Hannover/Krasnoyarsk - Deutsche Messe’s Russian subsidiary, OOO Deutsche Messe RUS, and Krasnoyarsk Fair Exhibition Company (KFEC) have signed a partnership agreement that will see them co-organize the ExpoDrev Russia trade fair for Siberia’s forest, timber, woodworking and furniture manufacturing industries. ExpoDrev Russia will next be held from 9 to 12 September at the SIBERIA International Exhibition Business Center in Krasnoyarsk.

Since its debut in 1999, ExpoDrev Russia has become the leading tradeshow for Siberia’s wood-based industries and the marketing platform of choice for Russian and international technology providers. ExoDrev Russia features the full range of wood processing systems, from harvesting and primary timber processing machines to high-quality woodworking and furniture manufacturing plant and tools. In 2013, over 150 exhibitors from 19 countries showcased their products and services at the fair.

“We are committed to further expanding our wood industry footprint in Russia. Our involvement with the ExpoDrev Russia fair allows us to offer our German and international customers from the primary and secondary wood processing technology sectors a well-established marketing platform for this region. Siberia is a fast growing market and a very interesting part of the world from a forest and timber industry perspective. With an area of nearly 1 million square miles, the Krasnoyarsk Krai region is Russia’s second largest federal subject and home to ten percent of the Federation’s vast forest estate. Accordingly, timber harvesting and processing constitute a big part of the local economy, which offers excellent future potential for technology providers, not least because Russia’s wood-based industries, particularly in the country’s well forested regions, are in need of modernization to expand their local processing capacity and increase the share of local value added,” explained Wolfgang Lenarz, Deutsche Messe’s Senior Vice President Global Fairs.

“Both Krasnoyarsk’s local administration and Russia’s central government want to see more timber processed in Russia. That’s why Siberia needs new technologies and machines that not only make harvesting operations more efficient and environmentally friendly, but also significantly boost the amount of value-added processing, right through to the end product,” added Sergej Sobolev, KFEC’s Director General. “Over the last 15 years, ExpoDrev Russia has evolved into a truly international showcase and the region’s biggest forest and timber industry fair. Partnering with OOO Deutsche Messe RUS will enable us to attract even more international participants. Our common goal is to not only be the regional market leader but to lead the field nationwide.”

The partnership is the latest phase in Deutsche Messe’s drive to increase its involvement in the burgeoning Russian market for wood processing technology. The process began in July last year, when Deutsche Messe entered into a joint venture with LLC Interregional Exhibition Company-Ural to co-organize the LESPROM-Ural Professional show in Yekaterinburg, which will next be held from 23 to 26 September 2014.

Thanks to the partnership with KFEC, Deutsche Messe can now offer its international clients premium marketing platforms in two of Russia’s most important forestry and wood processing regions.

As the organizer of LIGNA, Deutsche Messe has all the requisite global industry credentials and a wealth of expertise to contribute to its Russian partners. Held every two years in Hannover, Germany, at the world’s biggest exhibition center, LIGNA is the world’s leading trade fair for the forest and wood industries. The next LIGNA fair will run from 11 to 15 May 2015.

Source: Deutsche Messe AG