Alibaba focuses on the engineering sector in India

Extending its focus on the engineering sector in India, Alibaba.com (HKSE: 1688) (1688.HK), the world's leading small business e-commerce company, has partnered with the Engineering Export Promotion Council (EEPC). As part of this association, Alibaba.com has participated in EEPC's flagship event, the International Engineering Sourcing Show (IESS) 2012, with the aim of providing a platform for engineering sector SMEs to showcase their prowess to more than 300 exhibitors, including overseas buyers. In order to educate Indian SMEs in the engineering sector about capitalising on export opportunities, Alibaba.com shared its expertise in trading with global partners by leveraging e-commerce with EEPC's members at India's largest engineering exhibition.

Engineering Goods was amongst the foremost sectors that led export growth in the country last year, with exports worth $40.7 billion, reflecting an increase of 22.3 percent during April-November, 2011 as per report by Ministry of Commerce . A similar growth trend is also reflected on Alibaba.com's site analytics which shows that SMEs in various engineering sectors have witnessed an increased interest from global buyers, with SMEs in the machinery sector currently receiving the highest number of international buyer inquiries as compared to other industries in India on the marketplace. Alibaba.com aims to reinforce the significance of e-commerce for SMEs in cost-effectively growing their businesses in overseas markets and finding trade partners in untapped and unconventional markets.

"The engineering sector in India has been performing exceedingly well, clocking great export revenues for the country as well as growing at a stable rate. However, in order to sustain this growth, it is imperative for the industry to reduce dependence on traditional markets for exports and look for newer, greener pastures globally. And, e-commerce is not only a great way to learn but also an efficient tool to tap these vast opportunities," explained Nayan Thakkar, Manager, Customer and Sales, Alibaba.com India.

"We are happy to partner with EEPC, an organization that shares our belief that SMEs need to be educated about the need to mitigate risks by diversifying trading partners. This sourcing show is a great platform for SMEs to interact with and learn about the sourcing needs of global buyers. And, we hope that synergies like this will go long way in enabling Indian SMEs to establish a global foot print," he further said, speaking about the association with EEPC for the India Engineering Sourcing Show 2012.