Doing Business with Australia showcased in Ludhiana

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“Doing Business with Australia” Seminar held in Ludhiana focuses on potential for Australian partnership with businesses in Punjab

The Australian Trade Commission, the Australian trade and investment development agency of the Australian federal government presented business & investment opportunities with Australia for businesses based in Punjab at the seminar on "Doing Business with Australia" held in Ludhiana on 24 June 2010.

Organised by the Australian Trade Commission in partnership with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and supported by The Australian Wool Innovation, DHL & Pearls Group, the seminar is the part of the Australian Trade Commission’s Utsav Australia (Celebrate Australia) programme – an Australian Government initiative to accelerate Australia’s commercial engagement with India and raise awareness of Australian industry capability amongst the Indian business community.

The seminar showcased the potential business & investment opportunities with Australia in sourcing Australian technology, products and services; investing in Australia and potential joint venture partnership and investments. The seminar specifically highlighted Australian expertise in wool, textiles, fashion; food & beverage; agribusiness; hospitality; infrastructure, building & construction; clean energy; financial services; health & medical; machinery, manufacturing & nanotechnology; urban infrastructure; automotive; water management & waste disposal; film & television; professional & business services (legal & HR services), education & training, franchising and sports services and the value-add of Australian companies to businesses in Punjab.

Speaking at the seminar, Michael Carter, Trade Commissioner – North India, Australian High Commission said, “Punjab is a very significant business destination for Australian companies. Australia can provide value-added competitive solutions and expertise both in traditional and emerging sectors for businesses in Punjab. Sectors of potential Australian involvement in Punjab include food & beverage; agribusiness; hospitality; water management & waste disposal; professional & business services (legal & HR services), education & training, franchising and, sports services. The Australian Trade Commission also welcomes businesses and entrepreneurs from Punjab to invest in Australia”.

Speaking at the Seminar, Mr Akshay Bector, Chairman, CII Punjab State Council mentioned "There is immense untapped potential for trade & commerce between North India and Australia, which could be leveraged through people to people contacts. The MoU between CII Northern Region and The Australian Trade Commission encourages bilateral trade & investments and facilitates business opportunities to the industry in North India. CII looks forward to working closely with Australia in realizing the potential that exists for two way trade and investments and strategic partnerships for the benefit of both. Some of the sectors which could gain considerably from enhanced engagement with Australia include agriculture and food processing, tourism, education and clean energy. This seminar is a very important step to opening up potential areas of cooperation between Northern India and Australia."

The seminar was sponsored and supported by Australian Wool Innovation, DHL & Pearls Group

DHL

Speaking about DHL’s involvement in the seminar, Christoph Remund, Chief Executive Officer, DHL Lemuir Logistics Pvt. Ltd said, “With increasing trade opportunities between India and Australia, we are delighted to partner with the Australian Trade Commission and CII to promote and further facilitate foreign trade between the two countries especially in the fashion & apparel, engineering & manufacturing, life science and automotive industries which have seen tremendous growth in the last few years. India is emerging as a key sourcing, manufacturing and distribution base for several industries. DHL’s strong global connectivity along with its focus on the small and medium enterprise sector will support and assist them to expand and strengthen their supply chain in the India-Australia trade lane.”

Australian Wool Innovation

Australian Wool Innovation believes that India is a great opportunity for wool. With a fast growing middle-class population of around 300 million consumers, continued sustained economic growth, India is now the second largest importer of Australian wool in the world. Woolmark, the famous brand owned by Australian Wool Innovation (AWI), stands as the quality symbol for woolen products. As the largest manufacturing location of woolen products in India, Ludhiana is one of the important locations for AWI for product development and commercialisation, Woolmark licensing, seminars and workshops to promote Australian wool in India.

Pearls Group

The seminar showcased Australia’s highest selling iconic beer brand – Victoria Bitter, also known as ‘VB’, brewed by Carlton & United Breweries, a subsidiary of Foster's Group. New Delhi based ‘Pearls Wines’, a division of PGF Limited, is importing & distributing VB beer in India. VB is available in 375 ml bottles and cans across Northern India (Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Chandigarh).

Doing Business with Australia

Australian technology, expertise and solutions is on offer for Indian businesses in the areas of roads, ports, airports and railways; power sector; mining; oil & natural gas including LNG; biotechnology; health & medical; machinery, manufacturing & nanotechnology; green building; clean energy & environment; urban infrastructure; automotive; aerospace & aviation; security & defence; drugs and pharmaceuticals; information technology; marine; water management, soil conservation & waste disposal; food processing & agribusiness; packaged food products; wine; fashion & franchising; film & television; processing of gems & jewellery; financial services, professional & business services (legal & HR services), education & training, hospitality, franchising, sports services and tourism.

Australia can be the ideal investment destination for Indian organisations seeking international expansion to, secure access to natural resources (coal, gas and mineral deposits) and create assets (technologies, brand names and distribution networks). Australia is amongst the most significant investment destination for India. In 2009-10, the Australian Trade Commission facilitated more than A$ 700 million investments from Indian into Australia in the tourism, hospitality, mining, aviation, ICT and education sectors.

The Australian Trade Commission will assist Indian corporations to source products, technology, services and solutions from Australia; identify potential Australian business partners and explore investment opportunities in Australia.

For more information on accessing Australian expertise and locating Australian partners, email to utsavaustralia@austrade.gov.au or visit www.utsavaustralia.in