Posted on 5 October 2012
At the end of September, the University of Wales, in conjunction with the South Wales Chamber of Commerce (SWCC), hosted a very successful visit from the Small & Medium Business Development Chamber of India (SME Chamber of India) and JK Lakshmipat University, Jaipur, India.
This invitation only event was held at the Liberty Stadium on the 27th September and was attended by 48 delegates from Welsh Industry, Government, local Councils and Universities.
India is one of the fastest growing economies of the world and with a population of over 1.2 billion boasts a huge demand for latest technology and techniques to assist in rapid development of the country’s infrastructure, healthcare, manufacturing and green energy. It is estimated India has approximately 17 million SMEs and they contribute for over 40% of the overall manufacturing outputs and 49% of exports. SME Chamber of India is one of the largest business networking organisations in India and has approximately 15,000 active members.
Delegates attending were informed of the numerous opportunities available to Welsh organisations to form future partnerships with the SME population of India, and were advised of the various routes available to enable their companies to develop and enhance trade potential with likeminded companies in India.
The event was opened by Graham Morgan, Director of SWCC, who spoke about the opportunities currently available in Wales, followed by Professor Medwin Hughes, Vice Chancellor of the University of Wales, who added his support to the initiative.
The SME Chamber of India was well represented by senior officials who indicated their full support to facilitate future trading opportunities. Speaking about the event, Chairman of the SME Chamber of India Ramesh Kumar, who was joined by the President Mr Chandrakant Salunkhe, said:
“We had a focused and intense interaction with the members of the SWCC and the senior management of the University of Wales. The sharing of views was sincere and educative and there was a sense of urgency and determination to create a bridge between Wales and India, comprising of the SME Chamber of India and the University of Wales.”
The event was a great success with many delegates forming new links and relationships. Speaking following the event, delegate Chris Odling-Smee, CEO of Marine Group said:
“As a progressive and innovative South Wales business we are actively looking for new channels to an international market. This Indian SME chamber of commerce forum organized by the University of Wales was not only highly informative but it is allowing us to quickly establish direct contacts with like-minded Indian companies. We look forward to working with our new colleagues in this network.”
It was agreed that further trade delegations would be arranged between the two countries to ensure a long term and mutually beneficial relationship.
/Ends
For further information please contact Dr. Akshay Peer on a.peer@wales.ac.uk