The Italian machine tool industry’s flagship event, BI-MU, celebrated 60 years with the recently held 30th edition at the Fiera Milano exhibition grounds in Milan in early October.

The Italian machine tool industry ranks fourth globally in manufacturing (behind China, Japan and Germany) and third in exports (behind Japan and Germany) as per the 2015 industry statistics. It also has an ideal product mix of nearly 50% each in metal cutting and metal forming machines and some of the companies are right there among the top 10 in the world in terms of size and sophistication.

Promoted by Ucimu-Sistemi Per Produrre (UCIMU) – Italian Machine Tool, Robots and Automation Manufacturers' Association – BI-MU is a biennial exhibition of machine tools, robotics, automation, auxiliary technologies, subcontracting and services for the industry. Held concurrently for the last three days of the 5-day show was Sfortec Industry, an event for the sub contracting and services industry, previously held separately at Bologna. In another highlight of the 30BI-MU, the organisers hosted about 20 qualified foreign delegates including end users and trade media, from the most promising markets that include Brazil, Canada, China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Mexico, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Turkey, UAE, USA and Uzbekistan.

The over a dozen strong Indian delegation had a good representation from enterprises large, medium and small, representing heavy and light engineering companies, automotive and ancillaries and the service industry. Besides this official delegation, there were other visitors from India including a few as participants, as the global nature of business and trade means subsidiaries of larger companies today operate from multiple locations.

Addressing the Indian delegation and some Italian machine tool manufacturers, Ferdinando Pastore, director of the Italian Trade Agency (ITA, but known as ICE in Italian), said, “India is a rapidly developing country noted for political stability and high growth with a large aspiring population. Italy has a strong trade relation with India and the current wave of consumerism in India augers well for further growth. BI-MU is a good opportunity in the machine tool domain to cater to the requirements of the manufacturing sector of India.”

Veronica Just, a director at UCIMU and Vice President, Millutensil, a worldwide leader in the production of die & mould spotting presses/die-splitters and machinery for sheet metal working, said, “Italian machine tool builders have some excellent machines with high technology and flexibility, very good productivity. There is tremendous scope for more business as India is huge, and growing and growing.” Having visited the country of several occasions – Millutensil is one of the companies associated with the Italian Technology Centre at Pune – Veronica is very optimistic on the prospects the India presents to the Italian machine tool manufacturers.

“India is a big machine tool market with the government’s focus on manufacturing – raising the share of manufacturing in the country’s GDP – which has opened up many opportunities backed by incentives. We facilitate discussions of interested buyers with manufacturers through such delegations for the various industry events in Italy,” said Anil Mulchandani, Chief Representative South at the Italian Trade Agency’s India office. Mulchandani was addressing a meeting of the delegates with officials and members of UCIMU.

Later in the day, Massimo Carboniero, President of UCIMU, presented an overview of the Italian machine tool industry and its global footprint, with a sales network spanning all continents of the world. According to the 2015 figures, India is now the eight largest consumer market for machine tools. With 60 per cent of the domestic requirement met through imports, major machine tool exporters of the world are firmly focused on India. Italy has traditionally been a significant player in the Indian market and India is 11 on its list of machine tool exports, USA being its largest market. In 2015, Italian machine tool exports to India declined marginally, but UCIMU is very upbeat on future prospects.

While many global companies have already established manufacturing facilities and many more are outsourcing their requirements to Indian companies, in recent years sectors like aviation and defense are witnessing much action. With India a major importer of defense hardware and now with progressive liberalisation of the restrictions on ownership of companies, the conditions for offsets do not sound unrealistic and more companies are willing to manufacture more in India. Achyutananda Mahapatra, an executive from Tata Sikorsky Aerospace Ltd, a company from the aerospace segment, was keenly looking at the options in 5-axis machining. While the company has on the shop floor machines from top manufacturers of the industry, requirements vary and the quest for cost vs benefits is a constant in the engineering universe. He was seen visiting the stands of companies like Breton SpA, FPT Industrie and Jobs SpA.

Breton in fact held the world premiere of its Ultrix 1200 EVO at the show. The Ultrix 1200 EVO is a multitasking machining centre with five interpolated axes designed to achieve the highest performance in heavy milling and turning of tough materials such as special alloys, and titanium. It is made for machining 3D shapes that require milling, drilling, turning and grinding. Operations that make it a suitable product for many sectors: from the aerospace industry to mould production and energy. The advantage of this machine is that it can make complete parts, reducing the need for different configurations and positioning to a minimum, thereby ensuring quality and accuracy that is well above average.

Breton is represented in India by Delhi-based Heatly & Gresham India Pvt Ltd, a company that has its origins in the UK and has a history of over 125 years of service to the Indian industry. H&G in fact also represents other Italian machine tool builders like PAMA, Pietro Carnaghi, and SAFOP SpA, all manufacturers of high end machine tools. PAMA is a 90-year old company that today specialises in high end milling and boring machines, machining centres, milling machines and gantry type machines, thanks to a combination of tradition and technological excellence of its products. The machines are all customised to the user industries’ requirements. In fact the company had a large stand but no machine on display. Instead its executives were busy in discussions with video presentations and machine drawings. The company is a niche player with an average output of a machine manufactured every week, and has sold a few units in India mainly to the energy sector. But there are irritants in the process and everything is not hunky dory. As Paolo Bosi, Sales Manager, PAMA, says, “India is certainly a growing market but the process of selling a machine is a lengthy one with peculiar tender conditions. We invest a lot of time and resources in making our presentation and putting crucial data and then it is disappointing to see when a lesser machine makes the grade.”

But there are others who have positive experiences. Says Alberto Vigano, Sales & Marketing Manager, Colgar, a company specialising in both chip removal and sheet metal working machines, “Colgar has a good market in India and we have secured some large orders in the past and are working closely with large players in the power and infrastructure industry.” Colgar is well represented in India in the northern and western regions. While its metal working machines include Horizontal boring and milling machines, vertical boring and milling machines, hydrostatic type and on roller guideways; rotary and rotary-traverse tables, with pallets; accessory heads; and tools magazines changers chain or rack type, in metal forming machines Colgar manufactures single machines and big bending and shearing plants that are used by manufacturers of construction machines, cranes and pipes, poles and system of transport by hearth and sea, civil engineering and mechanical. P Elangovan, Managing Director of Tap Engineering, a company that undertakes fabrication of large fans and HVAC systems, and looking for a solution for an intractable problem in large housing, was seen in an animated discussion with Vigano.

Another company working in the niche of big machines is FPT Industrie SpA, engaged in manufacturing CNC milling and boring machines for the mechanical and die and mould fields. It acquisition of Castel in 1997, which is an important Italian trademark for the manufacture of travelling column type boring machines, has further extended its product range and increasing its market share as to its competitors. At the 30BI-MU it had on display it latest Kenta boring-milling machine with the biggest monobloc column reaching a height of 6800 mm, with integrated saddle, making a monolithic structure of special cast iron. It was one of the largest machines on display at the exhibition and company executives were seen zealously guarding it from those keen to photograph it in details!

Sanjeev Malik, AGM – Maintenance, Dee Piping Systems, too was looking for some special purpose machines to combine a few functions of end preparation for large dia pipes which with the present process is cumbersome. Dee Piping Systems manufactures high pressure piping systems, induction pipe bends, and pipe fittings for thermal power plant projects, petroleum and natural gas projects, and process plant projects. He was seen visiting a few booths discussing the exact requirements. Later he was also looking for plasma based cutting systems and surface preparation solutions.

If this was the overall scene on the large machine front, there were enough manufacturers with the usual mid range work horses in terms of lathes and machining centres, vertical and horizontal. Besides, a large selection of accessories for machine tools was also on display in all the four halls. One notable example is Losma, a company specialising in filtration products – air and liquid – offering manufacturing companies the opportunity to ‘work clean and breathe healthy’. The company already has a subsidiary in India with manufacturing and assembly operations. “We offer very cost effective solutions for filtration with cleaning of fumes in case of air and cleaning and recovery in case of liquid. The systems cost a little more but the return on investment is much faster,” says Yashodhan Sule, Sales Manager, Losma India Pvt Ltd. Among the various exhibits, Losma had on display a model from the Spring range of self-cleaning drum filtration system, with permanent metallic net, suitable to clean neat oil or emulsion from magnetic or non-magnetic particles.

Cosberg is another example of Italian machine building capabilities. The company has 30-years experience in mechatronics, industrial automation, engineering, robotised systems with core business is the study and realisation of assembly machines – with rotary table systems and linear transfer machines with free pallets – in order to automate the assembly processes. “Our assembly machines and systems are applied in many industrial segments such as electro-mechanic industry, automotive components, furniture fittings, household appliances, etc,” says Monica Teli, Manager, Sales & Marketing, Cosberg SpA.

“The BiMU Fair this year was smaller but, from the positive aspect, it allowed more time to the visitor to concentrate upon exhibitors of one's choice. Further, it showed that those who exhibited were economically well-placed to have participated, and would be in a position to execute the order,” says Surendra Kumar, CEO of Delhi based Precision International, who was present at the show. The fact that EMO Milan of 2015 was a global industry event had clearly impacted the decision by some exhibitors to stay away from this edition of BI-MU. Surendra Kumar, who speaks fluent Italian, is very passionate about European machine tools technology in general, Italian in particular, and represents various Italian companies in this domain in India. “There were many exhibitors showing advanced technology, with options to suit the technical needs and the budget of the customer. This is the strongest point of Italian technology. They all were keen to sell to India,” adds Kumar, who has also made an important contribution towards the founding and developing of the Indo Italian Chamber of Commerce, during his term as its Vice-Chairman, and has been honoured with the title of 'Cavaliere' (meaning Knight) by the President of Italy.

The organisers were pleased with the outcome of 30 BI-MU, which recorded 62,576 visitors of which 59,554 were from sector professionals, 6% more in comparison with those recorded in the previous edition. 3,022 students were registered versus 5,714 of the 2014 edition, because schools were admitted only by invitation and according to the programme. The total number of sector professionals' visits included 2,418 entries of foreign operators coming from 75 countries, a figure 17% higher compared with that recorded in the previous edition of BI-MU.

Referring to the successful conclusion, Massimo Carboniero, President of UCIMU, said “The event presented an interesting overview of the technological trends characterising the sector, and also highlighted the possible applications concerning the issue of ‘Industry 4.0’.”

“We are sure – added Alfredo Mariotti, General Manager, UCIMU, that there will be a further boost to the already lively Italian demand for machinery and technology, as evidenced by the large attendance of visitors that crowded BI-MU even on Saturday, the last exhibition day”. Mariotti was referring to the Italian government’s proactive measures, such as the 140% Super Depreciation, 250% Hyper-Depreciation and New Sabatini Law, which encourages retiring of 20 year old machines in favour of buying the latest models.

-Milton D’Silva

(This writer’s visit to 30BI-MU was sponsored by the Italian Trade Agency, New Delhi)