Second Edition of Demtech in India a Complete Success
Published: 28/12, 2023
While some countries are struggling with high inflation and the threat of a recession, India is going the other way. A good example of the country’s economic confidence and performance was the second edition of the Demtech 2023 tradeshow held in the end of September.
In 2019, the Indian Demolition Association (IDA) was formed and the first edition of the Indian tradeshow Demtech took place with support from PDa and PDi magazines. Due to the Covid 19 pandemic, it would be a four-year wait before the second edition could take place. But on September 28-29, 2023, the second Demtech convention and tradeshow was held at White Petals in Bengaluru, with more than 500 attendees and 45 exhibitors.
A complete success
“The second edition of Demtech was a complete success,” says Mohan Ramanathan, IDA founder and former chairman. “At the first edition, all exhibitors had very small stands, but this time all had full-size booths showing their products. Outdoors we had a demo area. This proves that the Indian demolition industry is in search of avenues to network, connect and grow. While the first edition was a pathbreaker, the second cemented the fact that the demolition, recycling, and remediation industry is ready for such events.”
The first day of the event began with the inauguration by Demtech’s principal guest, K. Subramanian, executive vice chairman of Afcons Infrastructure Ltd. After the traditional lighting of the lamp to commence the event, welcome addresses were delivered by Ramanathan, an executive with Advanced Construction Technologies India, and Jan Hermanson, editor in chief of PDa and PDi magazines.
Ramanathan returned to the dais with Kate Bester of Jet Demolition of South Africa to moderate the keynote lecture, “A perspective on the past, present, and future status of demolition and recycling in India and worldwide.” A second keynote lecture was given by Anurag Sinha, EIL, who spoke on “C&D waste management for businesses, community and environment.” A sponsor presentation was carried out by Torsten Ahr, vice president of Epiroc, representing Epiroc Mining India Ltd.
The day continued with a case story presentation from Jigar Cheda of Edifice Engineering and Joe Birkman of Jet Demolition. Another keynote lecture, “Engineering challenges behind demolition of high-rise structures,” was given by Dr. Anil Joseph, Geo Structures, Kochi, India. The day continued with a panel discussion on why demolition companies should decarbonize.
Other first-day highlights included a sponsor presentation from Edifice Engineering, and a keynote lecture from Arun Kumaron the latest updates on BIS Codes in demolition and recycling. Kannan Paulthurai from PK Unique Projects Pvt. Ltd shared an interesting case study that was followed by a sponsor presentation by Ashish Markande from Hilti India Pvt. Ltd. Shriram Matte from Matte Associates described a case study examining challenges in bridge demolition jobs.
A special presentation on laser welding of diamond tools, was given by Arthur Becker, Dr. Fritsch, India. Another special presentation on controlled demolition with right power and diamonds, was given by Johnson Periera from Lissmac. The final keynote lecture, “Offshore structures- decommissioning, demolition & restoration,” was given by Ramalingam Iyer, followed by a sponsor presentation from Anand Singh from Volvo CE. If this sounds like a lot of presentations, it’s because a transit strike scheduled for the next day threatened complicate access to Demtech, resulting in the addition of many Day 2 events to the opening day schedule, Nevertheless, attendees still had plenty of energy to enjoy dinner and cocktails that evening.
The strike had only a small effect on Demtech’s second-day attendance, which began with a large panel discussion on the future of demolition in India, moderated Hermansson. The discussion proved to be very popular and brought many interesting questions and ideas on the table.
The day continued with a recap of the event and the introduction of IDA’s new slate of officers, headed by incoming chairman, Shriram Matte. Attendees were presented with certificates and mementoes of Demtech 2023, with the final order of business being the singing of India’s national anthem, “Jana Gana Mana” (“Thou Art the Ruler of the Minds of All People”).
Speaking on behalf of IDA, Ramanathan offered a special thanks to the event’s attendees and sponsors. The next event is tentatively scheduled for November 2024 in New Delhi.