IMTA to set up world class expo centre at B'lore

Chennai, Nov 28: Deutsche Messe AG, organiser of the world famous expo at Hannover in Germany, has entered into a strategic tie-up with the Indian Machine Tools Association (IMTA) for setting up a world class Conference centre in Bangalore.

This was disclosed to reporters here last night by Mr Helmut Von Monschow, Managing Director, German Machine Tool Builders' Association (VDW) and Mr Stephen Keuline, Member, managing Board, Deutsche Messe AG, while explaining the salient features of the German Machine Tool Industry and European Machine Tools Organisation (EMO) 2007 to be held in Hannover from September 17 to 22 next year.

Mr Helmet said the Centre would be bigger than the Chennai Trade Centre here and would come up on the Tumkur Road, about 20 km from the Garden city.

With a total 40,000 sqm space, the Centre would have three huge conference halls, four halls with a built up space of 5600 sqm and would be a state-of-the-art trade fair venue.

''Germany is only a strategic partner and is not making any capital investments in it. It is being entirely funded by the IMTA and Deutsche Messe (DM) will only market the venue internationally,'' Mr Stephen said.

''Our responsbility is to bring International shows to Bangalore, which will be the DM's anchor place like the one in Shanghai,'' he added.

Mr S J Patil, India representative of DM, said the Conference centre would become operational from January next year with the conduct of an IMTA conference.

To a question, Mr Helmut said more than 29 firms and 4,000 Indian Trade professionals visited during the EMO 2005 in Hannover and going by the its dynamic growth market, the number of Indian participants was expected to be more in 2007.

''EMO 2007 presents an unique opportunity for Indian machine tool companies to present their technology to the whole world,'' he added.

Mr T R Gopalan, Regional Director, Indo-German Chamber of Commerce, who was also present, said three German firms have evinced interest in setting up its 100 per cent subsidiary in and around Chennai with an investment of 20 to 30 million Euros each.

While one company was involved in manufacturer of tunnel cutting machinery, the other was powder-coating firm. The third company was involved in manufacture of textile items.

UNI