Wider Middle East: Economic infrastructure a must to build industrial base Neil Mullineux

摘要

There are signs of an industrial resurgence in Iran with the country slowly opening up for investments. In this context, the industry scenario of the wider Middle East is also worth examining. In an exclusive interview to Rubber Asia, Neil Mullineux, a market strategist working with the global tyre industry and a close observer of the economic and industrial developments in the wider Middle East,explains the relative economic strengths of these countries, the tyre industry scenario, the challenges and prospects of the region in respect of industrial investments etc. Many of his reports have been published by the Economist Intelligence Unit, the Financial Times and AutoBusiness and they are available at www. worldtirereports.com. According to him, with an economy which is far more balanced than the richer countries, the Middle East countries have the potential for industrial investment; but they do not show the wider economic infrastructure that is necessary to build an industrial base. Of the 22 countries in this region, only ten have experience in tyre manufacturing, and in the majority of countries, it has closed or is being phased out, he says.