Living up to its reputation of being the largest exhibition of its kind in South Asia, Excon 2015 – the International Construction Equipment and Construction Technology Exhibition held in Bangalore during the last week of November 2015 – attracted participation from 22 countries. The theme of this edition was ‘Make India – Building Infrastructure, Building the Nation. Large number of exhibitors from Germany, China, Italy, Turkey, South Korea, United Kingdom and other countries used the platform not only to exhibit their state-of-the-art construction equipment but also to exchange information and ideas with regard to technology and expansion of their businesses.

SCHWING Stetter India launched 16 new products and technology innovations including: Batching Plant, Self Loading Mixer, Circular Distributor, Wheel Loaders and Motorgrader; SANY India launched 10 new products including excavators and heavy equipment; JCB India Limited presented an exciting line up of 25 “Made in India” machines; and Volvo Trucks launched the largest capacity multi-axle dump truck for the mining industry.

Sang-Dok Yim, Marketing Support, Department/Strategy Division of Korea Construction Equipment Manufacturers Association (KOCEMA) was of the opinion that it was the opportune time for companies to invest in India as it was an emerging market. Establishing his confidence in Excon 2015, Yim said, “You can expect more Korean companies to invest in India in the coming years.” This confidence was echoed by SPECO, a South Korean company dealing in asphalt mixing plant, batch master, etc.

The ‘Make in India’ initiative too has received a lot of appreciation from international participants with Chinese company Luoyang Longda Bearing Co., contemplating opening up an office in Kolkata by next year. Zhou Weidong, VP and Senior Engineer, China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) representing China Chamber of International Commerce (CCOIC) and Machinery Chamber of Commerce said that Chinese companies were seriously looking at collaborating with Indian companies in the construction equipment industry. They also expressed interest in maintenance of roads. China is the biggest foreign exhibitor with participation of 172 Chinese companies.

Germany too sees huge prospects in participating in India’s exciting infrastructure growth story. Sebastian Popp, Deputy Managing Director, Construction Equipment and Building Material Machinery (VDMA) said that visibility of India and the Indian economy has increased phenomenally over the past few years and the country’s future potential is being played out to prospective investors with aplomb. The investment climate in the country is continuously improving and in the construction equipment space alone companies are already active in India. He said that the potential for more German companies to come into India was high.

With the construction equipment industry picking up growth momentum, Excon 2015, which is generating positive energy and enthusiasm from global and Indian players alike, will act as a catalyst to further boost growth.