Eastern Province Mayor Fahad Al-Jubair opened the 18th edition of the Saudi International Building & Construction Exhibition (BUILDEX 2016), at Dhahran International Exhibition Center (DIEC) on Monday.

Al-Jubair and Jamal Nasser Al-Mulhim, undersecretary for reconstruction and projects at the province, toured the show and briefed on the most important experiences and developed capabilities for the leading companies in the construction sector.

He said that the show is considered to be the largest dedicated event for heavy machinery and construction equipment in the region, in light of the growing demand in the building and construction sectors to set up environment-friendly investment residential towers and modern housing units.

He confirmed that the Kingdom is recently witnessing a construction boom through establishing mega projects in infrastructure in all industrial and residential sectors, which requires constant access to the most important achievements in this field through partnerships and deal-making that contribute to the value added of the local market.

Buildex 2016 features various industries including, construction materials and equipment, engineering, security and sound systems, design, textiles and interiors, window systems, shutters and aluminum works, ceramic tiles and sanitary, flooring, paints, and finishing materials.

This year's show, which will run until March 31, has brought together manufactures and distributors from different countries, including Germany, Italy, Russia, China, Korea, Turkey, the UAE, and Qatar. 

Dhahran International Exhibition Company allocated the 10,000 sqm external display area to showcase construction equipment and machinery such as heavy equipment, tower cranes, tractors, bulldozers, lifting and handling equipment, and building machinery.

The show aims at expanding the business scope of contractors and entrepreneurs through opening up the potential global markets for their products.