Relevance of Hannover Messe for Indian manufacturing SMEs

By OEM Update Editorial May 2, 2023 1:49 pm IST

Shreedhar Kamat discusses his experience at Hannover Messe and how it can help evaluate company growth while sharing views on the challenges faced by Indian manufacturing companies.
What is the significance of attending the Hannover Messe for Indian Industry?
Since 1987, EAPL has been participating in Hannover Messe, which has grown significantly over the years, attracting many new participants and featuring various production and manufacturing areas. The event is highly relevant and significant for beginners and new enterprises, providing new insights and opportunities for creating new situations. EAPL, an Indian company founded in Bangalore, attended the trade fair to understand global developments and identify new technology in industrial automation. As an opportunity for self-development, Hannover Messe allows companies to explore outside their region and assimilate new experiences to aid their development.
In India, we are witnessing an unprecedented speed of development and growth in the industrial sector. It is more than just a matter of arithmetic or geometric progression because, with the rapid development, it is difficult to imagine how fast it will continue to grow. Every moment new and innovative ideas emerge beyond the average person’s imagination.
Our aim at EAPL is to grow and evolve continuously. Survival depends on growing and adapting to the changing world around us. Therefore, we have developed strategies to upgrade our technology, production capacity, and marketing strategies. We always look for new technologies and opportunities to improve our products. The main reason for attending Hannover Messe was to learn, assimilate new ideas, and integrate technologies for improvement and growth.

How has EAPL’s product range evolved since its inception, and what steps is the company taking to remain competitive in the global market?
EAPL started by making timers, and now it offers a variety of products. Our main focus is on switchgear and high-quality timers to compete globally. EAPL displayed its latest IoT-based products at Hannover, along with timers for the switchgear industry that work with electronic vehicles. The company constantly looks for ways to improve its products with innovative technology.
What are the biggest challenges faced by Indian SMEs today?
The biggest challenge faced by Indian industries is finding the appropriate workforce. While India can have the required workforce, it has become highly expensive for smaller and medium-scale industries. This is primarily due to the growth and development of the IT industry, which is the preferred choice for many job seekers. As a result, smaller industries focusing on manufacturing, production, and hardware are at a disadvantage when hiring skilled workers-the simple reason being- they cannot afford to pay the type of compensation that the IT industry offers.
The second challenge that we face is the rising cost of production. While India is considered relatively less expensive, manufacturing costs have significantly increased over the past five years. However, the returns are not proportionate to the increased cost. This presents a significant challenge for manufacturing companies in India. This issue needs to be addressed, lest, it may lead to a problematic situation.