Preparations are moving ahead at full speed! In just a few weeks, the third BAUMA CONEXPO Show - bC India 2014 will open its doors. The exhibition is scheduled to take place at the India Expo Centre in Greater Noida/Delhi from 15 to 18 December 2014. The India Expo Centre is one of the most modern exhibition and conference centres of India, with about 120,000 sq m of well-equipped exhibition halls and outdoor exhibition space.

"The first edition of bC India conducted in 2011 witnessed 508 exhibitors on 88,000 sq m with about 25,000 visitors. The next edition saw an increase in the companies to 710 from 33 countries with over 28,000 visitors. This year, we hope to increase the footfall again and welcome over 30,000 visitors," says Igor Palka, Chief Executive Officer, bC India Expo. He adds, "As we move steadily close to the opening day, there is an increase in trade inquiries on a daily basis. Hence, we expect to see around 30,000 footfalls at the event."

Reports suggest that India's construction sector will grow at 7-8 per cent each year over the next decade following the election of a new government. According to Wilfried Theissen, Managing Director, Putzmeister Concrete Machines, "The market, which is currently 30 per cent below 2011, will grow by 10-15 per cent in 2015 and hopefully by a further 20 per cent in 2016-17." Theissen adds, "Bauma is simply ?The Trade Fair' for the construction industry in and outside the country. It is an exceptionally well-organised fair, and completely focused on the exhibitors and their clients. We are looking forward to welcome our customers to this show following the positive spirit for our industry created by the new government."

Speaking about the prevailing economic situation and its impact on mega exhibition such as bC India, Palka says, "A challenge that always persists is the market situation as an exhibition is always a mirror of the industry. Unfortunately, in the past two to three years, the economic situation in the country hasn't been conducive to the healthy growth of the infrastructure sector. Having said that, we are seeing a positive change in the market sentiment in the past couple of months. Hence, I am confident that this show is going to be a success. With regard to safety measures, we will be following strict measures along with helmets provided on site as we are expecting heavy machinery movement during the set-up. Our appointed vendors have assured us that they will wear safety gear and vests in line with our safety regulations."

He adds, "We feel the market sentiments are right; the Government is talking the right decisions for growth and development. We also feel that, gradually, the sector will face a turnaround in some ways, which will definitely have a positive impact by the time we have the show. For instance, a report by Off-Highway Research on the construction machinery market has identified positive trends. For 2013, the forecast was for 7 per cent growth; for 2014, that has been raised to 9 per cent."

What's new?

The USP of the show this year is the location of the expo: Greater Noida. As Palka says, "No large-scale construction show has happened in North India so far. Being near the capital, where gigantic infrastructure projects are born, where the Government decides on new large-scale projects and where leading domestic and international corporations have their headquarters will result in a win-win situation for all our exhibitors and visitors."

Apart from this, the 6th Annual Equipment India Conference 2014 and the 2nd Annual Equipment India Awards organised by ASAPP Media on December 15 will be held parallel to bC India. Moreover, iCEMA will conduct its conference, 'Infrastructure Equipment - Re-Scripting the Growth Story', on December 16. Joint organiser BAI will also hold its Managing Committee Meeting on December 17. Details about other seminars and events during the expo will be announced soon.

The bC connect

Products exhibited at bC India will mainly comprise construction vehicles and earthmoving machines, formwork and scaffoldings, equipment related to mining, extraction and processing of raw materials, etc. Hence, several industry giants such as Ammann Apollo, Aquarius, Bauer, Caterpillar, Doka, Fayat Group, GMMCO, Haulotte, Herrenknecht, Hess, Kobelco, Layher Liebherr, LiuGong, L&T, Potain, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Peri, Putzmeister, Sany, Schwing Stetter, Terex, TIPL, Wacker Neuson, Wirtgen and many more will exhibit at the event.

According to Palka, the third edition will have similar international participation at bC India 2014 as the last edition. He says, "Looking at the ratio of our past events, we have welcomed 40 per cent Indian-headquartered companies and 60 per cent foreign-headquartered companies. We have observed a trend that more and more companies apply through their local offices here in India. Some first-time exhibitors include Ammann Apollo, Elgi, Layher. L&T, MHI-VST Diesel Engines, Spartan and Topcon Sokkia."

"bc India has allowed the industry, and particularly Putzmeister, to show all its potential and possibilities to future buyers, decision-makers and the public at large from India and all over the world," says Theissen. "It is a unique opportunity for exhibitors and customers to meet and exchange, to promote and explain new developments, to consolidate and strengthen the brand image." Another player exhibiting at the event is Scania. Anders Grundstr?mer,, Managing Director, Scania Commercial Vehicle India and Senior Vice-President, Scania Group, observes, "Bauma Conexpo is a globally renowned exhibition. As we have some superior offerings in the off-road segment here in India and are launching several new products and services at this time, participating in the event is a good way to exhibit our products and interact with important stakeholders."

On display

There will be many exciting product launches at the event. Says Palka, "The product range is very wide, including products related to construction sites like construction vehicles and earthmoving machines, formwork and scaffoldings or other site installations. In addition, equipment related to mining, extraction and processing of raw materials will also be on display. Production of building materials is another segment and, last but not the least, the components and service suppliers." Informs Grundstr?mer,, "We will launch and exhibit two state-of-the-art vehicles, the market-leading heavy puller R 580 (6+2) with a V8 engine, which is the most powerful truck in India, and an all-new mining tipper (8+4) with a rock body updated with world-leading features for the toughest mining conditions. In addition to this, we have two mobile workshops on display showing how we can facilitate service and maintenance on remote mining or construction sites. We will also display Scania Fleet Management Services, now with further developed features and, for the first time, available to all customers in India."

Palka sums up on a high note. "An event like bC India is always a great opportunity for national companies to present themselves as well as their latest innovations and products to a high-quality international audience. So, companies meet visitors, potential buyers and decision-makers with spending power from all over the world." Let the show begin!

Equipment India Awards

The 2nd Annual Equipment India Awards is India's first-ever awards event for the industry that aims to recognise key players and bring together top manufacturers, CASH companies, dealers and financiers. The awards will be held on 15 December 2014, and the best-selling products across over 15 categories of equipment will be awarded along with the best CEO, CMO, marketing campaign and dealers from different regions.

Additionally, the 6th Equipment India Conference, held on the same day, will focus on diverse equipment segments such as grading and compaction, mining and recycling, asphalt plant, paving, earthmoving, foundation, crushing, concrete, mobile cranes and commercial vehicles.