The second day of the India Gem & Jewellery Machinery Expo (IGJME) provided a clear indication that while there is a rising interest in technology and new products across the Indian market, the penetration levels are still fairly low. This found reflection in the pattern of visitor traffic – a steady, though limited stream – and the varied responses from the exhibitors.

As with any new show, there were a range of expectations and no clear benchmarks to assess the impact. First time international exhibitors, especially those who had earlier visited the mid-year IIJS felt that the numbers were below expectations; on the other hand companies with deeper roots in the Indian market, as well as those offering smaller products and technology packages seemed reasonably pleased at the end of the day.

“The first two days of IGJME have been very good,” said Ashish Shah of Moon Machinery Mart. The company had a wide range of products from basics like loupes and weighing scales to a more advanced machine that was able to detect the latest grade of CVD diamonds.

“We have interacted with retailers, wholesalers and manufacturers from different parts of the country,” he said, saying they had received on the spot orders, bookings, and assurances regarding purchases. “We even had some spot sales for smaller items, but the customer was not allowed to take it out of the hall,” he added, suggesting that permission should be given to allow direct sale of samples of smaller items in the future.

At the booth of Ornate, a developer of business software for the jewellery retailers, Samir Vasavada, Director (Marketing) was also quite satisfied. “The numbers are smaller than what we see at IIJS, but they are serious buyers,” he said, pointing out that this allows us time to explain the technology package in some detail, and to have fruitful discussions.

“The customised analytics that are a new feature of our latest package has been well received by visitors, and we are confident it will translate into sales,” he said.

United Precious Metals Refiners from USA which manufactures alloys, solders and a range of other products for the jewellery industry said that the company had found the new platform useful. Kamal Lalvani, VP International Sales, said their participation had twin objectives of “grow and support”, and both had been met to an extent. “We meet new clients here, but also network with existing ones,” he elaborated.

Lalvani said that United would be exhibiting at the separate IIJS Machinery show in August this year as well, before deciding on which of the two was more useful in helping them grow the business in the long run. “A product like ours needs to be seen by the manufacturing personnel – like production heads – rather than only the business heads,” he said. Lalvani also felt strongly that there was scope for improvement in the facilities and support given to exhibitors at the show.

Roni Ben-Ari, VP at Sarine said that the first two days had been OK, but the company was hoping for a bigger turnout on Day 3. Sarine has been showing its latest tech package the Sarine Profile, which has been created keeping in mind the millenial buyers. “They need an elevating experience as well as information when finalising a purchase,” he said, “and this new platform helps retailers to provide both in a single system.”

At the Italian Pavilion, most first time exhibitors had come with high expectations regarding the visitor turnout. Paolo Giovannini of Magimex Italia, who had been to IIJS 2015 as a visitor, found the numbers “disappointing” when compared to what he had seen. The company manufactures machines for cutting ‘diamond balls’, but hardly anyone had stopped by to see them.

Marco Pasquailini of Orotig said that the show was slow, and they had expected much more traffic. The company has been selling lasers for many years in India, but found that the turnout was well below what they had got at the IIJS.

Officials of Italian Trade body AFEMO which had facilitated the Italian pavilion said that the exhibition was one of the intiatives to spread awareness about Italian machinery in India. Many companies are already doing good business with their jewellery machinery and so others had high expectations from the show, they noted.

As Day Two drew to a close across the aisles exhibitors hoped for heavier traffic on Sunday.