IMTEX Forming 2020: Propelling growth amid slowdown

With India embarking on a new phase in manufacturing, IMTEX Forming 2020 & Tooltech 2020 was an important event for manufacturers to get a first-hand view of the latest technologies in metal forming on display from reputed companies across the globe and adding depth in their manufacturing process. IMTEX, which witness participation from 602 exhibitors from 26 countries, is undoubtedly the market leader to propel business growth for machine tool industries in India, even during tough market situations and a general slowdown in the economy.

I ndian Machine Tool Manufacturers’ Association (IMTMA) hosted IMTEX Forming 2020 & Tooltech 2020 at Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC), Bengaluru, from January 23-28. This year’s expo can be considered as the largest IMTEX Forming exhibition held thus far. Spanning over an exhibition space of 33,000 sq m with 602 exhibitors from 26 countries, ‘IMTEX Forming 2020 & Tooltech 2020’, once again brought stakeholders from the entire global manufacturing fraternity on a common platform for knowledge sharing and business transactions.

IMTMA, the apex body and single point of contact for the machine tool industry in India, plays a crucial role in the growth and development of the metalworking industry in the country. IMTMA’s initiatives range from policy advocacy, export promotion, trade fairs, mega-events, training, seminars, technology missions, publications, etc. IMTMA formed in 1946 has a membership of over 450 members and represents 90 per cent of the organised machine tool and allied equipment manufacturers in the country.

Technologies in metal forming such as high-speed laser cutting machines, sheet metalworking, welding and joining, presses, metrology, and CAD / CAM were exhibited live by machine tool manufacturers to help user industries make informed decisions. The focus was on additive manufacturing and Industry 4.0.

The exhibition also featured parallel events such as:

• i2 Academia Pavilion (With participation from more than 50 institutions, including IITs)
• International Buyer-Seller Meet (Participation from 19 overseas buyers from 9 countries: Egypt, France, Guatemala, Iran, Kenya, Russia, Sri Lanka, UAE, and Uzbekistan)
• Eco Design Awards to encourage green stalls (Participation from 63 companies)
• Manufacturing Quiz Contest (An inter-college quiz on manufacturing technology)
• Jagruti

Inaugural section

Delivering the welcome address at the inauguration, Jamshyd N Godrej, Chairman Exhibitions, IMTMA, said, “This is our largest IMTEX Forming event ever, despite a challenging economic scenario in the country. The current reduction in sales of automobiles, I believe is a global phenomenon and we need to understand that.”

In his address at IMTEX Forming 2020 & Tooltech 2020 inauguration, Indradev Babu, President, IMTMA, said, “We are at the cusp of a new decade and seeing undercurrent of positive vibes with some initiatives from the Government of India for strengthening manufacturing sector. Few like the allocation of Rs 102 lakh crores for developing infrastructure, reduction in base corporate tax for companies and related policies to enhance ease of doing business can spur growth.”

Ram Venkataramani, Immediate Past President, Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA), said, “It is heartening to see the developments in the machine tool industry and as users, we are happy with it. Automobile and auto component sectors continue to be the primary drivers of the machine tool industry.”

Kamal Bali, President and Managing Director, Volvo Group, said, “Metal forming will have a major role in battery enclosures and development with the entry of EVs in a big way, IMTEX Forming exhibitions will act as a catalyst.”

The IMTMA publications, ‘Comprehensive Report on Indian Metal Forming Machinery’ highlighting the current demand trends in metal forming and the Exhibition Catalogue were released at the inauguration. The IMTMA – Premier Outstanding Entrepreneur Award in memory of Vinod Doshi was conferred to C S Shiva Shankaraiah, Managing Director, Trishul Machine Tools.

Forming Technology 2020 seminar

coinciding with IMTEX FORMING 2020 & Tooltech 2020, IMTMA also hosted the International Seminar of Forming Technology (ISFT 2020) focusing on R&D, innovations, trends and best practices in manufacturing. Over 300 delegates from various segments of manufacturing industry such as automotive, aerospace, defence, railway establishments, consumer durables, general engineering, and so on, participated in the seminar to explore the rapid technology transitions in forming industry.

Spread over 3 concurrent sessions and 6 technology tracks, experts from Austria, Belgium, Germany, Sweden, Holland, UK, USA, Switzerland, Italy and India facilitated sessions at the seminar.

Speakers presented latest developments in metal forming technologies such as laser technology, future of bending automation, innovative CMT processes, next generation stamping technology, production solutions for high strength aluminum, additive applications in aerospace industry, to name a few.

Welcoming the delegates to ISFT 2020, Indradev Babu, President, IMTMA, said, “The response to this seminar clearly indicates the importance of forming technology in manufacturing. Visitors presence encourages us to create a platform like this to share the emerging trends in this technology arena.”

Delivering his keynote address on “Aggressive Lightweighting through Use of Composites”, at the inaugural session, Dr Asim Tewari, G K Devarajulu Chair Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, IIT-Bombay, said, “Every light-weighting effort has mass-decompounding effects when adopted in the early vehicle development process. Mass-decompounding can lead to substantial cost savings, partially offsetting the additional cost required for light-weighting.”

With India embarking on a new phase in manufacturing, ISFT 2020 was an important event for metal forming manufacturers to focus on technology and adding depth in their manufacturing process. For delegates attending the seminar, it was also an opportunity to visit IMTEX Forming 2020 and get a first-hand view of the latest technologies in metal forming on display from reputed companies across the globe.

Unveiling latest trends in metal forming

Over 40,000 business visitors participated in this 6-day exhibition. This undoubtedly shows that IMTEX is the market leader to propel business growth for machine tool industries in India, even during tough market situations and a general slowdown in the economy.