“Pakistan has all the capabilities to become a key supplier of high quality engineering goods to European companies and the event of Hannover Fair should be utilized to protect and promote the soft image of Pakistan as a credible supplier of engineering goods”, remarked Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz after reviewing the preparation of Pakistan’s formidable participation in the exhibition. He appreciated the plans to exhibit quality products and display a high-profile professional image of the country.
The Hannover Fair 2005 was formally inaugurated by the German Chancellor, Gerhard Schroeder, and Russian President, Vladimar Putin. The four day mega event, from April 11 to 15, welcomed over 205,000 visitors, an increase of 20% over last year. Increase in foreign visitors was over 40%. 2885 exhibitors from 65 countries participated in a display area of 205,100 square meters spread over 24 halls. The degree of customer satisfaction also reached a crescendo this year as visitors gave a very high rating by designating the event as offering the best range of products and services ever displayed at a technology fair. Italy had 449 exhibitors, China 321, Russia 155, Turkey 126, while Taiwan had 120. Among visitors, the Indians led the pack with over 4300 persons.
The Hannover Fair 2005 comprised of eleven world-class trade fairs in all areas i.e., INTERKAMA, Factory Automation, Motion, Drive and Automation, Digital Factory, Micro Technology, Research and Technology, Energy, ComVac, Surface Technology with Powder Coating Europe, Subcontracting, and Industrial Services and Equipment.
Pakistan’s contingent of nearly 100 persons representing the government as well as 35 exhibitors was led by Federal Industries and Production Minister Jehangir Khan Tareen and included Abdul Razak Dawood and Imtiaz Rastgar, Chairman and Chief Executive of Engineering Development Board. The Hannover Fair 2005 had special significance for Pakistan. In line with President Musharraf’s initiative of the Engineering Vision, the Ministry of Industries had made elaborate arrangements for Pakistan’s participation. The exhibitors were selected from among those who had a proven track record of achievements in the engineering sector and who demonstrated the ability to enter into joint ventures, licensing agreements, or sub-contracting capabilities for interacting with European and North American manufacturers. The organizing committee had reserved 500 square meters for the Pakistan Pavilion.
The Pakistany exhibitors were very much encouraged by the response received at the fair. The news out from Hannover is that the automobile giants Renault and Volkswagen are keenly interested in establishing their presence here by setting up assembly plants. Moreover, German companies such as Bosch and Lego have also evinced interest in joint ventures to expand their production base and increase market access. German companies are also looking into the possibility of establishing supply chain links with Pakistany companies. More importantly, the clear-cut message received from Hannover was that the German political leadership is encouraging German companies to enter into joint ventures with their Pakistany counterparts, a process that could initiate a giant leap forward for the country’s engineering industry since Germany is the citadel of engineering technology in the world. According to feedback received by the diplomats here, the organizers are planning to double the number of exhibitors from Pakistan for Hannover Fair 2006.
This is inspirational news for Pakistan. Just a year ago, leading captains of the country’s engineering industry had predicted doomsday for themselves in the global marketplace. Today, Hannover has given them optimism and impetus to prove their mettle. The comment of Prof. Dr. –Ing Klaus Wucherer of Siemens should, in fact, be their guiding credo. He said. “Our innovations make sense only as long as they benefit our customers so that they can achieve market success and profitability”.
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April 27-2005
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