Recharger Magazine’s second annual ReIndia Expo was held March 5-7 in Mumbai, attracting attendees and exhibitors, both international and domestic, who understood the importance of the growing Indian market within the remanufacturing industry.
UniNet's Javier Gonzalez leads a tech lab at ReIndia.
ReIndia Expo is recognized as one of the most significant imaging supplies aftermarket industry and business-to-business technology events in the region. Exhibitors at this important three-day show included UniNet Imaging, Indian Toners and Developers Limited, Diamond Dispersions, Bhakti Enterprises and Inke India. The show, which was free to attendees, also represented an enormous learning platform in the area of technology, sales and marketing. ReIndia’s sophomore effort brought together international attendees and noted industry speakers for the Expo’s informative classroom sessions. Education is a hallmark of every Recharger event and ReIndia Expo 2009 was no exception. ReIndia’s schedule of heavy-hitting industry speakers included UniNet Imaging’s Javier Gonzalez. Gonzalez provided two days of sought-after technical expertise with his hands-on remanufacturing labs, featuring HP and Brother products.
Future Graphics Imaging Corporation’s Senior VP Luke Goldberg was another marquee speaker. Goldberg spoke on global-market trends to a packed room. The industry veteran wrapped up his presentation with a Q&A session with an eager crowd.
The Indian experts, who presented at the classroom sessions, emphasized the importance of India’s role in the aftermarket. Legal expert, attorney Poorvi Chothani offered valuable insights and relevant case studies that businesses need to know about patents and IP issues, especially in the Indian market.
Cybermedia’s Prasanto K. Roy provided timely analysis and insights on how businesses view green business practices.
Imaging Resources executive Vinay Chhabra compared the U.S. and Indian markets and speculated to where the Indian aftermarket is headed. Dhruv Mahajan of Purnima Enterprises rounded out the field, presenting on color in the Indian market.
“Education is key, especially in a burgeoning market like India,” said Recharger Publisher Patricia Ames. “With speakers from top global companies like UniNet and Future Graphics as well as important Indian experts, the classroom seminars are a solid foundation to meet the needs of the Indian aftermarket.”
UniNet Imaging had a productive event in Mumbai. Marcela Gasanz, public relations manager for UniNet, said, “ReIndia 2009 was a very good show for UniNet. We really enjoyed it and attendees were glad to see us there. Our booth received a steady stream of traffic that kept us continuously busy; in addition, attendees were very receptive to our booth classes and they also enjoyed our networking reception offered during the second day of the show.”
There were also accolades on the show’s first day for Sushil Jain, chairman and managing director of Indian Toners and Developers Limited, India’s first and largest independent toner manufacturer. Jain was honored at Recharger’s World Expo in August 2008 as an inaugural inductee to the Recharger Hall of Fame because of his ongoing devotion to excellence in the industry. He was re-honored at the show in front of his home crowd where he was duly recognized for his innovations and achievements.
Prize drawings were also held on the show’s first day, ranging from Recharger Magazine subscriptions to a free iPod. In an interesting twist, the iPod winner was N.S. Ravichandran of Kalyani Enterprises in Chennai. Ravichandran was the big winner at last year’s ReIndia Expo of Recharger Magazine’s Venture Capital Prize of 40,000 rupees (US$1,000). Ravichandran was heard saying after his name was called, “I am the luckiest man in India.”
Mr. Lucky: N.S. Ravichandran of Kalyani Enterprises
Luck may have focused on one man, but all ReIndia attendees benefited from the presence of local media and industry analysts who were also present at the show. The educational experience was enhanced by the relevant questions introduced by many of the class attendees. Questions addressed at the sessions varied from practical technical concerns in the remanufacturing labs to patent issues to global markets, OEM statistics and competition.
Many of the analysts themselves had a productive show. Vishal Tripathi, principal analyst for Gartner Research and a repeat visitor to ReIndia Expo, said of the overall show experience, “[ReIndia] was a well-organized show and provided good insights about the Indian and world markets. The classroom presentations were very helpful.”
With expert speakers, an international audience and outstanding networking opportunities, ReIndia proved to be an incredible opportunity for those who attended.
Even in the face of economic uncertainty, key aftermarket companies and leaders remain unified in their commitment to bettering the industry as a whole.