Instead of moving forward, Pakistan's industrialists and trades people are going backwards. Pakistan missed a golden opportunity to display its achievements in engineering goods manufacturing industry when it messed up its participation in the world's most important engineering goods showcase held in Hannover Messes, Germany, this year.
According to a report published in the May issue of Engineering Development Boards (EDBs) 'Industrial bulletin', Pakistan's participation in Hannover Messe, world's biggest engineering trade fair, which kicked off on April 3, appallingly dwindled to just four exhibitors.
Besides the presentation of the 8th Hermes award prize giving ceremony in honour of some of this year's most promising breakthroughs in industrial technology, France was presented as this year's partner country. For Pakistan, however, the participation was at its lowest ebb this year. Against Pakistan's organised participation of over 50 engineering companies from 2005-2009, the year's showing was a dismal presence of four firms located obscurely in a corner in Hall 4, with no hospitality stand.
This put EDB's five-year efforts for branding and projecting 'Engineering Pakistan' and 'Rmerging sub-contracting destination' to an abrupt halt, the report said. In the past, the EDB was instrumental in motivating and launching a revolution by bringing large numbers of exhibitors--35 to 72--and each year along with hundreds of trade visitors from Pakistan between the years 2005 and 2008. This resulted in creating a large number of engineering sector SME exporters of engineering goods. However, the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) has not been able to look after the future growth of engineering industry in an equally able manner.
The Hannover fair has proved the launching pad for many nations' engineering goods industry, including Japan, Korea, Taiwan, China and India. This was realised by the Ministry of Industries and good use was made of this opportunity by the Ministry as well as the EDB and they worked closely with the private sector and the Dutch CBI for training and launching Pakistan SMEs into exports.
According to 'Industrial Bulletin', with increasing raw material and energy prices, lightweight construction systems are particularly popular at present. This theme park and solutions area at Hannover Messe exhibited a host of products, systems and current trends related to lightweight construction. Aluminium, composites and paper that are as light were shown. Lightweight materials and constructions are hugely important in saving energy and materials. Lightweight construction thus acted as a central theme throughout Hannover Messe 2011, which was focused on "smart efficiency". Visitors with interest in lightweight construction were particularly drawn to two areas in industrial Supply Hall 6.