ELECTRICA 2002

Electrica 2002 was the second all India level electrical trade exhibition organised by the Madras Electric Trades Association (META).  If the first exhibition on an all India level, the Electrica 2000 was a grand success, then Electrica 2002 after two years was an even greater success, with more participants and a much wider display of products and new technologies. 

With more than 95 stalls, the exhibition had something for everyone.  Visitors either came away with knowledge about a new product or a new business contact.  The exhibition was held at the Rani Meyammai and Rajah Muthiah Halls. Being in the heart of the city had its own advantage of drawing thousands of visitors.  The three-day exhibition is yet another feather in META's cap.

The stalls displaying tube lights, metal halides, chloro fluorescent lamps were the most visited.  The bulk of the crowd over the weekend seemed to be families with children in tow. The stalls displaying power capacitors and switchgears, which are not of much interest to the common man attracted less number of visitors on the weekend, though the first day of the exhibition found these stalls thronged by business visitors and surprisingly a lot of students.  The participants have to be appreciated for trying to educate visitors to their stalls about the technology and the advantages of their products, even if they were industrial products. Every visitor to these stalls was given brochures and a detailed explanation about the technical aspects of the products, if they were willing to listen.

Anchor with its range of switches in different colour schemes to match the colour of the walls and tiles, burglar alarms, water and dust proof mounting devices and speakers and R S Traders who manufacture the M-lite brand of lighting and luminaries with their special fluorescent, mercury, sodium and CFL lamps, were the major attraction for visitors.  Other attractions included the shock proof sheeting, which can be used by interior decorators, doorbells with different chimes, all in different price ranges; electronic multi-testers to detect AC voltage through remote sensing, to check concealed wiring, weak batteries, car ignition, earthing and many other functions.

The exhibition also had a range of cables, for industrial and domestic use with 'big names' like Finolex and Anchor hogging the limelight.  Other participants included the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), who were present to provide information and create awareness about quality and safety.  Also, the International Copper Promotion Council (India), was present to promote the use of copper, which is not only a better conductor but also cost effective.

Hukmichand D Shah, Honorary General Secretary of META, while speaking about the objectives of the exhibition, said that the rapid changes in the profile of the products necessitated a showcase window, which would bring the end-users and the manufacturers closer. And he also mentioned that the exhibition was a tool, for even those in the industry to keep abreast of the latest developments, given the pace of the development of new products and technologies. 

Voicing similar sentiments, B J Sampat, President of META, said that the exhibition was not only for the benefit of the traders, but also to increase knowledge about the latest development and technology. 

All in all Electrica 2002 was an 'electrifying' success.

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