CHENNAI: How many institutions, associations or otherwise, have a history spanning nearly 800 years? Well, the Frankfurt Messe, now a trade fair company co-owned by the city of Frankfurt and the State of Hesse in Germany, is one such — ever since the first Autumn trade fair was held in Frankfurt in 1150 AD. The 800-year-old tradition has now come to Chennai, with Frankfurt Messe’s first Automotive Engineering show kicking off in the city on Tuesday.
The fair, inaugurated by P Thangamani, Minister for Industries, Tamil Nadu, is oriented towards showing and displaying the latest in automotive engineering — from automated, robotic assembly lines to practical innovations in production technologies — to Chennai’s sprawling automotive sector industries. Chennai was the best place that a fair like this could have chosen to enter India, said the Minister.
“Tamil Nadu is one of the most industrialised States. It is the first in the number of factories and industrial workers in India, and is the capital of automotive manufacturing in India. With the Chief Minister’s vision and industrial policies of 1992 and 2003, not to mention the Automobile and Auto Components policy of 2014, we have furthered our way,” he said.
“Chennai has six car projects — BMW, Ford, Hyundai, Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi — and we have an installed capacity to churn out nearly 10 lakh cars a year,” he added.
The show has a participation of over a 100 companies, including Siemens, Omron, Mitisubishi Electric, FARO, Mahr, Olympus and Panasonic to name a few. “We are bringing together companies whose technologies are used by major automotive players across the world in business, networking and sourcing cost-efficient factory solutions. The fair is meant to be an important stopover for manufacturers looking to expand their capabilities,” said Raj Manek, executive director and board member of Messe Frankfurt Asia Holding Ltd.
Messe Frankfurt’s own history goes back to the first trade fairs held in the city of Frankfurt in 1150 AD. From 1240 AD, the first official Frankfurt Autumn Trade Fair was approved and sealed in a letter by Emperor Frederick II. The Frankfurt Trade Fair and its involvement in the concept has since then had a contiguous history leading all the way Messe Frankfurt now.