Small and Medium sector enterprises (SMEs) will be the biggest beneficiaries of a show like the IGJME, said Dineshbhai Navadiya, President, Surat Diamond Association (SDA) which is one of the co-organisers of the show. “This year we have focused our attention on getting decision makers from this sector – either the owners or factory managers – to attend and themselves see the type of technology and machines that can be used by them,” he added.
“There are nearly 5,000 diamond factories in and around Surat, of which about 150 are very large and already use state-of-the-art technology. The new trend is that 3-4 smaller factories group together and purchase planning or bruting machines and even lasers which they share among themselves,” Navadiya said, pointing out that IGJME provides an opportunity for them to keep abreast with the latest developments.
The SDA also contacted local diamond and jewellery associations throughout the state in the run up to the exhibition. Many small jewellers from places like Rajkot, Ahmedabad, Saurashtra etc will be visiting the show, Navadiya said. “It will be an education for them to see some of the equipment available for jewellery manufacturing, as well as to learn about technologies for gold alloying, polishing and finishing etc,” he pointed out.
For a forward looking jeweller, the investment will not be an issue, as the Gujarat government has announced a number of schemes to boost the SME sector, including loans, subsidies and other programmes, and if SME owners see what is available, they can upgrade the technology and machinery they use by availing of these benefits.
“This is only the second year of IGJME, so numbers will be small, but within the next five years, it will be a must-visit event for decision makers from across the industry,” he concluded.
Pic Cap: Dineshbhai Navadiya at the Inauguration of IGJME