The flagship event for the Indian metal cutting industry, IMTEX 2023 along with concurrent shows Tooltech 2023 and Digital Manufacturing 2023 got inaugurated at the city of Bengaluru on January 19, 2023. Kamal Bali, President and Managing Director, Volvo India Group and Gopal Subramanyam, Chairman, SKF India inaugurated the events, organized by the Indian Machine Tool Manufacturers’ Association (IMTMA), the apex body of the Indian machine tool industry at the International Exhibition Centre (BIEC).IMTEX showcases the latest trends and technological refinements from India and other global countries in machine tool industry.  Jamshyd N Godrej, Chairman, Exhibitions, IMTMA, Ravi Raghavan, President, IMTMA, Rajendra S Rajamane, Vice President, IMTMA, and Jibak Dasgupta, Director General and CEO, IMTMA also graced the inauguration ceremony by their presence.

Tooltech showcases the world of parts, accessories, and systems for machine tools and manufacturing technology. Digital Manufacturing has exhibitors showcasing evolving Industry 4.0 hardware, software and solutions, additive manufacturing, and other prominent technologies. Godrej presented at the inauguration. Reminiscing about his association with the late Vikram Kirloskar, the former Vice Chairperson of Toyota Kirloskar Motor, he added, “Although the pandemic put strain on the business, the exhibition industry is back. IMTMA has completed 75 years journey and will continue to support the machine tool and manufacturing industries while BIEC will support exhibitions, investor conferences and corporate events.”

Speaking about his journey which began in the 1970s, Subramanyam in his address said “Machine tool industry needs to explore new arenas like infrastructure sector which may pave way for future growth.”

Bali in his address mentioned, “Manufacturing is the future growth story of India and IMTEX is a great platform.” The next decade belongs to India which is fuelled by forward-looking policies, the young and emerging talent and with global investments are slated to do well, he added calling upon the industry to adopt best practices and build partnerships with global entities.

Speaking about India’s journey in the current situation, Raghavan, in his address said “India continued to remain resilient in the wake of the ongoing geo-political situation, talks of stagflation and an anticipated slowdown. This edition of IMTEX that IMTMA is organizing is a testimony to it as IMTEX 2023 received significantly favourable responses from national and international exhibitors.”

Rajamane delivered the vote of thanks, appreciating all the exhibition industry stakeholders for making IMTEX 2023 a grand event. The IMTMA publications ‘Comprehensive Report on Indian Metalworking Machine Tool Industry 2023’ highlight the current demand trends in the machine tool industry, IMTMA Members’ Directory 2023, and Exhibition Catalogue on IMTEX 2023, also released at the inauguration.

Special events for academicians
Apart from the display of products and solutions, various other programmes have been lined up. IMTMA is providing an opportunity for Indian academic and R&D institutions to showcase their research capabilities and make them available for commercial use. Around 23 academic institutions including IITs are participating in the i2 Academia Pavilion.

Jagruti, a special initiative for students will give a guided tour of the entire IMTEX including a visit to the IMTMA Technology Centre in BIEC is scheduled for January 21 and 22. Around 25 students from 12 colleges are participating. Connect, an awareness programme to impart knowledge on the machine tool industry to young engineers will be held on January 22. Around 35 companies and 300 students are expected to participate. Students can explore job opportunities in various companies. An international buyer-seller meet will be held between January 23 and 24. Potential buyers from the target overseas market are invited to explore mutual business opportunities. Buyers from Bangladesh, Belarus, Canada, Czech Republic, Egypt, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Russia, Sri Lanka, South Korea, Turkey, Uganda, the UK, and the USA are expected to participate.

Awards and felicitation by IMTMA
The IMTMA Premier Outstanding Entrepreneurship Award in memory of Vinod Doshi was conferred to Rajendra S Rajamane and the IMTMA BFW Lifetime Contribution Award in memory of HR Gupta was conferred to L Krishnan, Past President, IMTMA.

IMTMA has constituted two awards to recognize and reward companies. The IMTMA Best Design Award will be given for an indigenously designed product in metal cutting, and the IMTMA Export Performance Award for making significant achievements in the export of machine tools. The awards will be conferred during the exhibition. Machine tool builders are presenting new products such as smart and intelligent machines, high-precision, high-performance, multi-tasking, hybrid machines and special purpose machines, robots, cobots, AGVs, tools, accessories, manufacturing software, 3D printers, 3D printing solutions, evolving industry 4.0 hardware, software, customised solutions, etc.