The inaugural staging of Tyrexpo India 2011, which took place at the Chennai Trade Centre, Chennai, India, July 5-7, 2011, featured keynote speaker Sudarsan Varadaraj, managing director of Elgi Rubber Co.
Varadaraj welcomed the show to India saying that the timing was right for an event that showcased the best of India’s emerging tire and equipment aftermarket. He also pointed to a changing mindset among domestic buyers, away from a purely price-led approach to one that was increasingly sophisticated and recognized the importance of overall value and long-term benefit.
Elgi has been a long-standing supporter of Tyrexpo shows around the world and Varadaraj praised the choice of Chennai, India’s motor city, as the venue for the country’s first dedicated tire trade event.
Kurian Abraham, editor of Polymer and Tyre Asia, pointed to the sustained growth predicted for the domestic market that would provide long-term opportunities for the Indian tire industry. Among these factors are India’s 350 million affluent middle class buyers, who will fuel the demand for new vehicles, with associated benefit to the tire sector, together with Groupe Michelin’s forecast that India, along with China, will become the fastest growing markets in the global auto industry, with an annual growth rate of 10-15% from 2007-2017.
“In this scenario, I am sure, Tyrexpo India will emerge as a powerful platform for the Indian and global industry leaders to tap the immense opportunities thrown up by the explosive growth in the region,” said Abraham.
“We’ve been looking forward to bringing a specialist tire and equipment show to India for a number of years so it’s great to see such a positive response over the first two days,” says Paul Farrant, managing director of show organizer ECI International. “In fact we were still taking stand bookings the day before the show opened, which is unprecedented in our experience.”
While interest was strong right up until the start of the show, many exhibitors signed up earlier (see Participation strong for Tyrexpo India).
