Opening of the Bangalore office of VDMA-the largest industrial association in Europe, would be a major step towards possibility of increasing investment of German companies in the engineering sector in Karnataka and Southern India
VDMA (Verband Deutscher Maschinen-und Anlagenbau, German Engineering Association) represents over 3,250 mostly medium-sized companies in the capital goods industry, making it the largest industry association in Europe. Established in 1892 and based out of Frankfurt, the association represents the shared financial, technical and scientific interests of the mechanical engineering industry, especially with respect to national and international authorities and business groups.
The Mechanical engineering is the Germany’s biggest industrial employer with over 1 million workers. It develops and produces key technologies for the global market, with revenues of €224 billion in 2017. The VDMA members export 74% of their production outside Germany.
VDMA’s membership covers the entire process chain – in the field of mechanical engineering including tools and components of process, production, manufacturing, drive-train and automation engineering, office & information technology, software, and product-related services. Thus, encompassing system suppliers and system integrators, through to service providers. The association reflects the diverse customer-supplier relationships along the whole value chain and promotes sector-specific and overarching cooperation.
In Germany, VDMA is divided into 15 cross-sector departments with branch offices in Berlin, Brussels and Vienna and foreign offices at Brazil, China, India, Japan and Russia. VDMA is the only association in Germany to have its own offices in all the BRIC countries. There are 39 specialised divisions besides international committees and forums within VDMA. Also, VDMA has six offices in the various states of Germany besides several service organizations spread across Germany.
VDMA India office acts as a bridge-head between the German and Indian Industry and serves the Indo-German economic relations in the different engineering sectors. Since 1996, this office promotes the activities of the VDMA member companies in India with head office in Kolkata and regional offices in Mumbai and New Delhi/ Noida and now in Bangalore.
The total bi-lateral trade between India and Germany attained value of €19.15 billion in 2017 out of which machinery export from Germany to India is to tune of €3.10 billion, an increase of around 5% in 2017, compared to 2016. The total export of machinery from India to Germany stands at €625.6 million which was an increase of 15.5%.
With around 80 German companies (VDMA members) in the engineering sector in Bangalore with many prominent ones like Bosch, Festo, Rittal, Homag, Leitz, Claas, Mann & Hummel, United Grinding, Komet, AUMA, Starrag, Guehring, Grob, Liebherr and many others, VDMA endeavours to be closer to its members in Karnataka and the Southern part of India. To offer support to the German companies and to foster Indo-German trade in engineering sector in Southern region, VDMA decided to establish its office in Bangalore. The office inauguration is on 10th April 2018 and would be inaugurated by Mrs Margit Hellwig-Boette, Consul General of the Federal Republic of Germany; Mr Richard Clemens, Managing Director, Food and Packaging Machinery Division at VDMA Frankfurt and Mr Rajesh Nath, Managing Director, VDMA India.
The opening of the Bangalore office of VDMA-the largest industrial association in Europe, would be a major step towards possibility of increasing investment of German companies in the engineering sector in Karnataka and Southern India in the years to come.