India loses over Rs 12 lakh
crore every year to corrosion-related damage said Dr Kamachi Mudali at the CII
SR organized Surface & Coating Expo 2025
India’s $1.3 Trillion Southern Economy Sets the Stage for Global
Dialogue on Sustainable Engineering
Chennai, 17 July 2025: “India
loses over Rs 12 lakh crore every year to corrosion-related damage. This is
nearly 4.2 percent of the country’s GDP and with 90 percent of the industry
relying on steel and over 25 to 33 percent of it lost to rust, it is high time,
surface engineering must be recognized not merely as an industrial necessity,
but as a national priority,” said Dr U Kamachi Mudali, Chairman, CII
Surface and Coating Expo 2025, Chairman, CII Corrosion Management Division and
Vice Chancellor, Homi Bhabha National Institute (HBNI), at the fifth edition of
the Surface and Coating Expo (SCE2025) organized by Confederation of Indian
Industry Southern Region (CII SR) today.
'Surface protection is not
just about preserving materials. It is about reducing carbon emissions,
increasing lifecycle efficiency, and contributing to India’s sustainability
goals. Every ton of steel lost to rust adds to our carbon burden. Surface
technologies must evolve in sync with India's ambitions to become a
manufacturing powerhouse,' Dr Kamachi added in his inaugural address.
SCE 2025 is India’s largest and exclusive platform for surface engineering and
corrosion protection. This edition has over 305 exhibitors, 160 speakers
including 40 international experts, and an expected footfall of over 25000
business visitors from across India and abroad.
The Expo was inaugurated in
the presence of industry leaders, technology experts, researchers,
academicians, international delegations and senior representatives from
manufacturing and infrastructure sectors. A special highlight was the release
of the Surface and Coating Expo 2025 Show Catalogue during the inaugural
session.
Mr P Ravichandran, Deputy Chairman, CII Southern Region and President,
Danfoss India, Danfoss Industries Pvt Ltd appreciated the transformation of the
Expo into a global platform and remarked that Southern India alone contributes
$ 1.3 trillion to the national GDP and aims to triple this in five years.
'Events like this inspire us to reduce our $ 650 billion non-energy import bill
and localise critical components of our manufacturing value chain,' he said.
Mr AR Unnikrishnan, Chairman, CII Tamil Nadu State Council and Managing
Director – Glass Group, Saint Gobain India Pvt Ltd called for stronger
collaboration among academia, industry and technology developers. 'We must
collaborate, innovate and invest in building an ecosystem for surface and
corrosion management in India. Self-reliance in these technologies is the next
big step,' he said.
Held concurrently with CORTEM 2025 – the 2nd International Summit on Corrosion
Technology and Management and other events on adhesives, sealants and
electroplating, SCE2025 reflects India’s growing leadership in sustainable and
high-performance engineering practices. The event also features a dedicated
Skill Connect Pavilion linking young engineers with participating companies.
Key sessions today and tomorrow include discussions on India’s roadmap for
corrosion-free infrastructure, digital transformation in surface engineering,
challenges in the transport sector, emerging materials for renewable energy and
hydrogen economy, and a special panel on international standards
and sustainable coating technologies.
