bauma conexpo INDIA 2016 Equipped to Go!

01 Jan 2017 CW Team

Held last month at HUDA Ground in Gurgaon, BAUMA CONEXPO INDIA 2016 witnessed 647 exhibitors from 30 countries and over 31,000 participants.

India´s economy is on an upswing and the signs of a turnaround in the Indian market for construction machinery are evident. This was underlined at BAUMA CONEXPO INDIA. Over four days of doing business, making new customers and reconnecting with existing clients, the talk revolved around national growth and the impact of GST and demonetisation. The GST, of course, was welcomed with open arms.

Interestingly, the prevailing view was that demonetisation, too, has not affected the industry in a major way, and will streamline the economy in the long run. Thus, BAUMA CONEXPO INDIA began and concluded in high spirits.

Great numbers
Testament to the turnaround was the number of business transactions made and the higher number of quality trade visitors and participants than the previous edition of BAUMA CONEXPO INDIA. Consider this: There were over 31,000 participants; 647 exhibitors - of which 57 per cent were international companies - from 30 countries; and a total space of 150,000 sq m. These numbers, indeed, spell out the might of the display of the fourth international trade fair for construction machinery, building material machines, mining machines and construction vehicles.

Positive developments in the Indian market were noticeable and reflected in the expo this year. As Igor Palka, CEO, bC Expo India - a JV of Messe Mnnchen and the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) - shares, ´Exhibitors made some good contacts and, in some cases, have reported having sold machines directly at the fair. For us as the organiser, this feedback is more than gratifying and confirms that BAUMA CONEXPO INDIA is perceived as an important platform by the market.´

Industry reactions
Considering the current sentiment in the market, exhibitors were looking ahead with optimism this year. Did the response meet their expectations?
Vipin Sondhi, Managing Director & CEO, JCB India, says, ´The exhibition provided a good opportunity for us to showcase the latest in the earthmoving and construction equipment space. JCB introduced seven new, innovative machines, all exhibiting class-leading performance with world-class design and quality.

Our newly launched products in the larger equipment category had a positive response from customers.´

Larsen & Toubro shares an encouraging experience too. According to Arvind K Garg, Executive Vice President & Head-Construction & Mining Machinery Business: ´The expo was an ideal opportunity for us to launch Komatsu´s new products and showcase our product offerings, besides giving us an important platform to interact with a large number of customers and other industry participants.´

VG Shakthi Kumar, Managing Director, Schwing Stetter, confirms that the expo was a great success for the company. ´Despite the demonetisation situation, all our customers visited our booth to experience our new range of equipment,´ he says.

Real-time business
BAUMA CONEXPO INDIA also witnessed direct business transactions, as Wu Song, Managing Director, Liugong, confirms: ´The success of the expo is a reflection of the overall upturn and positive outlook for the Indian construction market. We sold several machines at the booth.´

Abhijit Padhye, President-Sales & Marketing/Marketing Manager, Linnhoff, agrees, sharing, ´We are happy and satisfied with our participation.

We also reached our goals, as we sold two plants from here.´ Many exhibitors thought the timing of the expo was ideal. As Andy Dhanarai, Director-Sales, Caterpillar, says, ´The expo is a good platform for exhibiting products, especially now when so many things are happening.´ And Ramesh Paligiri, Managing Director & CEO, Wirtgen, confirms, ´BAUMA CONEXPO INDIA came at the right time of the year for us. With all the investments coming, it is the right time for us to showcase our new models.´

For his part, Tim Andrews, Managing Director, Arrow Machinery, says, ´We have had some good customers come and visit our booth. We have been manufacturing concrete kerb machines in Australia for 30 years. We started in India in 1995, and a machine installed then is still working today with Larsen & Toubro. On a scale of 1 to 5 (with 5 being the highest), I would rate the expo 4 in terms of business benefits.´ For many exhibitors, participating in this event has become indispensible, and not just because of the economic recovery. Johann Sailer, CEO, GEDA Dechentreiter, explains, ´The demand is there, companies are investing again and although the situation in India´s building construction sector remains somewhat difficult, it was important to participate in BAUMA CONEXPO INDIA.´

The countdown now begins for the next edition of BAUMA CONEXPO INDIA, which will be held in December 2018. Meanwhile, read on for key highlights and interviews with select industry heads!

Held last month at HUDA Ground in Gurgaon, BAUMA CONEXPO INDIA 2016 witnessed 647 exhibitors from 30 countries and over 31,000 participants. India´s economy is on an upswing and the signs of a turnaround in the Indian market for construction machinery are evident. This was underlined at BAUMA CONEXPO INDIA. Over four days of doing business, making new customers and reconnecting with existing clients, the talk revolved around national growth and the impact of GST and demonetisation. The GST, of course, was welcomed with open arms. Interestingly, the prevailing view was that demonetisation, too, has not affected the industry in a major way, and will streamline the economy in the long run. Thus, BAUMA CONEXPO INDIA began and concluded in high spirits. Great numbers Testament to the turnaround was the number of business transactions made and the higher number of quality trade visitors and participants than the previous edition of BAUMA CONEXPO INDIA. Consider this: There were over 31,000 participants; 647 exhibitors - of which 57 per cent were international companies - from 30 countries; and a total space of 150,000 sq m. These numbers, indeed, spell out the might of the display of the fourth international trade fair for construction machinery, building material machines, mining machines and construction vehicles. Positive developments in the Indian market were noticeable and reflected in the expo this year. As Igor Palka, CEO, bC Expo India - a JV of Messe Mnnchen and the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) - shares, ´Exhibitors made some good contacts and, in some cases, have reported having sold machines directly at the fair. For us as the organiser, this feedback is more than gratifying and confirms that BAUMA CONEXPO INDIA is perceived as an important platform by the market.´ Industry reactions Considering the current sentiment in the market, exhibitors were looking ahead with optimism this year. Did the response meet their expectations? Vipin Sondhi, Managing Director & CEO, JCB India, says, ´The exhibition provided a good opportunity for us to showcase the latest in the earthmoving and construction equipment space. JCB introduced seven new, innovative machines, all exhibiting class-leading performance with world-class design and quality. Our newly launched products in the larger equipment category had a positive response from customers.´ Larsen & Toubro shares an encouraging experience too. According to Arvind K Garg, Executive Vice President & Head-Construction & Mining Machinery Business: ´The expo was an ideal opportunity for us to launch Komatsu´s new products and showcase our product offerings, besides giving us an important platform to interact with a large number of customers and other industry participants.´ VG Shakthi Kumar, Managing Director, Schwing Stetter, confirms that the expo was a great success for the company. ´Despite the demonetisation situation, all our customers visited our booth to experience our new range of equipment,´ he says. Real-time business BAUMA CONEXPO INDIA also witnessed direct business transactions, as Wu Song, Managing Director, Liugong, confirms: ´The success of the expo is a reflection of the overall upturn and positive outlook for the Indian construction market. We sold several machines at the booth.´ Abhijit Padhye, President-Sales & Marketing/Marketing Manager, Linnhoff, agrees, sharing, ´We are happy and satisfied with our participation. We also reached our goals, as we sold two plants from here.´ Many exhibitors thought the timing of the expo was ideal. As Andy Dhanarai, Director-Sales, Caterpillar, says, ´The expo is a good platform for exhibiting products, especially now when so many things are happening.´ And Ramesh Paligiri, Managing Director & CEO, Wirtgen, confirms, ´BAUMA CONEXPO INDIA came at the right time of the year for us. With all the investments coming, it is the right time for us to showcase our new models.´ For his part, Tim Andrews, Managing Director, Arrow Machinery, says, ´We have had some good customers come and visit our booth. We have been manufacturing concrete kerb machines in Australia for 30 years. We started in India in 1995, and a machine installed then is still working today with Larsen & Toubro. On a scale of 1 to 5 (with 5 being the highest), I would rate the expo 4 in terms of business benefits.´ For many exhibitors, participating in this event has become indispensible, and not just because of the economic recovery. Johann Sailer, CEO, GEDA Dechentreiter, explains, ´The demand is there, companies are investing again and although the situation in India´s building construction sector remains somewhat difficult, it was important to participate in BAUMA CONEXPO INDIA.´ The countdown now begins for the next edition of BAUMA CONEXPO INDIA, which will be held in December 2018. Meanwhile, read on for key highlights and interviews with select industry heads!