The summit commenced with the Lighting of the Lamp by Honourable Special Guests Mr. M.B Patil, Minister for Large & Medium Industries and Infrastructure, Government of Karnataka, Mr Achim Bukart Consul General, Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany, Bangalore, Dr S. Selvakumar, Principal secretary, Industry & Commerce and Public Works, Government of Karnataka, and Mr Karl Haeusgen, President, VDMA along with Mr. Rajesh Nath, Managing Director of VDMA India. Mr Nath welcomed all the guests and thanked all the Special Guests and Sponsors for participating in the Summit. He spoke about the Indian Space Policy 2023 and how it is a clear step forward towards India’s engagement in the realm of New Space. He mentioned about the Government's vision to enable private enterprises to undertake comprehensive activities spanning the space spectrum. Further, he spoke about the G20 Presidency which is another landmark for India, and how India has zoomed from being the 10th largest economy to the 5th largest economy. He went on to explain how India aims to have 500 gigawatts of non-fossil fuel-based capacity by 2030 and how India has set aggressive targets of Electric Vehicles (EV) sales penetration to reach the commitment of zero-emission by 2070. He emphasized that the India’s economic growth would continue to be the fastest-growing major economy in a world that has been slowing down. Mr Nath mentioned the strong links between Bangalore and Germany. He also highlighted about the several initiatives VDMA has successfully organized like the Bangladesh delegation visit, The medical technology seminar, EMO roadshows, Smart Manufacturing seminars along with several Symposiums and CEO Roundtables. He concluded the address with a quote from the legendary footballer Pele, “Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, sacrifice, and most of all, love of what you are doing.”
The address of Mr. Rajesh Nath was followed by the “Chief Guest” Address by Mr. M.B Patil, Minister for Large and Medium Industries, Government of Karnataka. The main area of focus of Mr. Patil was on Karnataka for being an Industrial Hub and how it is the top state for investment and for companies to set up production and operate with ease. He highlighted the strong Indo-German relationship in Bangalore more importantly provided the reasons on Karnataka is one of India’s successful and thriving States for companies especially German companies to operate, new businesses to flourish, and a magnet for investment to flow in. He explained how the New Industrial Policy builds on the strengths of Karnataka's industry and enables it to fulfil its role as the engine of growth and to shoulder the responsibility of adding more technological value and employment. He also highlighted how the policy would benefit German companies and strengthen Indo-German trade. He mentioned the presence of 200 German companies in the state and that Karnataka and Germany have strong industrial partnership with the state for a long time. He concluded his address by stating that the Karnataka government aims to grow its manufacturing sector and wants to be at the forefront of the same.
On the occasion of the 12th VDMA Mechanical Engineering Summit, the Summit Special issue was released by the dignitaries on the stage during the inaugural session.
The release of the Summit Special issue was followed by a special address from the ‘Guest of Honor’ Mr Achim Bukart Consul General, Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany, Bangalore. Mr Bukart spoke on the Indo-German relations: Prospective Business Synergies & Government Support. He mentioned the fact that Indo-German relations are in a great position and that Germany is India’s biggest trading partner in the European Union. He highlighted the bilateral trade between India and Germany and how this union benefits both the countries deeply. He further spoke on India’s current economic scenario and why it pushes German companies to choose India as a corporate destination. He concluded his address by stating that VDMA will continue to play a pivotal role in improving German businesses in India and Karnataka.
Dr S. Selvakumar, Principal secretary, Government of Karnataka ‘Guest of Honor’ gave a special address on “Manufacturing sector progress in Karnataka”. Dr Selvakumar highlighted the many steps that are taken by the government to improve businesses in India. He also mentioned that Karnataka offers a Wide range of fiscal and policy incentives for businesses under the Karnataka Industrial Policy 2020-25, with simplified procedures for investment. He further emphasized the strong trade between India and Germany and spoke about the partnership between Karnataka and Germany on Solar panels. He concluded his address by stating that the Government of Karnataka would assist and collaborate to boost Indo-German Trade.
Mr Karl Haeusgen, President, VDMA gave a special address on “Geo-political impact on the Mechanical Engineering Industry”. Mr Haeusgen explained various factors at the intersection of the Geopolitical & and Mechanical Industries. He gave valuable insights and spoke about the opportunities shaping the industry on a global scale. He emphasized about the EU free trade. He also spoke about the U.S, India, and EU- General elections happening next year and how it would lead to a lot of changes. He highlighted how Germany has changed its view on India as a trade destination and further spoke about the Cluster risks involved in the “US-China”
conflict. He specified India's economic growth and improvement in trade relations with India and how India has moved past China. He also spoke about the various activities that Europe has launched in order to diversify trade and explained why this is a good sign for India as there is good growth for Indian deliverables in Germany and both countries are benefiting hugely from this bilateral trade.
Mr Haeusgen’s address was followed by the release of the Knowledge Paper & Presentation on “India Moving Forward to achieve 50% Non-fossil Fuel by 2030” which was released by the dignitaries on the stage.
Mr. Rahul Bhandurge, Vice President – Business Development, BDB India Private Limited gave his address on the knowledge paper. He compared India’s 2014 – Nominal GDP with the 2022 – Nominal GDP to show the transition in Global Positioning. He further spoke about the global economic trends which position uniquely for new investments. He then gave a snapshot of India’s strong macroeconomic indicators and spoke about the shift from ICE to EV in auto sector and the key market trends in India. He explained the Growing Green Hydrogen Field and how companies can participate in it. He ended his presentation by talking about the opportunities for EV, Railways, Green hydrogen, and Sunrise sectors.
