It was great to walk the show floor of the recently held electronica India 2010 in Bangalore and meet a variety of industry players. I met a variety of suppliers and wasn't surprised to find that their focus is well and truly on the growing LED market and electronics manufacturing in India. According to N. Chandramohan, country head (SMT Division) of the Mumbai-based Juki India Pvt. Ltd., more activities are happening in electronics manufacturing. Mobile manufacturing has not really come into India, barring Nokia and Samsung, Electronica has provided the exhibitors and visitors the opportunity to see the various machines on display. There will also be a cascading effect on the ecosystem, which should lead to the rest of the supply chain falling in place. Why should India appeal to overseas players as an investment destination? According to Chandramohan, there has been an over investment in China. People would want to move some of the investment to India. One, India serves as an alternate destination and two, because of its large domestic consumption. Juki displayed a range a variety of high- to low-end products at electronica India 2010. These include a high-speed chip shooter, fine-pitch laser and a machine for LED market and entry-level EMS companies. Gurgaon-based Bergen Systems Pvt. Ltd. showcased a total solution for electronic board assembly. These start with consumables and solder paste printing and run to component placement and inspection/testing. Pradeep Kaura, managing director, said that the company also offered a variety of other products at the show. Bergen Systems has launched a selective soldering/robotics systems from Janome of Japan. There are robots that can be used for various other applications as well, such as depaneling, screw driving, dispensing and inspection. Kaura said: “We feel that electronica India 2010 is very important and it is improving. We are getting commendable support from MMI. The venue and layout are also good.” He added that electronics manufacturing opens up several possibilities. There can be special zones, such as export zones. Special benefits should also be handed out to those involved in contract manufacturing, an area that is likely to grow in India. He added, “LED is also growing and it is a future business area. It will move along with PV.” Pradeep