Make In India Is A Very Strong And Clear Message To The World: Marco Siebert

It is the second time that India has become the partner country for the prestigious Hannover Messe 2015. With the new government in place and a paradigm shift in the policies, Marco Siebert, Director, International Relations at Deutsche Messe, speaks to BI India and share his views on the opportunities for Indian companies at the fair, Make in India campaign and his expectations. Here are the excerpts:

Hannover Messe is the world’s largest fair. How did Deutsche Messe choose India as a partner?

Well, choosing a partner country is a long term planning and normally takes two to three years. Becoming a partner country is not just our decision but also of our major exhibitors and also from the German government. The decision to make India as the partner country is also because it’s an interesting, growing key market for the industries as well as the good relations that exists between German and Indian enterprises.

The decision of choosing India as a partner country also comes from the positive experience that we had when India was the partner country at Hannover Messe 2006. Besides, we also look for political stability, which was a little bit of challenge last year as we knew there could be a change in the government. So, all the discussions happened under the umbrella of the former government. But the new government too was very open and quick to accept.

We also know the associations in India very well such as Engineering Export Promotion Council India (EEPC), Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Indian Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF) among others. Besides, we have a large number of exhibitors from India who are very experienced in export business. So, all these factors together brought us to India.

India has been participating in the fair for a long time now. So how different is it going to be for Indian exhibitors this time especially since India is the partner country?

Normally, the Indian companies come here as individual exhibitors. They have to bring a lot of things on their own. But since India is the partner country, all exhibitors from India will get full support from the government as it is strategic project under the umbrella of the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Commerce and Industries. Normally, there are only a couple of pavilions but this time, they will have nearly 10 pavilions where the government associations will offer support to the companies in terms of training, preparations among others. Besides, there will be conferences, wherein they can learn as well as get to network with exhibitors from other countries.

India does not have a matured manufacturing sector. How do you think this fair will benefit the manufacturing sector? And what do you think of India as the manufacturing hub and Narendra Modi’s ‘Make in India’ campaign?

First of all, when an industrial company wants to export to another country, they have to look at the need of that industry. India is one of the developing countries in the world with a fast growing market. There are a lot of opportunities for foreign industrial companies to come to India to do business as well as make investments in the country. Of course, there should be a lot of emphasis on the manufacturing sector within the country to grow, to develop better and to do a lot of research work. Hannover Messe can help if they are coming to find new cooperations or partnerships. They can meet people from Germany, Europe, the US and other parts of the world and invite them to join forces in India to learn and develop.

As far as Make in India campaign is concerned, I found the topic to be perfect. It is a very strong and clear message. This campaign covers all sides of business, which is export and import. The campaign clearly asks people to produce in India for exports as well as invest in India so that it can be made in India. The market is big and has a lot of potential.

You have mentioned that there are a lot of opportunities of collaborations and co-operations in India. According to you, which are the sectors that can have strategic tie-ups between Indian and foreign players?

My experience has always been that if there are challenges, then there are a lot of chances. If there are a lot of challenges, then there are many chances. And Prime Minister Modi has spoken about a lot of chances in the infrastructure sector. I believe, he totally understands the need to partner with other countries. For example, German railway company Deutsche Bahn AG has entered into partnership with the Indian railways to share and explore information on technology and business developments. Another sector is the energy. I believe there is a very interesting process in India, but there is a scope of cooperation in this sector as well. Again, the target of experienced firms is to work in such countries.

Another area where I can see a possibility of cooperation is water and waste management. The new Indian government is keen on cleaning river Ganga and I believe it is a great area where associations can be made in terms of technology solutions, which is required to carry out the work.

Also, skill development and education offer great opportunities to foreign companies for investments. India is young country with largely young population. Millions of these young people want to learn and become more international in their education and skills. Universities can come in and work together to impart the required education as well as skills.

What according to you are the sectors in engineering products where India can learn from Germany and vice-versa?

I think one sector in the industry regarding the industrial automation is energy efficiency. We are very limited in energy. We do not have our own oil and have very limited gas. So, to grow and be successful, Germany has to be successful in energy efficiency research work. I see a potential here for a partnership with India in the field of research and development. India can use our research to produce more efficiently, as well as competitively, in the market.

And in the other way round, India has several young, intelligent and highly educated engineers, whom we have already invited to come to Germany and participate in government programmes. I believe Germany can mutually take the expertise and intelligence of these young engineers. Also, India has a stronghold in the IT sector, which I think Germany can learn from.

Lastly, what kind of participation do you expect from India at the fair? Also, kindly tell us about your expectations from the fair?

Of course, we are expecting a lot of more visitors from Indian delegation this time. Also, there is a huge programme by the government to support the exhibitors. Besides, everyone has this project on their mind so that ways we expect to see a enormous participation from India.

We are closely working together with the Indian embassy in Berlin as well as the German embassy in New Delhi. Also, the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce is also involved with us. Our goal is to find out where our respective companies can tie up. In the next couple of months, along with the EEPC, we are planning road show to promote our goals. The German embassy will be involved and will be participating in the show.

Finally, we are expecting institutions and companies to sign Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for collaborations at the fair. Last year, there were about 122 exhibitors and close to 3,000 visitors from India.