Material engineering conference focuses on defence, infrastructure

A three-day conference-cum-exhibition on material engineering technology and heat treat ended here with a showcase of the latest advancements in materials and processes for industrial application specifically in the defence and infrastructure sector.

Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar inaugurated the conference on Wednesday in the presence of industrialist Sajjan Jindal and scientist R A Mashelkar.

Speaking on the occasion, Parrikar said that India shares $1 billion of the global heat treat market which is growing at 12 per cent per annum. He added that this exhibition is truly international as 300 participants from all over the world have congregated on a single platform.

"With the growing population of the world, resources are getting scarce and expensive. Materials & Engineering conference focuses on developing new materials, processes, theories and computational models to understand materials," Parrikar added.

"Emerging Materials for Defence and Infrastructure" was the theme for the three-day event.

"The fast growing Asian economies have created market opportunities for heat treatment technologies, products, services and equipment. The growth of the Indian infrastructure and automotive industry is providing the demand for most heat treating activities. Over all, the potential for growth of furnace building activity and heat treatment activity is huge, driven primarily by the growth of the auto sector," said Prem Aurora, Chairman of ASM International India Chapter that organised the event.

--IANS

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