The ninth edition of Chemspec India – the only dedicated event in India for the fine and speciality chemicals community – concluded successfully at the Bombay Exhibition Centre in Goregaon, Mumbai on April 11 and 12.
More than 250 leading companies from India, Europe, the US and other regions showcased their products and services at the expo. Chinese companies, in particular, were particularly well represented at the show.
Even though the global chemical industry is passing through a fairly challenging period, the landscape of the Indian fine and speciality chemicals industry is particularly promising – both in terms of the local market opportunity as well as international business. The event served as the perfect platform to connect with some of the world’s largest suppliers of fine and speciality chemicals and associated products and services. Leading chemical companies at the event included BASF, Jubilant Organosys, Huntsman Performance Products, Deepak Nitrite, Atul Ltd, Gharda Chemicals, Godavari Biorefineries Ltd, etc.
“The companies participating see India as a significant market with great potential to grow and are seeking new business, appoint agents/distributors etc,” said Mr. Ravi Raghavan, Editor, Chemical Weekly and a partner in Chemspec India.
Chemspec India is organised by Quartz Business Media (UK), publishers of Speciality Chemicals Magazine, the leading global magazine of the fine and speciality chemicals industry, in association with Chemical Weekly, India’s leading news magazine for the chemicals industry. As always, the show was preceded by a well-attended 14th Annual Chemical Weekly Business Outlook Conference.
Since 2005, Chemspec India has continued to develop and reinforce itself as the must-attend event for the chemical industry.
Participating companies at the Chemspec India show represented diverse sectors as organic & fine chemicals, active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), drug intermediates, dyes & pigments, agrochemicals and a host of specialty chemicals.
Concurrent events
Co-located events at the Chemspec India show included ChemProTech India 2013 – a show for chemical processing technology and equipment. The show provided a platform for the chemical process technology & equipment manufacturers to network & benchmark with senior decision makers of the leading chemical manufacturing companies from India & overseas.
The 2013 edition of Chemspec India also saw numerous value added features on the show floor. This included the new ‘Agrochemical Conference’ held with the supported of the Pesticides Manufacturers and Formulators Association of India (PMFAI) and a ‘Pharma Round Table’ wherein leading international experts discussed issues related to outsourcing. Scientific Update, a UK-based technology consulting firm, also returned to Chemspec India for the 4th year in succession to host a series of technical workshops in a purpose built theatre on the show floor. A workshop covering the very latest challenges and developments within the world of green chemistry was also organised at the expo.
Strong industry participation
Even though the event kicked off on a local holiday, many exhibitors were overwhelmed by the visitor response. “Unprecedented response on a holiday! Lots of unscheduled and on-the-spot meetings with genuine customers,” was how Mr. Bhaskar Shetty, Head-Business Development-Intermediates, BASF, described it.
Mr. Smitesh Bhimani General Manager, Chemical Division, Blackrose Industries Ltd hoped that Chemspec India would provide a boost for the industry, which has been going through a rough patch lately. He was bullish on future prospects for his company as it would soon begin manufacturing at the first acrylamide plant in India.
Mr. Nirmal Thakkar, Marketing Head – International Business, Gharda Chemicals, rated the visitor participation at the show as better than previous years.
Saltigo GmbH, a leading supplier in the field of custom synthesis and a subsidiary of the German speciality chemicals firm, Lanxess, participated at Chemspec India for the first time with an own booth. “This engagement at the important chemical exhibition underlines the company’s plan to further grow in India, said Saltigo’s Managing Director Mr. Wolfgang Schmitz. “We have many projects in the pipeline for this year. Customers in our key business area agrochemicals in particular are currently expecting the positive market trends to continue,” he added. At Chemspec India, Saltigo focused on presenting the company’s comprehensive expertise and longstanding experience as a custom manufacturing service provider for the agrochemical and pharmaceutical industries.
