TEHRAN - More than 70 domestic and foreign companies are showcasing their latest products, achievements, and services at the second International Exhibition of Steel Structures, Related Engineering Industries and Services (Iran Steel FAB).

The exhibition will be held from January 13 to 16, 2025, at the Tehran International Permanent Fairground, carrying the slogan: "Safe and Sustainable Structures for Everyone, Everywhere."

Talking to IRIB about the exhibition, Head of Steel Structures Cooperative Company of Iran (CAMSI) Zare Haghighi stated: "Prioritizing and valuing production in the steel sector, as the most important indicator of national development, highlights its strategic role across diverse industrial and urban infrastructure sectors. These include machinery, tools, mining, construction, defense industries, refineries, petrochemicals, energy production and transmission, as well as transportation."

"Steel structure production in Iran, given the country's position among the top global steel producers, requires a shift in focus from raw material sales to the production of final goods. This is a hallmark of modern industrial and urban development," Haghighi further added.

He emphasized that entering regional and global markets is key to expanding sales networks, creating value-added products, generating employment, and advancing engineering and construction technologies, ensuring growth for steel structure producers and overall economic development.

Haghighi outlined the exhibition's objectives, which include supporting export development, attracting domestic and foreign investments, exchanging advanced knowledge in construction and design engineering, introducing standard steel structure producers, showcasing export-ready products, educating specialized and public visitors on new technologies, providing researchers access to scientific studies, fostering a vibrant business environment for participants, facilitating targeted marketing, and hosting specialized seminars and workshops. Additionally, the exhibition aims to evaluate domestic and international markets, create opportunities for new and knowledge-based businesses, strengthen political and economic relations through exhibition diplomacy, and enable interaction with government and private sector officials.

He highlighted Iran's current steel structure production capacity at 5.0 million tons, with 2.0 million tons currently being produced annually.

The official praised the sector's self-sufficiency, noting, "Iran has achieved unique independence in steel structure production, creating a five-million-ton capacity. However, one significant challenge is integrating steel structures into national housing projects and mass construction."

He identified initial capital as a key barrier to the widespread adoption of steel structures in mass housing projects, which makes them less competitive with concrete structures. However, their faster construction times and reduced project durations make steel structures economically viable for large-scale housing initiatives.

Despite the high safety standards of steel structures, Haghighi lamented that insufficient initial funding has led to their limited adoption by developers and government officials.

EF/MA