Excon means business

Living up to its reputation of being the largest exhibition of its kind in South Asia, EXCON 2015 grabbed the global attention

Even though the inclement weather played havoc just before the commencement of South Asia’s largest construction equipment and technology trade fair in Bengaluru and remained elusive during the entire episode, the relentless efforts of exhibitors and organisers turned the show into a grand success.

Thousands of quality business visitors, most of whom were either decision makers or genuine buyers, thronged in to the venue at Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC), spread across 2,20,000 square metres of display area. Exhibitors were exuberant! The 5-day exhibition witnessed over 200 product launches and many more important announcements. Here, we will discuss some of the major highlights of this international event:

‘Make in India’ push continues
The ‘Make in India’ initiative has received a lot of appreciation from international participants with Chinese company Luoyang Longda Bearing Co. contemplating opening up an office in Kolkata by next year. Zhou Weidong, Vice President and Senior Engineer, China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) representing China Chamber of International Commerce (CCOIC) and Machinery Chamber of Commerce said that Chinese companies were seriously looking at collaborating with Indian companies in the construction equipment industry. They also expressed interest in maintenance of roads.  China was the biggest foreign exhibitor with participation of 172 Chinese companies.

Sang-Dok Yim of Korea Construction Equipment Manufacturers Association (KOCEMA) was of the opinion that it was the opportune time for companies to invest in India as it was an emerging market.  He said, “You can expect more Korean companies to invest in India in the coming years.”

Germany too sees huge prospects in participating in India’s exciting infrastructure growth story.  Sebastian Popp, Deputy Managing Director, Construction Equipment and Building Material Machinery (VDMA) said that the potential for more German companies to come into India was high.  A total of 31 companies from Germany participated in Excon 2015.

Vipin Sondhi, Chairman of Excon 2015 and Managing Director and CEO, JCB India said that CII has been promoting “Make in India” for the manufacturing sector through various initiatives and Excon  plays a key role in positioning India as a global hub for construction equipment manufacturing.   “With a current size of $ 2.8 billion, the Indian construction equipment industry is expected to grow to $ 5 billion by 2019-20. The after-sales spares market is about $ 800 million and is a major source of income and employment opportunity for SSI manufacturers and service providers, thus contributing substantially to economic growth,” he added.

28