For the Press

The first India International Hardware Show (IIHS), featuring 60 exhibitors from across the building products industry, concluded on 31st October 2010. The three-day exhibition, which was organised jointly by Koelnmesse YA Trade Fairs and Sourcing Hardware magazine, was held at the Bombay Exhibition Centre in Goregaon, Mumbai. Products on display included hardware, hand tools, bathroom accessories, scaffoldings, ladders, power tools, fasteners, sealants, burners, modular kitchens, measuring instruments, castors, etc.

This first ever trade fair for the building products industry in India was supported by Federation of Indian Hardware Manufacturers & Traders Association (FIHMTA), Indian Council of Ceramic Tiles & Sanitaryware (ICCTAS), Electric Lamp & Component Manufacturers' Association (ELCOMA), Hand Tools Exporters Forum, Jamnagar Hardware Manufacturers Association, The Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers & Traders Association (KCMT), and Ludhiana Hand Tools Association.

Through its unique positioning as a 'trade only' event, IIHS became the first event in India to provide the building products industry a platform for business without frills. Though the size of its first edition was rather modest, the who's who of the industry were conspicuous by their presence. Leading brands including Bosch, Hitachi Koki, GB, Connect, JK Tools, Regal, Taparia, Trutek, APT, Superseal, Ray-tech, Wacker, Timbor, Kangaro, Emirates etc became part of this debut event because they wanted such as show to be held and become successful. The presence of 16 international companies among the exhibitors further lent credence to expectations that this show had globally. These companies came from Germany, China, Sri Lanka, Italy, UK and USA.

Most of the exhibitors were pleasantly surprised by the purity of the visitorship; of the 2,428 visitors who attended the show, none were casual persons and all were linked to the industry as traders, bulk buyers or specifiers, or were interested to invest in new businesses. According to A K Goel, managing director of Hettich India, “I am happy to see that many Indian and international brands have participated in this event. More heartening is the fact that there are no casual crowds and the exhibitors are able to discuss business without unnecessary distractions.” Goel and Rainer Langeluddecke, director of Association of German Tool Manufacturers, together inaugurated the show by lighting the traditional lamp and cutting the ribbon, thus becoming its first visitors.

As with any established trade exhibition, the IIHS too had a conference programme running concurrently. The two-day programme featured eight seminars on fast growing business sectors including modular kitchens, power tools, light weight construction, access control, public washrooms, decorative paints and sealants, and the ever hot topic of goods and service tax (GST). Captains of the industry had agreed to speak at these seminars, to inform members of the trade about what new business opportunities were emerging among building products and what their prospects are.

While A K Goel of Hettich explained the nuances of building a modular kitchen brand, Deepak Parmeswaran of Jotun Paints talked about the importance of providing customers with a pleasant buying experience in paint retailing. Saint-Gobain Gyproc vice president Hemant Khurana's presentation explained the increasing application of light weight construction materials, and the business opportunities they presented. A J Bhatt, regional manager of Bosch Power Tools described the nature of the Indian power tools industry and the drivers of demand, while Atul Anand from Assa Abloy, the locks and hardware giant, showed how high-tech locks are securing more and more premises. The presentation by Gautam Ghoshal of Schell was an eye-opener for businessmen involved in the bathroom fittings and plumbing sectors, as he revealed that public washrooms were set to become profit making ventures in the coming times. CAIT secretary general Praveen Khandelwal's talk on the forthcoming regime of GST, which will subsume all indirect taxes but octroi, showed that costing and distribution of goods would see a sea change within the next two years.

The show's joint organisers Koelnmesse YA Trade Fairs and Sourcing Hardware magazine have played a critical role in shaping this event. According to Ashwini Pande, managing director of Koelnmesse YA Trade Fairs, an Indian joint venture with Koelnmesse GmbH, “The India International Hardware Show is an important event in the series of hardware and building product shows that we organise at the global level. While Koelnmesse GmbH organises the International Hardware Fair and Asia Pacific Sourcing in Cologne, and jointly organises the China International Hardware Show in Shanghai, it also partners with Ferroform in Bilbao, Spain. With the launch of the Indian show, we are providing our global clients yet another opportunity for expanding into growing markets.”

Pande emphasised that through its global reach and expertise, Koelnmesse draws the most significant buyer and exhibitor groups to all its shows. The International Hardware Fair is over 40 years old, and is acknowledged to be the largest exhibition for hardware & tools in the world. Koelnmesse YA Trade Fairs has gained extraordinary expertise in organising industry-specific shows that match global standards in planning and execution.

Deepak Gupta, editor and publisher of Sourcing Hardware magazine, added, “The India International Hardware Show is marked by its unique positioning, of a pure trade event. This fact differentiates it from other events in the building products industry. By targeting a very specific segment of volume buyers and specifiers, we are ensuring that our exhibitors are not swamped by vast crowds, and their participation results in development of new business prospects and contacts. Besides, the concurrent business-specific seminars that are organised at the same venue further ensure that more trade people visit. It is a matter of great satisfaction that the readers of Sourcing Hardware, who are volume buyers and specifiers of building products, are happy about the industry finally getting its own trade show.” Sourcing Hardware, published by Bracecorp Publications Pvt Ltd since 1996, is India's largest business magazine with a readership of over 75,000 trade and volume buyers.

Rainer Langeluddecke appreciated the efforts of the organisers and said that the show is a great initiative and will soon become a major attraction in the events calendar. “India is still an untapped market when it comes to tools and hardware accessories. There is a lot of German interest in India, and for small and medium enterprises who want to enter the market through a local partner, this exhibition is a boon. We are happy to be present here and hope that the next IIHS will be a much bigger success.” He further said, “It is important that the organisers finalise the venue for the next fair prudently, keeping in mind the demands of the exhibitors and other conditions.”

As expected, there was mixed response from exhibitors, with some not being able to get sufficient enquiries from their target buyers and others expressing satisfaction.

Rajesh More, regional manager of Hitachi Koki India, said, “We are overwhelmed with the response at IIHS and look forward to participating again next year. We have received a good number of queries from visitors across the country.”

Mohit Salwan from Devisons Infiniti Housewares , a manufacturer of stainless steel containers and bathroom accessories, felt that the show could have been much better. “We were expecting more visitors, considering the fact that the show had the backing of big names like Koelnmesse and Sourcing Hardware. But, the trade queries were not up to the mark.”

Sandeep Tele, a kitchens dealer and a visitor, said, “The show is very well organised and I also attended Mr Goel's seminar on modular kitchens. I must say that it was very informative and fruitful for my business.”

“The show is good, albeit on a small scale at the moment though. I expect it to be grander next year with more exhibitors,” said Lawrie A Crasto, a visitor.

Another exhibitor, Gaurav Sabharwal of Oaykay Forgings, said, “We target the export market and are happy to participate in the show. We look forward to its future editions.”

“It is our first time in an Indian exhibition and we have got an overwhelming response to our products. Good effort on the part of the organisers,” exclaimed Chris Baker of Bright Spark/ JFA Exports, an exhibitor.

Pravin Pai Kakode, a visitor from Goa and a hardware dealer, felt that the show proved to be a great forum for hardware traders as it specifically addressed their needs. “I would definitely like to come again to look for new product innovations! Hopefully then there will be more suppliers and brands to choose from.”

Mohd Adil Bhai of Kamil Bhai Ismail Ji, another exhibitor and manufacturer of brass hardware from Moradabad, was not satisfied due to the low visitor count. However, he did agree that the show had the right orientation, and urged the organisers to do a better job next time.

Atul Anand of Assa Abloy, who was also a speaker at the IIHS Conference, said, “I feel great to be a part of this new initiative. I think we need more such platforms to educate traders and volume buyers so that they can sell even better.”

The concerted efforts of Koelnmesse YA Trade Fairs and Sourcing Hardware successfully created a buzz about the event through promotion and coverage in the magazine, e-mail and SMS campaigns, newspaper publicity and use of outdoor media. This prompted many manufacturers and suppliers to visit simply to check it out. They came from Gujarat, Delhi, Tamil Nadu as well as Maharashtra, and returned with a favourable impression. Quite a few of them confirmed that they would like to participate in the next edition as soon as the dates and venue were finalised.