SMM India for the first time in 2009

Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH (HMC) is systematically pursuing its strategy of internationalising the flagship fair SMM, the world’s premier shipbuilding exhibition, with the launch of the SMM India from 2009 onwards. That is the second SMM event abroad, following the successful introduction of the SMM Istanbul (21 to 23 January 2009).
The first SMM India will be held at the Bombay Exhibition Centre in Mumbai from 28 to 30 October 2009. The new shipbuilding fair is accompanied by a high-calibre conference.
“Our aim at SMM India is to give our customers from the shipbuilding and marine equipment industry concentrated access to the Indian market,” says Bernd Aufderheide, Chairman of the Management Board of HMC, explaining the brand extension of the SMM, “and at the same time it is to give regionally active Indian companies easier access to the global market for shipbuilding and marine technologies”.
Exhibitors there can expect the familiar standard of SMM expertise. Many of the SMM exhibitors are already active in India, but the SMM India gives them even better opportunities there, not least due to the in-depth market knowledge of the Indian organising partner. Hauke V. Schlegel, Managing Director of the VDMA Working Group of the Shipbuilding and Offshore Equipment Supply Industry, gives a positive assessment: “That means strong growth in business opportunities for German and European high-tech suppliers in the marine equipment industry. The industry welcomes the opportunity to exhibit at this high-quality fair, under the strong brand name SMM, and intends to use it to build and secure its market position in India.”
The decision by HMC to establish a shipbuilding fair in SMM quality on the Indian subcontinent is a logical step motivated by the dynamism of this economic area. India, together with China, is the driving force of the Asian economy. The Indian economy has enjoyed almost double-digit growth rates for many years. GDP was up 8.8% in fiscal year 2007/2008, which ended in March 2008, following GDP growth of 9.4% in the previous year. The OECD forecasts growth of 8.6% and 8.4% in the next two years. Bank experts estimate that, as early as 2020, India could be the fastest growing economy, ahead even of China.

To give new impetus to the SMM India project, a delegation of the Indian shipbuilding industry will hold intensive discussions during the SMM 2008 in Hamburg from 23 to 26 September this year. A month later, representatives of the European marine equipment suppliers will return the visit with their participation in the Port & Ship International India 2008.