EDANA, the association representing the nonwovens and related industries, and BCH (Business Co-ordination House) have announced the successful completion of the first ever edition of the Filtrex Asia Conference and Exhibition in New Delhi, India. 

With over 200 attendees and 23 exhibitors from Asian markets, and additional representatives from Europe and the Americas, the conference highlighted one of the ultimate benefits offered by the sector, better protection for millions of people through cleaner air and access to better quality water and ultimately a much better quality of products and processes.

The Filtrex Asia conference and exhibition was the first event of its kind in India, and was offered direct to the participants and businesses active in this growth market.  Thanks to increased industrial developments in India and across Asia, the filtration sector is seeing exponential growth as the need for quality products and a cleaner environment prompts stricter controls and regulations. Major industries linked to the filter market are seeing double digit growth, and stakeholder companies are gearing up to offer products to match the growing demand.

Opening the event, Mr. K. Ramachandran Pillai, Chairman & Managing Director of the National Textile Coorporation (NTC) spoke on the need of adding impetus to the strong industrial growth happening in the Asian markets, particularly in India, and the positive role played by the Indian government and the industry itself. 

As Managing Director and Executive Director of BCH, Mr Samir Gupta and Ms Ritika Gupta gave the keynote address of the conference, providing a market perspective of the Indian filtration market with particular reference to the current trends and future potential of the filter media industry.

In the words of Mr. Gupta, “the conference and exhibition provided good insight, and the papers presented highlighted the future that the Indian filtration industry will see in the coming years. The fact that the audience, which was unexpectedly huge and glued to all the presentations until the last minute, simply portrayed the vibrancy and the positive undercurrent prevailing in this industry.”

In addressing the conference, Pierre Wiertz, General Manager of EDANA, recognised the success of the event in setting the foundation for the beginning of a process that will have an in-depth impact on the lives of millions of people.

Wiertz stated “While it is difficult to predict exactly which path India will follow, EDANA has confidence in the Indian potential to jump several steps in the usually gradual sophistication of filter media for instance, directly towards world class products, as has already been shown in some areas. 

However, it will remain the initiative of authorities to adopt and implement the appropriate standards and legislative framework to raise levels of environmental and personal protection and industrial quality.”

Conference sessions offered unique business opportunities to support growth through technical and market presentations from the leading companies and academia of the industry.

Meeting the demand for both quality information and case studies from across the globe, delegates heard about the developing trends in air filtration for turbo-machinery, standards in HVAC and clean room air filtration applications, new technologies and improved filter efficiency through integrated nanofibres and environmentally friendly filtration binders. 

In addition to the information provided through both the conference and exhibition, the event offered a number of dedicated times for business interaction and networking, filling the critical requirement for individuals to make contacts with valuable business partners from across the Indian subcontinent and beyond.

In referring to the partnership between EDANA and BCH, Wiertz described the cooperation as a ‘partnership for growth’, with the objective of both organisations to support and promote the growth of the technical textiles, nonwovens and related industries.  Since the beginning of the partnership in 2006, EDANA and BCH have quickly identified and implemented opportunities of joint action for the benefit of stakeholders in both India and across EMEA.