For the 4th time an official German participation, under the support of VDMA and sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Economics & Technology, Germany, will join IMME as a Partner Country. This year 22 German manufacturers will display their latest technology and products for the mining of coal and other raw materials. They exhibit a wide range of underground, open cast and processing technology.It examines all the elements that will make the Indian mining sector competitive and fit to meet the tremendous energy demand (e. g. coal) in India as well as the increasing urge for other commodities.

Germany leads the world in engineering technology, especially in mining equipment. Many German companies have close ties to Indian mining houses. Some German firms also have local production in India, which has become a very important export market for German mining equipment. In the recent years German exports to India have grown from €1,3 Mio. (2003) to € 61,7 Mio. last year. Until August 2008 Germany exported mining equipment worth € 59,5 Mio. to India - an increase of some 80%.

The Mining Equipment Association is part of VDMA and has about 110 member companies. The branch achieved a total production of € 3.4 billion in 2007, employs some 16.000 people and is active throughout the world. The industry’s share of exports is close to 86 percent.