It can be argued that unlike 2003 meet, there is no global tag to Emerging Kerala and hence there is no onus to rope in foreign corporate heavyweights. Only a handful of offshore entities figure in the official list of participants, prominent among them being Bombardier Transportation, Canada, a leading supplier of rail equipment, through its Indian subsidiary. Clearly, the company has its eyes glued to the Kochi Metro Rail Project.
Weighing in favour of Bombardier, which is already present in Gujarat, is its association with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (DMRC). Between 2007 and 2011, Bombardier Transportation India, which was awarded a contract by DMRC to supply metro cars for operation on the extended Delhi Metro network, got orders worth 614 cars from DMRC.
Benoit Cattin Martel, president and MD, Bombardier Transportation India is attending the Emerging Kerala meet.
On the other hand, a 23-member Chinese delegation mostly from the Yunnan Province, will be targeting tourism, electronic hardware, agro-based industries and pharmaceuticals. UK, being represented by a 45-member team, has made clear its interest in healthcare, logistics, knowledge, IT and Infrastructure.