By EB Bureau
The EFY Expo 2012 was a success all the way. Inaugurating the three day event at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, on February 16, 2012, Sachin Pilot, Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology, Government of India, emphasised that such expos are essential to give the industry an opportunity to display its manufacturing and technological abilities. While releasing a report titled ELCOMAS, which was based on inputs from 540 electronics component manufacturers in India, Pilot said, “We are at least a decade late in starting initiatives like setting up electronics manufacturing clusters in India. There is no reason why we cannot make India the electronics manufacturing hub of the world. But unless industry itself is very competitive in quality and price, there is nothing any government can do.”
Pilot added, “The Indian electronics industry should ensure that its components and products meet quality standards globally, and they should not be exorbitantly priced. We have to move simultaneously on all fronts. The Electronics Development Fund is worth Rs 50 billion, which can be availed by members of the Indian electronics industry.”
Dr Ajay Kumar, joint secretary, Department of Information Technology (DIT), promised to extend support to the components manufacturers and said that the government would work towards scaling up production and enabling the supply of components at competitive rates. He also said that there are several initiatives lined up for the development of human resources in the electronics sector. Kumar added, “DIT is working on a scheme to provide manufacturers with incentives for setting up testing labs. This will help in preventing substandard goods from entering the Indian market.”
EFY Expo 2012 has proved to be an important platform for business within the electronics industry, and led to some serious long term decisions, actualised by manufacturers and buyers. The mix of exhibitors was such that all kinds of visitors got something to suit their interests.
Commenting on the range of the companies present at the Expo, Amin Ajmel, CEO, Sunrise Instruments, said, “I think the EFY Expo is a great platform as it brings together all the stakeholders in the electronics ecosystem.”
Talking about the highlights of the show, Ajay Kaswani, partner, Emsons Radio Corporation, said, “The best part of the Expo was the ambience it provided. I also liked the overall presentation. The Chinese players were present this time. I expect more Taiwanese companies to participate next year because this is one platform where Indian companies get to interact with foreign players.”
The Buyer-Seller Meet was one of the key highlights this year. Many enterprise and SME buyers availed the facility. The pre-fixed buyer-seller meetings offered fruitful business opportunities, resulting in a substantial number of business transactions.
