Report; P.Tharyan, Photography: Mohd. Nasir
With more than 400 brands participating in the 2015 ACMA Automechanika
in New Delhi, are you happy with the response?
Yes, we are very happy. We started two years ago with the
first edition. Then there were around 200 exhibitors in 2013. We have more than
doubled with 425 exhibitors in 2015. We are very proud of our efforts. We have had a lot of visitors coming to the
show. We feel that the ACMA Automechanika has been accepted in the market here
in India.
How will you compare
this show with the big ones in Frankfurt or in Shanghai? Are you hopeful that
this show here in India too gets big in size and stature?
Compared to Frankfurt, this show here is small. But you
should realise that we started Automechanika in Frankfurt in 1971. So we have
more than 40 years of history. We
started in Germany in a small way with 300 exhibitors. After a while this show
in Frankfurt really became a big success. In the last show we had 4600
exhibitors. This is the leading mother show, I would say. I think we are on
track and Indian has huge potential and if you heard about the plans till 2020,
there is much more to come here. For the next edition we will see a lot more
exhibitors here in India and I am sure it looks very promising. The
Automechanika offers such a good platform for the industry.
Apart from the ACMA Automechanika show, we also have an ACMA show along
with the Auto Expo show in India. Do you think India is ready for shows at such
short intervals?
We are doing this show for our
customers. On a regular basis we ask our customers what they want. If they
think that the show needs to be annual or there has to be regional shows, then
we are open to it. We are there to serve the industry and it depends on what
the industry wants. We are happy at present with the bi annual cycle. The
market decides what they need, what they want and we are simply the service
providers.
What’s been the response of the overseas participants at the show here
in New Delhi?
We have much more potential.
In total, Automechanika has more than 16,000 exhibitors and with just 425
coming to India there seems to be a lot of potential. Having said that, I would
like to note that eight major players out of the key ten global players are
here at the show. In future, I am sure a
lot of global companies will come to India.
Do you have any message for the Indian government in terms of putting
up an infrastructure for holding shows of this size?
The outcome of the Budget will
have a good effect on the auto industry. As far as infrastructure is concerned,
there is a lot of potential for growth and we shall be delighted we can get
more space to accommodate our exhibitors. Already there is a waiting list and
for the next show we will need more space for this show.
Do some of the exhibitors here want this show to be held for three days
rather than four days?
There is a discussion going on
as to how many days this show should go on for the visitors. On our part we ask
the exhibitors during the show as to how many days they would prefer, and if
they would like five days, then we shall have a five-day show. If they want a
three-day show, we shall have a three-day show. Like I said, we are the service
providers and we do what our customers want us to do.
How do you see the ACMA Automechanika show shaping up in the coming
years?
I am quite convinced that in the next show we shall have
around 600 exhibitors. I have already got requests from companies keen to
participate in the next show. In the
coming years, I am hopeful that this show will grow in terms of participants.
Does the show participation also depend on the market condition of the
auto industry?
Yes, when the industry is doing
well, we will have more participants. And you will also have more visitors who
will be interested in buying products. We think and we believe that the Indian
market has much more potential and we have also seen the past that the quality
of the Indian products is getting better.
This is good for the Indian auto industry as well as for the export
industry. We are also seeing an increase in participation of Indian companies
in Automechanika shows abroad.