Mehul Lanvers Shah, MD, Hannover Milano, Fairs India
HANNOVER MESSE 2015, the world's biggest industrial fair is all set to begin this Monday, April 13, 2015. The jampacked five days, up to April 17, is going to be a roller coaster drive for the global manufacturing industry.
It is exceptionally exciting for India, who being the official partner country this year, has occupied the centre stage. India is going to showcase to the world products from over 400 participants. This is a never before opportunity that coincides with our PM Narendra Modi's Make in India slogan.
This is the third time when India has been chosen as the partner country for Hannover fair. The partnership between India and HANNOVER MESSE in 2006 generated a total business value of US$ 1.3 billion. Several major deals were finalised. In 2015, the focus will be on partnerships between German and Indian companies in the SME sector which will give huge impetus to Indian manufacturers.
Just as the curtains are about to rise, we bring to you an exclusive interview with Mehul Lanvers Shah, Managing Director, Hannover Milano Fairs India, who shares with us a bit of the excitement from the fair sidelines.
1. Which are the prominent companies participating at the Hannover fair this year?
For the 2015 edition of HANNOVER MESSE, more than 400 exhibiting companies are participating from India which is being coordinated by EEPC, under the aegis of the Ministry of Commerce. Hannover Messe, organised by Deutsche Messe, has been around for more than 50 years now and has established itself as the World's largest manufacturing and engineering show. Some of the key companies that are participating at the show this year are L&T, TCS, Bharat Forget, Tech Mahindra, Infosys, Reliance Industries Ltd, and Daimler India Commercial Vehicles.
2. How large will the Indian contingent be at the 2015 edition of the Hannover fair?
This time India is taking the largest contingent to the Hannover fair with 400 plus exhibiting companies. The last time India was invited to be the partner-country was in 2006, where over 250 companies participated. This is a great opportunity for Indian exporters to meet buyers. We are expecting about 5000+ Indian visitors to the show. We also have participation from six Union Ministry and about 16 State Governments. Export of engineering goods has registered a record performance of $62 billion in 2013-2014 and has been growing steadily. In the last eight months, from April to November alone, it has grown to $46.5 billion.
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