Concrete Show India: Draws an August Gathering

The 6th edition of Concrete Show India saw an industry congregation of over 150 top Indian and global construction and infrastructure companies

Concrete Show India (CSI) 2018 held from 24 - 26 May and hosted by UBM India at the Bombay Convention and Exhibition Centre, Mumbai, was inaugurated by S. K. Gupta, Director Projects, Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Ltd.; S M Ramchandani, Retd Jt MD, MSRDC; Thiruman Archunan, Director Projects, Kochi Metro Rail Ltd.; Jogen Holst, Director EPTISA Consulting Engineers and Yogesh Mudras, Managing Director, UBM India.

The event covered roads and highways, housing, airports, ports, power, rail, tunnels, dams, and bridges. It brought together over 150 Indian and global suppliers and manufacturers from industries such as Concrete & Construction, Concrete Equipment, Construction Chemicals, Commercial & Industrial floorings, Automation, Software (ERP, Project Management & Design) and Mobile Construction Tools & Instruments.

Speaking at the inauguration, Yogesh Mudras, MD, UBM India, said, “India’s need for infrastructure development is well supported by the Union Government’s mega push for the sector. The last few years have witnessed a phenomenal growth in the sector, be it roadways, railways to airports and other smart-city initiatives, leading to world-class facilities across the country. With a boost of more than 5.97 trillion for infrastructure in the Union Budget 2018, the sector will witness a huge positive shift in 2018-19.”

“Concrete Show India provides an unparalleled business opportunity for commercial and residential developers and contractors, architects and engineers, distributors, government authorities and state corporations to network and discuss industry trends, challenges and market insights. The kind of industry comeback we have received towards Concrete Show India, validates the potential of this industry. This year we are glad to showcase over 150 top Indian and global companies,” he added.

The expo, this year, saw engagement platforms such as the Innovation Zone, Student Incubation Cell, Demonstration Areas, Start-up Zones, Business to Business & Business to Government and Experience Zones, all of which enabled interactions and participation by the stakeholders in the industry.

The expo was well received by the industry at large with support from Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC), Indian Chapter of American Concrete Institute (ICACI), Singapore Concrete Institute (SCI), Tunnelling Association of India (TAI), US-India Importers’ Council (USIIC) and Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRC).

The expo witnessed participation from prominent industry players such as Ultratech, Putzmiester Concrete Machines, Godrej Construction, Simens Construction & Enviromental Engineering, Chowgule Construction Chemicals, Masa Concrete Plants India, Elematic India, Sany Heavy Industry India, Columbia Machine Engineering (I), Prism RMC, PERI, Hitachi Koki, Maxmech Equipments, Aimil Ltd, WAM India, RDC Concrete (India), Ajax Fiori Engineering (I), SURIE POLEX, Fairmate Chemicals, J.K.Cement and MC-Bauchemie to name a few. An array of brands and products from countries such as China, Germany, Italy, UK and USA were also featured at the show.

Said Anup Mathew, SVP & Business Head, Godrej Construction, “Godrej Construction is delighted to be a part of Concrete Show India as their Sustainability Partner. We at Godrej are committed towards sustainable development and are continually striving to promote it through our products and services. Setting up the Recycled Concrete Blocks Manufacturing Unit in Vikhroli, Mumbai, is one of our most recent green initiatives, and our recycled concrete blocks and pavers are now GreenPro certified by IGBC. We believe that initiatives towards sustainability help promote the circular economy by easing demand for natural resources and reduce dumping of construction and demolition waste into landfills.”

A two-day power-packed conference on the theme ‘India’s Modern Infrastructure set in Concrete’ was held at the Show. Partnered with the Tunnelling Association of India (TAI), the technical conference on Day 1 saw sessions on ‘Experience and Lessons learned from the past with regards to Road, Rail, Metro, Tunnel and Bridge Projects in India’; ‘Ensuring Quality, Durability and Lifetime Expectations of Modern Infrastructure. Projects-Contractor’s perspective’; ‘The use of Concrete in Modern Infrastructure Projects – The Aesthetic point of view.’

Day 2 saw sessions on ‘Sustainable Concrete Technology for Tunnels and Bridges’; ‘Concrete Technology and Durability Design’; ‘Concrete for Tunneling and Bridges’. The list of speakers included A K Singh, Principal Secretary, Public Works Department, Government of Maharashtra, S K Gupta, Director Projects, Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation, Thiruman Archunan, Director Projects, Kochi Metro Rail, Santosh Rai, Head Transport Sales, Hindustan Construction Company, Architect Hiten Sehi, Giridhar Rajagopalan, Executive Director (Technical) Afcons Infrastructure, S K Dharamadhikari, Adviser to Minister of Road Transport, GOI, and Prof S L Dhingra, among others.