In an effort to reinforce Coimbatore’s reputation as a pump manufacturing destination, the Southern India Engineering Manufacturers’ Association (SIEMA) is organising twin shows — Techno4 and IPVS 2013 — in the city from December 5 to 7.
The events, being organised in association with Orbitz Exhibitions Pvt Ltd, will bring together 90 participants from India and abroad at a time when the pump industry is facing several headwinds, its organisers said.
Speaking to newspersons here on Tuesday, Jayakumar Ramdass, Chairman of the exhibition organising committee, said while the earlier Techno4 show was held when the industry was booming, the latest edition comes at a time when the industry is faced with a recession. The exhibition would focus on pumps and ancillary equipments, motors and rotating machines, foundry and light engineering. The Industrial Pumps, Valves and Systems (IPVS) exhibition will showcase the advances made in industrial pumps and valves. For the first time a combined show was being organised in the city.
He said “though times were bad, no exhibitor has backed out”. People were aware that the business cycle repeats and a recession could hit once in two or three years. Moreover, it was during a downturn that they had to “aggressively market their products”.
He said industry members would also scout for new opportunities. Representatives from Germany, China, the Czech Republic, Poland, Canada and the UK were coming because the Indian market “still holds promise for them”. On display would be aluminium, copper, brass and stainless steel components sourced from other States because of the cost advantage.
V. Lakshminarayanasamy, Vice-President, SIEMA, said Coimbatore’s manufacturers were at a disadvantage on account of power and material costs.
Jayakumar Ramdass, who is a former President of SIEMA, said his association was “showcasing Coimbatore as a pump destination”. He said the North Indian manufacturers were posing a serious threat to the dominance of Coimbatore since they did not face constraints of infrastructure problems and power shortage that industries here had to grapple with. However, as Coimbatore was known for its quality pumps, SIEMA wanted to bring suppliers, buyers and international participants under one roof.
He said Coimbatore’s manufacturers sourced nearly half their component requirements from outside the city.
The exhibition would also include a vendor development programme and seminars on energy efficiency and manufacturing through automation and robotics.