Deutsche Messe Expands to Iran

Deutsche Messe brings its woodworking industry expertise to Iran.

MEDEX–the international trade fair for woodworking and wood processing, materials, accessories, furniture and laminate flooring–will have its premiere event presented at Tehran’s International Fairground from July 10-13, in partnership with Deutsche Messe.

Deutsche Messe’s partner for the event is the Iran Furniture Manufacturers & Exporters Association, which also includes importers of furniture production machines along with the requisite raw materials and accessories.

“We see great business potential for this international cluster fair, with its market-oriented topic portfolio taking place in the early part of the Persian calendar year,” said Christian Pfeiffer, global director of LIGNA and Woodworking Events at Hannover-based Deutsche Messe, LIGNA’s official website reported.

“Recent developments in Iran have opened up new market opportunities for furniture manufacturers, suppliers and contract furnishers. We anticipate bright prospects for business due to the younger Iranian generation’s demand for home furnishings, the emergence of a prosperous and growing middle class in Iran, the shortage of supplier products for Iran’s reviving furniture industry plus interesting investment opportunities in the real estate sector, all of which have encouraged us to take this step,” remarked Pfeiffer.

German and European suppliers can hope to raise exports to Iran after the extensive lifting of sanctions.

According to a publication of the Woodworking Machinery Association within the German Mechanical Engineering Industry Association, Germany is the largest exporter to Iran within the EU.

And the figures are promising: From September to November 2017 alone, Germany exported stationery woodworking machines worth €2.6 million to Iran–an increase of 216% over the previous year.

Viewed globally, Germany was the main foreign trading partner of Iran’s state-owned and private economy until 2007, when it was overtaken by China.

Deutsche Messe will be organizing a group pavilion to support companies in gaining market entry to Iran. For 2019, the Woodworking Machinery Association within VDMA has also announced plans to apply for federal support for a group pavilion.

MEDEX is geared to visitors from the woodworking, flooring and timber construction sectors as well as furniture manufacturers from neighboring states like Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan and the UAE.

As the proprietors of LIGNA, the World’s Leading Trade Fair for Woodworking and Wood Processing Plant, Machinery and Tools and the Hannover-based DOMOTEX, the World’s Biggest Exhibition for Carpets and Floor Coverings, Deutsche Messe possesses a worldwide network of outstanding contacts.

According to Christian Pfeiffer: “We want to use MEDEX to bring our expertise to bear on the Iranian market and support companies wishing to gain market entry there, as we are already doing in other growth regions around the world.”