Hopes high on further boost to Indian infrastructure growth
All the key government policy initiatives and measures taken of late revolve around investments in infrastructure and sustained growth of the allied construction industry. The Planning Commission estimated total infrastructure spending of about $428 billion during the 11th Five-Year Plan (2007-12) and foresees doubling of India’s infrastructure investments to about $1 trillion for the 12th Plan (2012-17). The Government has granted sops, even in the form of special economic zones (SEZs), to the capital goods industry, of which construction equipment is a major part, especially with special impetus given to exports. Investments in infrastructure are definitely amongst the main growth drivers.
It is against this backdrop that the Confederation of India Industry (CII) organized Excon 2015, the 8th edition of the largest construction equipment exhibition in South Asia, covering an area of 2,20,000 sq. mts. and attracting over 850+ exhibitors, including 275 from abroad.
It is the stupendous success of the show that made Mr. Vipin Sondhi, Managing Director and CEO, JCB India, and Chairman of Excon 2015, claim: “Excon is not about exhibition alone, but it is a set of conferences that take place simultaneously among all stakeholders, the government, the private sector and the citizens, to look at the bottlenecks that come into play. Now the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has encouraged people to participate in these conferences.”
The show also attracted participation from 22 countries. A large number of exhibitors from Germany, China, Italy, Turkey, South Korea, the UK, and other countries used the platform not only to exhibit their state-of-the-art construction equipment but also to exchange information and ideas related to technology and expansion of their businesses.
Mr. Sang-Dok Yim, Marketing Support, Department and Strategy Division 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 is an emerging market. Reiterating his confidence in Excon 2015, he said, “you can expect more Korean companies to invest in India in the coming years”. This confidence was echoed by SPECO, a South Korean company specializing in asphalt mixing, batch master, etc., which has been participating in Excon since its first edition in 2000.