Indian Ceramics & Ceramics Asia 2017 sets new records

Indian Ceramics & Ceramics Asia, in their second edition as co-located event, set new records by bringing 7,100 trade visitors and 283 exhibitors together at the Gujarat University Exhibition Centre in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, from March 1 to 3, 2017. Exhibitors and visitors were extremely satisfied with the presentation of technologies and the accompanying events. Increases were recorded in all important areas—the number of visitors, the number of exhibitors and the total amount of exhibition space, and companies showcased over 400 brands of machinery, raw materials, innovative solutions and technologies for the ceramics industry. Exhibitors included domestic and international companies such as Ashapura Minechem, Astron Zircon, Cretaprint, Daga Mines & Minerals, De Boer Damle, Imerys, Foshan DLT Technology, Floorex, Monte-Bianco Diamond Applications, Sabo, SACMI, SITI, Sol Inks and Torrecid.

Gerhard Gerritzen, Member of the Management Board at Messe München GmbH, and Amen Liao, President of Unifair Exhibition Service, are encouraged by the success of this event. "Thanks to these results, we have set a milestone. Indian Ceramics & Ceramics Asia has established itself as number one for the ceramics industry in the Asian region. Increases in all areas do an impressive job of confirming that this is an indispensible platform for the ceramics industry."
After China, Italy accounted for the second-largest contingent of exhibitors, and Emilio Benedetti, Vice President of ACIMAC (Association of Italian Manufacturers of Machinery and Equipment for Ceramics) and CEO of LB Officine Meccaniche, was very positive about the
results of this year's exhibition: "The cooperation between Indian Ceramics and Ceramics Asia was the right decision and had already fruitful results in the last year. The exhibition is an important showcase to show our technologies to the Indian Market. This year the quality of the trade fair increased and we are satisfied about the number and quality of visitors.”

Most visitors were decision-makers
Indian Ceramics & Ceramics Asia was larger than ever, occupying 12,000 square meters of space, an increase of more than 30 percent. The exhibition also set a new record in the number of visitors: For the first time ever, more than 7,100 visitors attended the exhibition. According to Igor Palka, COO of Messe München India, and Ken Wong, General Manager of Unifair Exhibition Service: "Significant economic growth in India is the driving force behind these increases. Demand for high-quality products in the ceramics industry is on the rise. Corresponding machines and systems are needed to manufacture these products, and they are available here." Exhibitors not only praised the further increase in the number of exhibitors, but above all their professionalism and the positions they hold at their companies. "We met the right buyers from the ceramic building material and architecture sector, who attended to witness innovative solutions,” said Dhananjay Singh, Marketing Manager, Torrecid India. He added: "We are happy to present out products at Indian Ceramics & Ceramics Asia, which proved to be a great platform for all ceramic manufacturers in the country."

First-rate supporting program
Besides the exhibition, visitors attending Indian Ceramics & Ceramics Asia also enjoyed a first rate program of conferences and related events about the latest research results, trends and recommendations for day-to-day operations. As a result, Indian Ceramics & Ceramics Asia further strengthened their role as an expert forum and knowledge hub. The Innovation Exchange Forum received a great deal of attention and was very well received on all three days of the exhibition. Well-known representatives of the ceramics industry made 30-minute presentations and discussed challenges and future concepts for the Asian market. On behalf of the other

speakers and attendees, K.D. Sanghavi from Interkiln Industries Limited summed things up as follows: "We are keen to understand the market dynamics, current trends and meet potential buyers. By participating at Indian Ceramics, we have been able to meet all our participation objectives. We also attended the Innovation Exchange Forum, cfi – Ceramics Forum International and brick industry workshop and found it highly informative and relevant to our business."

Other new events on the agenda such as the Buyer-Seller Forum, which was organized by Indian Ceramics & Ceramics Asia for the first time ever, generated huge interest and reported strong participation. Top decision makers conducted over 150 face-to-face meetings with the exhibitors. Among many others, the following companies participated as buyers: Roca Bathroom Products, Kohler India Corporation Ltd., Soka Ukrain, Cera Sanitaryware, Paradise Sanitaryware.

Another popular event was the iBaRT(India Brick and Roof Tile Exhibition) Workshop titled "Mechanization of Traditional Indian Clay Brick Industry: Challenges and Opportunities", which focused on the current and future significance of the heavy clay sector, one of the industry's key segments. One of the leading supplier of machinery and installations for Brick Industry, Anand Damle, Managing Director of De Boer Damle Indian Private Limited, said: “At Indian Ceramics & Ceramics Asia we met potential customers and displayed our new technology. We also attended the brick workshop where we learnt latest trends and market knowledge.”

Indian Ceramics & Ceramics Asia is organized by Messe München India, a subsidiary of Messe München, and Unifair Exhibition Service Co., Ltd. in China.