Chinese firms shine at Mideast security fair Intersec

DUBAI - Intersec, the biggest annual fair and exhibition on security and fire protection in the Middle East, kicked off on Sunday in Dubai.

Producers of baggage security scanners and fire-fighting equipment were at the forefront of the ongoing fair.

Anhui Qilootech Photoelectric Technology Co Ltd, exhibiting for the first time at Intersec, aims to market its security scanner systems regionally despite the sporadic turmoil and ongoing terrorism threats.

According to global consultants Frost and Sullivan, the Middle East's homeland security market is expected to grow by 21 percent annually until 2020, with market revenues reaching $34.2 billion.

"We have successfully installed our baggage and liquid scanners at many railway stations and airports across China. We are confident to expand our footprint in the Middle East " said Richard Xia, the firm's president.

He added that Qilootech scanners are "the fastest in the world with a screening capacity of 1,500 passengers and their bags per hour."

Chinese fire extinguisher producer, Victory Fire Fighting, is banking on the rising demand of fire fighting extinguishers by home owners and tenants.

In 2016, several skyscrapers across the United Arab Emirates (UAE) were partly destroyed by fires.

"We see promising market potential here as many private homes still have no fire protection devices, but rely on blankets to extinguish fires instead," said Helen Chen, sales coordinator at Victory Fire Fighting.

Frost and Sullivan estimated that the Middle East fire safety market will grow by 12.5 percent annually from 2012 to 2020, hitting $4.2 billion, up from $1.6 billion.

The latest major fire in Dubai was on Dec 12, 2016 when the Oceana Palm luxury residence building on Dubai's man-made island Palm Jumeirah became engulfed by a blaze of fire which caused substantial damage to the building with no human casualties however.

Organized by German exhibitor firm Messe Frankfurt, 2017's three-day Intersec is hosting 1,304 exhibitors and will end on Tuesday.