Organised by CII in association with Sidbi, Enterprise '99, will showcase over 40 industrial sectors such as pneumatic tools, sheet metal machinery, agricultural machinery, auto components, accessories and garage equipment, castings and forgings, ceramics and glass machinery, chemicals and processing machinery, construction & building equipment, consultancy & financial services, industrial furnaces, machine tools, printing machines, mining equipment and wood working machinery & furniture.

Held as part of India Engineering Trade Fair '99, organising this year's Enterprise show was challenging as it is part of seven other concurrent showswhich have sizable SME participation, says Gurpal Singh, director. CII. However, this exclusive SSI fair, presently in its 9th edition, has been able to build upon its brand equity to enjoy over 47 per cent increase in the number of participants and about 25 per cent increase in area. "The number of outstation exhibitors has gone up substantially this year," says Singh. Compared to 10 to 15 per cent outstation participation in 1997, about 50 per cent of exhibitors in Enterprise '99 will be from places away from the national capital region.

"Marketing is the biggest challenge for the SSI sector," says Singh. This year's fair will give special emphasis to marketing needs of small units. Awards on best product display and technology, instituted jointly by Sidbi and CII, is expected to pep up participants, says Singh. A jury comprising stalwarts from industry will decide on the winners.

Enterprise '99 will be marked by visits by several SME delegations from various countries. Korea, which is the partnercountry in IETF '99, will bring a delegation of more than hundred SMEs to the fair. Korean SMEs, which are keen to enter the Indian market in a big way, would be looking for marketing tie-ups with their Indian counterparts. "At least 30 Korean SMEs have requested one-to-one meetings with Indian SMEs," says Singh.

Business missions from several African countries, Germany, Spain, UK, Chile, Japan, and neighbouring countries like Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are expected to visit the fair. The exposition will help Indian small industry to forge joint ventures and enter into marketing and technical tie-ups with their counterparts abroad, says Singh.

In an effort to boost sub-contracting among small industry, several buyer-seller meets are in the offing. To tackle issues concerning linkages between large and small companies, such as delayed payments and need to have a purchase policy, a seminar on vendor development andsubcontracting will be held on February 13. "Source '99, a buyer-sellermeet-cum-seminaron vendor development, is expected to give fillip to subcontracting by small industry," saysSingh. The seminar will discuss the opportunities for sourcing in sectors such as electronics, pharmaceuticals, farm mechanisation and construction equipment and tackle issues relating to vendor development and purchase policy.The session on purchase policy for SMEs will focus on cost implications, quality control and delivery systems. Also in the offing is an analysis of the existing government policies on subcontracting practices in India.

New product launches would be the other attraction at Enterprise '99. "A record numberof companies are expected to launch their products and services in Enterprise '99," says Singh.

As part of its effort to increase the reach of the Enterprise show to cover more small and medium companies, CII plans to organise a similar fair in Mumbai later this year.