45 companies are present at the IRSE-fair in Tehran / Talks about a joint cooperation and a technology center

Confindustria Marmomacchine and the ICE Agency coordinated and promoted Italian participation at the Iran International Stone Exhibition (IRSE 2016), the principal Iranian event devoted to natural stones and the machinery and equipment to work them, held from July 18 to 21 in Tehran. The official Italian area covers some 700 square meters and features 45 of the country’s top techno-stone brands – the biggest foreign delegation at the show and one of the largest Italian collectives since international sanctions were lifted – and is intended to support and promote Italian companies on this strategic market.

Iran – which with output of about 7.5 million tons of stone materials is the world’s fifth largest producer – has thousands of working quarries and 6,600 companies in the sector employing more than 500,000 people directly and indirectly.

In 2015 this Persian Gulf country imported Italian machinery and equipment to quarry and work stone worth more than 24 million euros (Confindustria Marmomacchine data), making Italy the main supplier of the Iranian stone sector.

This figure is expected to grow considerably with stabilization of Iran’s relations with the rest of the world.

Last November, during the Italy-Iran Forum held in Tehran, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Confindustria Marmomacchine and the Iran Stone Association. The Italian delegation had been chaired by then Italian Vice-Minister and today Minister of Economic Development, Carlo Calenda,

This was followed by many meetings between the heads of the Italian stone association, the main exponents of the Iranian stone sector and government as well, such as Industry Minister Nematzadeh.

One of the aims of the agreement is a joint cooperation in the stone sector through technical-scientific assistance and job-training work, providing Italian know-how, logistic support, experience, skills and technology to fulfill what is foreseen in the cooperation program and to verify the opportunity of creating an Italian-Iranian Center – a plan already shared by ICE – in the country specifically for the stone sector.

Source: Confindustria Marmomacchine

(20.07.2016, USA: 07.20.2016)