SME Machinery Exhibition to strengthen sector

The SME Machinery Exhibition organised by the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Sri Lanka (FCCISL) will be held from November 2-4 at the BMICH.

Small and Medium Enterprise Developers (SMED), the SME arm of FCCISL established jointly with the Friedrich Naumann Stiftung (FNSt) organised the SME 2007 Machinery Exhibition in collaboration with the Ministry of Industrial Development. The theme for the exhibition is "Technology for Rural, Micro and SME Development.

Secretary General/CEO FCCISL Samantha Abeywickrama, explaining the importance of this most sought after Machinery Exhibition said that the main purpose of this annual exhibition is taking the new technology to the rural villages and strengthening the SME sector of the country, specially the rural sector in achieving efficiency and productivity.

They also expect to achieve the following objectives such as strengthening the SME sector and organisations which represent the SME sector, promotion of industrial growth and generation of employment. Services such as consultancy services and training; trade facilitation; subcontracting and partnership exchange services and policy advocacy are also promoted.

There will also be parallel events such as "Reverse Fair" where large companies with exhibit items for subcontracting to SMEs, Investor's pavilion and eco-pavilion. He said that this is the second time they are organising the Machinery Exhibition and 123 organisations have booked 136 stalls to exhibit different types of machinery. They hope to have 150 stalls.

There would be machinery, ancillary equipment; processes, methods and new technology at the exhibition venue.

Abeywickrama said that the Exhibition is open to the public adding that more than 10,000 people visited the last exhibition and this time they expect more than 15,000. Machinery to manufacture various items with particular bias on rural industry will be exhibited.

The range includes food processing, coconut based products manufacture; rice and other agro processing; dairy/farm equipment; metal working, plastics and fibre glass; rubber and rubber products machinery and welding equipment; electrical machinery and plastic recycling/recovery machinery.