries.

According to studies, new and higher requirements will be put forward for the variety and quality of wire and cable products due to the great emphasis the State has put on infrastructure construction, such as renovation of city and township power grids, development of information and communication systems, upgrading of electric equipment, and the requirement for energy-saving, etc. Currently, only 30% of the wire and cable categories in China are able to compete in international markets and the remaining 70% need upgrading. Market volume, therefore, will not increase massively in the near future, but there will be a greater demand for more varieties and better quality of products.

As far as the steel tube industry is concerned, current world production capability is about 58-60 million tons, including 39-40 million tons of welded tubes, according to statistics. Generally speaking, the supply basically meets the demand in the world steel tube market. As one of the top 10 seamless steel tube producers and a big consumer in the world as well, China has also begun to seek expansion in overseas markets, and, in particular, started to explore the Middle East market that depends entirely on imports for steel tubes.

The steel tube industry in China has entered into a period of rapid growth, satisfying internal demand, exploring overseas markets and improving overall competitiveness. The promising market development potential indicates the "right time" for the staging of wire & Tube China 2006.

wire & Tube China 2006 is being staged again this year from 25-28 September in Shanghai. After the success of September 2004, what brand new image will the next twin versions of wire & Tube present to us? It is reported that the event will again be jointly organized by Shanghai Electric Cable Research Institute (SECRI), Metallurgical Council of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (MC-CCPIT), and Messe D邦sseldorf China Ltd. The perfect combination of domestic and international trade associations plus the internationally renowned exhibition organizers will surely improve the professionalism and internationalism of the trade fair to a new height.

In terms of exhibition area, the twin events of wire & Tube China will boast a combined total area of over 35,000 sqm, an increase of 9,000 sqm over the last version. It is expected that the Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC), where the trade fair will be hosted, will witness this unprecedented growth in the development of the trade fairs. The location will still be in Shanghai, as more and more traders and investors from home and abroad have focused their attention on Shanghai and the Yangtze River Delta, where numerous famous transnational enterprises have set up their Asian headquarters. Shanghai is therefore the "right place" to host such an international trade fair.

wire & Tube China has also received the "all around support" from major trade associations from home and abroad. These trade associations have explicitly expressed that they will once again support wire & Tube China to be held in Shanghai and will also help to organize national pavilions to participate in the show. These trade associations include: International Wire & Machinery Association (IWMA), International Wire & Cable Exhibitors Association (IWCEA) and its affiliated German Wire & Cable Machine Manufacturers Association (VDKM), Austrian Wire & Cable Machinery Manufacturers Association (V?DKM- AWCMA), and International Wire and Cable Exhibitors Association-France (IWCEA-France). Also, the Italian Wire Machinery Manufacturers Association (ACIMAF), the Wire and Cable Industry Suppliers Association (WCISA USA), and the International Tube Association (ITA) will support once again the wire & Tube China 2006.

Overseas pavilions from Austria, France, Germany, Italy, North America and UK will be present at wire / Tube China in a full lineup. In China, authoritative trade associations will also give their full support, including China Iron & Steel Association (CISA), China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association (CNIA), China Electrical Equipment Industrial Association, Wire and Cable Branch of the China Electrical Equipment Industrial Association, Wire Rod Products Society of China Steel Construction Society (CSCS), Metallurgical Council of CCPIT, Zhengzhou Research Institute of Steel Wire & Steel Wire Products under China Iron & Steel Industry & Trade Group Corporation, Shanghai Non-Ferrous Metals Trade Association & Non-Ferrous Society , China Steel Pipe Association, China Rolling-Forming Steel Association, The Stainless Steel Council of CSSEA, Building Materials Council of CCPIT, Chemical Industry Council of CCPIT, etc.
Being staged at the right time and place with such all around support from major trade associations from home and abroad, wire & Tube China will undoubtedly reap great success. Furthermore, the organizers are carrying out extensive promotional activities worldwide in order to improve the international popularity and influence of the trade fair even more. Promotional efforts for the trade fair have already been made by the organizers at some well-known regional events, such as Tube India, Interwire (USA) , wire & Tube Russia, and Tubotech Brazil. Even larger-scale overseas campaigns were undertaken for example at wire & Tube Singapore 2005 last September, at press conferences and presentations in Japan and Taiwan in late October and early November, and will be made at wire & Tube D邦sseldorf, the world's No.1 event in April 2006. At these events, overseas exhibitors will have received the most sincere greetings from wire & Tube China staff, and have been informed of the latest developments and updated market information in China.

For more information on the trade fair, please visit the following official websites:

wire China: www.wirechina.net
Tube China: www.tubechina.net

Messe Düsseldorf China Ltd
Ms. Teddy Dong (Exhibitor & Visitor Service)
Tel: 86-21-6279 7338
Fax: 86-21-6279 7337
E-mail: teddy@mdc.com.cn Messe Düsseldorf China Ltd
Ms. Vivian Fei (Media Service)
Tel: 86-21-6279 7338
Fax: 86-21-6279 7337
E-mail: feiyang@mdc.com.cn

Messe Düsseldorf China Ltd
Mr. Joerg Duebelt
Tel: +49 211 4560 7729
Fax: +49 211 4560 8525
E-mail: DuebeltJ@messe-duesseldorf.de