65th Indian Foundry Congress and IFEX 2017(Largest Foundry Exhibition) at Kolkata focuses on Casting Challenges & Moulding Opportunities

The Indian Foundry Industry is 3rd largest globally with revenue at USD 18 Billion & Exports of approx 2.7 USD Billion & employs directly & indirectly 2 Million.

by Suman Gupta

February 2017, India: The Institute of Indian Foundrymen (IIF) ,the apex National level industry body representing Indian  foundry sector successfully launched the 65th edition of Indian Foundry Congress (IFC)  concurrently with Foundry Exhibition (IFEX 2017) & CAST INDIA EXPO from 3rd February to 5th February 2017  at Eco Park, New Town, Rajarhat, Kolkata, West Bengal, INDIA. The Foundry exhibition in itself will provide the much needed impetus to development of the highly anticipated Amritsar-Kolkata Industrial Development Corridor (AKIC).

The event was inaugurated by Chief Guest Mr. Debashish Sen, IAS Additional Chief Secretary and Guest of Honour Ms. Maria Fernandez, Deputy Chairperson, Minority Council of Government of West Bengal. The inaugural ceremony took place in the presence of key dignitaries such as Mr. Venkat Arabolu, Chairman, BSI Group, Mr. O. P. Tantia, CMD OmBesco Group, Mr. Vijay Bharti, Director, MSME Department, Government of West Bengal, Mr. Anil Vaswani, President IIF,  Mr. Ravi Sehgal, Chairman, Organizing Committee, Mr. C. S. Jalan, Co-Chairman Organizing Committee,  Ms. Ashwini Pandey, MD, Kolen Messe, Mr. Sunirmal Dutta, Chairman Eastern Region IIF amidst an august industry gathering.

The Indian Foundry Congress and Foundry Exhibition (IFEX) provide the perfect platform to the Indian Foundry sector to showcase its capacity and capability to develop innovative solutions for the sector. IFEX 2017 is a focal point for the foundry industry in India, attracting a broad cross-section of representatives, from buyers and sellers to trade associations.

IFEX which is the largest exhibition for the Foundry industry, witnessed participation from Equipment Manufacturers, Tools & Tackles Manufacturers, Material Suppliers, Technologists and Simulation Specialists. It is an excellent platform for domestic as well as international companies to showcase their state-of-the-art technologies and services to get exposure to new business opportunities. 

This year, IFEX saw participation with over 2000 delegates from India and the overseas market. More than 200 exhibitors showcased their technology in the foundry industry which included ACI Automation Pvt Ltd, Ametek Instruments India Pvt Ltd, Anyang XinKeLong Casting Materials Co., Ltd., CHINA, BMD Machinery India Pvt. Ltd., Ceraflux India Pvt. Ltd, Dörentrup Feuerfestprodukte GmbH & Co. KG, Eirich India Pvt. Ltd., Electrotherm India Limited, Elkem South Asia Pvt. Ltd., EMT Megatherm Pvt. Ltd., Forace Polymers Pvt. Ltd., Gargi Industries, Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd., Hexagon Metrology (India) Pvt. Ltd, J K Foundry Engineers, Koiwai India Pvt. Ltd., Mudra Dies & Patterns Pvt. Ltd., Nortech Ferro Alloys Pvt. Ltd., Omega Foundry Machinery Limited, U.K., Silcarb Recrystallized Pvt. Ltd, Spectra Analytical Pvt. Ltd, Tata Metaliks Limited, The Institute of Indian Foundrymen, The Wesman Engineering Company Pvt. Ltd, Thermo Fisher Scientific India Pvt. Ltd,, Zeta India Inc. and  Zircar Crucibles Pvt. Ltd. 

Mr. Anil Vaswani, President - IIF, said, “We are happy to host the 65th edition of Indian Foundry Congress (IFC) and IFEX 2017 in Kolkata. IFEX in its 13th edition has now become the most important platform for the foundry industry of the Indian sub-continent, as a sourcing ground for all the foundry requirements. India is a 3rd largest producer of castings in the world and has ambitious growth plans with new capacities being added at rapid pace. Indian Foundry Congress is an excellent opportunity for the foundries from all across India to display their potential to the buyers coming from across the globe and it also creates an outstanding platform to deliberate on, and charter future strategies to propel the sector to the next level. The presence of these casting manufacturers as exhibitors in the same venue provides a ready customer base for Indian and International Suppliers.”

Indian Foundry Sector is the feeder industry to the manufacturing sector as it supports sectors like auto, auto components, railways, electric, cement etc which are the major contributors to India’s GDP.  The Indian Foundry Industry is 3rd largest globally with revenue at USD 18 Billion & Exports of approx 2.7 USD Billion & employs directly & indirectly 2 Million. Over the last few years, Indian Foundry industry gradually rose from no 5th to 2nd largest producer of castings globally. The Government of India is taking several steps to promote “Make in India”, Skill development & Ease of Doing Business and to support “Make in India”, the Foundry sector will need to grow at least 3 folds in next 10 years. Although, the Auto & Capital Goods sectors have already drawn very ambitious Mission plans but that cannot be realized in full measure without corresponding growth of foundry sector.

Mr. Anil Vaswani, President - IIF further added, “To support the skill development of foundrymen, IIF has also launched the “Yogyata Vikas” in -plant training programme for 

workers to train them in various operational areas of foundries at their doorsteps in local languages. More than 10 training modules have been developed in 7 regional languages for the easy understanding of workmen.”

About The Institute of Indian Foundrymen: 

The Institute of Indian Foundrymen (IIF) was set up in 1950 and registered as a society in West Bengal under the Societies Registration Act XXI of 1860, IIF is accredited by NABET /QCI under GOLD category under the initiative of Ministry of MSME supported by GIZ as BMO (Business Member Organization) IIF had a modest beginning. Today it has an enviable national spread of four regional branches and twenty seven chapters. Its current membership numbers are over 4000 inclusive of Fellows, Members, Life Members, Company Members etc, from providing education, research and training pertaining to metal casting, to publishing the monthly Indian Foundry Journal, from hosting the annual Indian Foundry Congress to being the nodal point of information, from being the one point reference for the Government to participating in the preparation of standards for foundry materials and products. IIF is multidimensional in its Sphere of activities. Headquartered in Kolkata, in a four storied building, it is equipped with a library aimed at keeping the foundry men technically abreast of the happenings globally. The IIF is affiliated to the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII, New Delhi) and the World Foundry men Organization (WFO), U.K.