Manufacturing Sector and Hannover
Posted : April 25, 2006 at 11:03 pm [IST]
India is participating Hannover Technology Fair as a major partner. Hannover Messe is the largest exhibition company in the world and is incidentally also hosting this fair. It has expressed keen interest in setting up an exhibition centre in Mumbai.
As Kamal Nath explained, “German companies feel the facilities in Delhi are inadequate, while Mumbai has none. They are interested in forming a joint venture like a similar tie-up they already have in Shanghai.” I don’t understand why India can’t have a real world- class exhibition ground with conference halls and some good hotels around it. If it can’t do it in Delhi, it can certainly do it in Noida or Greater Noida
Many years ago, I was in Hannover visiting its Machine Tools Fair. Late Mr. Rath, a colleugue of mine was with me. German machine tools rather German engineering products had a superior technology all these years. Even the onslaught of Japanese couldn’t affect Germany. Some of the university such as Achen has been known worldwide for its R&D in manufacturing and mechanical engineering. If India wishes to be a global manufacturing hub, it must bring in German and Japanese manufacturers in large number to India. With the background of working with them for many years, the technology absorption will be faster. It is good that our PM, of late, is doing the job he is best at. PM is in Hannover with Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath, Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibal, Power Secretary R V Shahi and Secretary (Department of Industrial Policy and Promotions) Ajay Dua.
‘It is very important for India to seek investments in manufacturing from Germany, as it is the largest manufacturing base in Europe. What’s interesting now is that German companies are investing in manufacturing and Information Technology simultaneously,”
Power sector players like Siemens and ABB have expressed interest in participating in India’s seven ultra-mega power projects. Siemens has already committed Euro 600 million to set up another plant. BMW is setting up a Euro 600-million plant for passenger cars near Chennai, for which all clearances and approvals are already in place.
If we believe commerce minister Kamal Nath, BMW officials had written to the Commerce Ministry appreciating the investment clearance process as the ‘fastest they have encountered anywhere in the world’. I wish it is true and it happens in all the cases.
Auto component major Mico Bosch has also lined up 500 million euros to be invested into expanding its facilities at Bangalore and Nasik. MAN Nutzfahrzeuge is setting up a truck and bus-manufacturing unit in Pitampura in Madhya Pradesh with Firodia’s Kinetic. Optical lens maker Carl Zeiss and Baerlocher want to set up R&D centers.
As per the commerce minister, over 70 per cent of the German investment was expected into manufacturing sector.
Interestingly, Hanover Messe CEO Seepp Dieter Heckmann has taken his board’s commitment to set up exhibitions and international fairs near Mumbai. Indians can expect some Hannover type of Technology Fair soon in India.
With its unique strength in IT, India has a great potential to get into manufacturing of high-end products in big way by integrating IT into innovative mechanical products. Present manufacturers must expand and come to a global scale and new entrepreneurs must also come forward where India needs the most.
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Category: Manufacturing |
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