Engineering Export Promotion Council (EEPC) India is the premier trade and investment promotion organisation in the country, sponsored by the Ministry of Commerce & Industry and catering to the Indian engineering sector. The EEPC has a membership base of over 13,000, of whom 60 per cent are from the small and medium enterprises (SME) segment. EEPC India organises and participates in a large number of trade fairs and exhibitions, both in India and abroad. "In the current fiscal - 2017-18 - EEPC is involved with four exhibitions in Dubai," B. Sarkar, Executive Director and Secretary, EEPC India, told this correspondent at his Delhi office. "We are very keen on expanding trade ties between India and Dubai, which happens to be the gateway for the Middle East, Central Asia and other parts of the region." In May, EEPC along with more than a hundred Indian companies, participated in Automechanica Dubai. "It has always been a crowd puller and we get very good response at the exhibition," points out Sarkar. About 50 companies will be participating in Big Five, the largest construction event in the Middle East, to be held in November. The Arab Health show, to be held in January-February 2018, will see about 120 Indian companies participating in the exhibition, says Sarkar. EEPC, along with the Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council of India (Pharmexcil), will be coordinating the participation of Indian companies, with the former catering to the needs of manufacturers of pharma devices and engineering items. But one of the most interesting events will be the Middle East Electricity Exhibition, scheduled for March 2018. "There will be more than 50 Indian participants at the event," says Sarkar. "We have not been participating in this event for quite some time, so it will be quite interesting to do so this time." According to the EEPC executive director, Dubai is a gateway for Indian companies. "We now participate in four exhibitions there, but we will increase this number in the future," he notes. The council had earlier participated in other exhibitions in Dubai including the Water, Energy, Technology and Environment exhibition (Wetex), organised by the Dubai Water and Electricity Authority. "The organisers of the event came to India to market the event," he adds. In March, EEPC will be organising the International Engineering Sourcing Show in Chennai. "We will invite many participants from Dubai, even hosting some of them in India," he adds. EEPC's key objectives include promoting the exports of Indian engineering goods and keep in constant communication with chambers of commerce and other public bodies around the globe to boost exports. It participates in about 25 exhibitions around the globe every year. In the Middle East, it participates in events in Oman, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. It also participates in a big way in events in Iran. "In October, we are leading a delegation of 150 Indian companies to the International Engineering Fair in Brno, in the Czech Republic," says Sarkar. Last year, EEPC took a delegation of 117 Indian companies to Yekaterinburg, the third-largest industrial city in Russia, to participate in the largest industrial fair in the country." The high-level visit included Nirmala Sitharaman, the commerce and industry minister and the chief ministers of Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh and several other state ministers. "We concentrate on several parts of the globe including the Middle East, Africa, South and Central America, Europe and Russia," says Sarkar. EEPC India also organises promotional activities such as buyer-seller meets both in India and abroad. It facilitates sourcing from India and boosts the SMEs to raise their standard at par with the international best practices. It also encourages the SMEs to integrate their business to the global value chain. The council's flagship event is the IESS, which sees the largest display of engineering products and services every year. It is recognised as the only sourcing event in India, showcasing the latest technologies and a preferred meeting place for global buyers and sellers. The show is also seen as important to encourage foreign investments in line with the Make in India campaign. Keeping 'Engineering the Future' as the motto, EEPC India serves as the reference point for the Indian engineering industry and the international business community in its efforts towards establishing India as a major engineering hub in the future. EEPC India also organises promotional activities such as buyer-seller meets both in India and abroad. It facilitates sourcing from India and boosts the SMEs to raise their standard at par with the international best practices. It also encourages the SMEs to integrate their business to the global value chain.