Petro.t.ex Africa 2013 confirms international interest

"The 2011 expo was a productive time for us," declares Romain da Costa, Trade Development Advisor. "We gained excellent results from our presence, where most of our participating companies established solid business relationships with local manufacturers in the petroleum industry. Many signed contracts came directly as a result of the show."

He is extremely optimistic about the outlook for the petrochemicals sector and the benefits to be gained from French companies at the expo. "There have been some financial concerns about the South African economy, but with the upgrade to the CF2 level of the South African refineries for 2016/2018, that is an accurate indicator of the potential business opportunities we can expect."

The agency's primary aim is to position French companies where they can develop trade links with similar South African partners. To achieve this they will be bringing 200 French companies on a trade mission to South Africa this year. "We will bring eight high-profile technology-focused companies to this year's show to link up with local industry players who share a mutual interest in growing market share in South Africa."

France is currently ranked fifth among South Africa's key global trading partners, with commitments of more than €1.8-billion in place since 1994. "This close relationship provides many opportunities for us to become part of the South African market and the show's strategic positioning is the reason why we will be back whenever it runs," adds da Costa. He cites South Africa and Angola as African countries at the top of France's priority list - South Africa for mid- and down-stream products such as the combustion gas analyser mentioned earlier and Angola for the upstream market.

Malaysia ventures into African petroleum market

The Malaysian Trade Commission will bring six specialist oil and gas industry companies to the expo. "We want a strong presence in South Africa and being at Petro.t.ex Africa is key to achieving this," said Shaakir Naidoo, marketing officer at MATRADE.

Malaysia's strong trade relations with South Africa have declined somewhat since the heady days of 1994 - something Naidoo believes the show will address. "This will give us the opportunity to strengthen those relationships. The expo empowers us enter the gateway to Africa and explore promising markets. South Africa is the most advanced and politically stable country in Africa and the expo is the ideal platform to gain access to Africa's oil and gas industry."

Industry, technology under one roof

Petro.t.ex Africa is one of 10 trade expos that form part of the SA Industry and Technology Fair (INDUTEC), a Hannover-style industry and technology trade exhibition. The 10 shows include Pumps, Valves & Pipes Africa, Watertec Africa, Petro.t.ex Africa, Energex Africa and new additions; Intermac Africa, Manutec Africa, Smart Automation Africa, Afriplast Expo, Industrial Greentec Africa and Empowertec Africa.

For more information, go to www.exhibitionsafrica.com.