Foreigners taking part in the maiden jewellery machinery expo in Bangladesh have received a "phenomenal response" from the country's business community, reports The Daily Sun. 

"This is a phenomenal response (from jewellers). All this is happening now because of the prudent leadership of BAJUS and due to the forward-looking attitude of Sayem Sobhan Anvir who has dreamt of making Bangladesh self-sufficient in jewellery manufacturing," Kranti Nagvekar, founder and CEO of KNC Services, told the Daily Sun during an interview at the International Jewellery Machinery Expo Bangladesh (IJMEB) on Friday.

Bashundhara Group Chairman Ahmed Akbar Sobhan inaugurated the expo. Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry President Mahbubul Alam was the chief guest at the opening ceremony on Thursday.

The foreign exhibitors appreciated the Bangladeshi jewellery entrepreneurs' knowledge of the industry, which enabled them to meet the people's demands. They also praised BAJUS's endeavour to provide a space to meet Bangladeshi jewellers through this business-to-business (B2B) exhibition.

Thirty companies from 10 countries, including India, Italy, Turkiye, the United Arab Emirates, Germany, China and Thailand, are participating in the first edition of the expo.

"In the near future, Bangladesh will not only be manufacturing jewellery for domestic industry but also for export. BAJUS makes tremendous work for industry," Kranti said.

Regarding the response at the expo, Kranti mentioned that the participating companies are not only registering sales orders but also match-making with the local jewellers for future connectivity.

"We need a multi-pronged approach to make doing business easy for a flourishing new industry like jewellery. There is huge demand for new technology and machinery," she said.

The KNC Services founder said her company will host another international expo in Dhaka in September next year with more international brands.

Italian company Fasti Industrials is participating in the expo with machines used for manufacturing gold chains.

Marco Conti of Fasti Industrials said the exhibition is helping the company to learn about the Bangladeshi jewellers' community.

"Bangladeshi jewellers are showing their interest in our highly equipped machinery. For the first time, the response is satisfactory. We hope the networking will help us to grow together in future," Marco Conti told the Daily Sun.

Fasti grows, producing more precise and reliable machines continuously. Its FZAL and FZVA machines were launched in 2022. These are the only ones in the market which are used in the production of alternating cable and Venetian chains.

Albert Chylabaev, an official of Turkiye company GUVENIS, was seen busy sharing information about their latest technology with visitors.

Among the foreign companies, Tishya CNC Engineering Works, Neo Instruments, Solanki Mechanic Works, Ira Corporation, Quantum Equipment, ACZET Solutions, Anant Jewels & Technology, Micromac Industries, and Pacio Traders registered from India.

From Italy, two companies - JTE and Fasti - took part in the showcasing, while OTEC and GUVENIS from Turkiye, Thailand company BSIC and Chinese company DO IT Industries are representing their respective countries.

The expo will end today.