IMTEX 2011 sees 800 exhibitors, 750 machines

The Indian Machine Tool Manufacturer’s Association (IMTMA), organised the IMTEX 2011 - 15th Indian Metal-cutting Machine Tool Exhibition - in Bangalore, the hub of the machine tool industry, from 20th - 26th January at IMTMA’s state-of-the-art exhibition facility the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC). Imtex is the largest exhibition of machine tools and manufacturing solutions in South & South East Asia. This year IMTEX showcased an exhaustive range of innovations and technological refinements in the complete product segment of metal cutting machine tools. Along with Imtex 2011, IMTMA also held a concurrent fair, Tooltech 2011 – the 13th international exhibition of cutting tools and tooling technology systems. Chief Guest Arun Maira, Member Planning Commission, said, “India is now poised to grow at 9 percent per annum and the manufacturing and machine tools industry plays a vital role in economic growth. India is fast emerging as a global manufacturing hub and exhibitions like IMTEX provide a good platform to showcase the latest trends in the machine tool sector and a venue for producers and consumers to interact.” Imtex 2011 featured over 800 exhibitors and 750 machines with a total value of Rs 1400 crore in their premises. With the top 23 countries in the segment of machining tools, (the largest overseas group participation this year from Germany) and entrants like USA, Russia, Israel and Hong Kong, Imtex got bigger and better this year. Addressing the press conference in Bangalore, M. Lokeswara Rao, President Imtma, said “Imtex and Tooltech are unique this year because for the first time in India digital factories with ERP (enterprise resource planning) packages will be introduced in the machine tool industry. Also, machine manufacturers will replicate ideal shop floor conditions in the exhibition for consumers to experience the machines in working condition. The two shows – Imtex and Tooltech exhibited an exhaustive range of metal cutting machinery under one roof. ” Imtex 2011 focused on high-end technology for sectors like defence, automobile, medical engineering. It also showcased the latest trends in metal cutting along with innovations which is imperative for companies to adopt to keep ahead of competition. Dr R Radhakrishnan, Chairman - ISRO and Guest of Honour spoke about the aerospace industry. He said, “Bangalore is fast emerging as a global aerospace engineering hub. For this growth to continue, advanced technology and manufacturing is essential to make the country internationally competitive and customer oriented. Aviation is a major tool for economic development and Imtex, with its focus on high-end technology, will benefit the aerospace sector in India.” Addressing the media after the inauguration ceremony Jamshyd N. Godrej, Chairman Exhibitions of Imtma and Chairman & Managing Director, Godrej & Boyce Manufacturing Company Limited said, “Machine tool industry supports the growth of several strategic sectors and industries in an economy. Growth in the Indian machine tool sector is demand driven and it has great potential to become a global player provided there is a thrust on innovation and R&D activities. Imtma has set a target of compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 25 percent for the next 10 years and size of the industry is expected to grow to Rs 23,000 crore by 2020.”