A total of 12 firms from Wales will be exhibiting at ADIPEC as part of the Welsh Government trade mission, and a further nine companies will be taking part as visitors. All will be seeking to network with key players in the energy sector, foster valuable contacts and find new export markets in the Middle East and elsewhere for their products and services.
Since its foundation in 1984, ADIPEC has grown into an industry forum that attracts government ministers, policy formers, CEOs and global business leaders. Between November 11 and 14, more than 145,000 trade visitors are expected at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, where around 2,200 companies will be exhibiting. Meanwhile, some 10,400 delegates will take part in over 160 conference sessions.
Over the past two decades, Wales has strengthened its trade links with Abu Dhabi and the rest of the United Arab Emirates. The Welsh Government has had a permanent base in the country since 2004, when it opened an office at the British Embassy in Dubai. Its remit is to promote Wales and represent the nation’s trade interests within the Emirates and across the whole MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region.
The MENA Office helps companies, academic institutions and other organisations develop and create business. It nurtures opportunities for inward investment from Middle East countries, potentially creating high-value jobs in Wales, and provides a wide range of resources and advice for Welsh businesses that have ambitions to export to the region.
During its first decade of the MENA Office’s operation, its importance was underlined by the high value of Welsh exports to the markets it oversees. Between 2004 and 2014, physical exports to the region reached a cumulative total of US$13.5billion. When the service sector is included, this sum doubles to US$27billion.
The UAE remains an extremely attractive market for Welsh companies keen to do more business overseas, thanks to its liberal trade regime and its strategic location. It makes an excellent base for trading with other Gulf Cooperation Council nations, and is an important market for re-export to other countries, thanks to its low import duties.
In 2018, the UAE was Wales’ seventh-largest export destination (a total of £498million) and second only to the USA out of all non-EU markets. It is currently the UK’s largest civil export market in the Middle East and its third-largest market outside Europe. In 2018, exports to the Emirates from all parts of the United Kingdom were worth more than £10.5billion, and the UK achieved a trade surplus of over £4billion with the UAE.
English is widely spoken in Abu Dhabi and the rest of the Emirates. The country has a large expatriate population: in the country as a whole, expatriates account for just over 88% of the population, and the community of UK nationals is estimated at around 120,000. Around a million people from the UK visit the Emirates each year, and in 2018, visitors from the UAE made around 63,450 business trips to the UK. There are strong cultural ties between the two nations, thanks to many Emiratis having studied in Britain or maintaining homes there.
The 12 Welsh companies exhibiting at ADIPEC on the export market visit are C&P Engineering Services, Cokebusters, Elmac Technologies, ESI Technology, Flamgard Calidair, Holyhead Towing, Huntingdon Fusion Techniques, REID Lifting, Tritech Group, Wall Colmonoy, Wrexham Mineral Cables and Zulu Joint Integrity.
Between them, they represent a wealth of specialist expertise across different technology sectors, from flame arresters and pressure sensors to pipe-purging systems and insulated cables. Many of the companies have already established an export foothold in the Middle East, and two – Cokebusters and REID Lifting – are past winners in the International Trade Category of the Queen’s Award for Enterprise.
The same diversity may be seen among the nine other companies visiting ADIPEC with the trade mission: Concrete Canvas, Control Systems Services, Imtex Controls, InSite Technical Services, Site Heat-Treatment Services, The British Rototherm Company, Tomoe Valve, UK Steel Exports and Unit Birwelco.
It’s a chance for Welsh firms to stamp their presence on the energy industry’s biggest event, and show their willingness to tackle the challenges of the years ahead.