The Institute of Indian Foundrymen (IIF) successfully organized its 73rd Annual General Meeting (AGM) at Taj Vivanta, Kolkata.

This historic occasion launched the 75th anniversary celebrations of IIF. It brought together stakeholders, members, and industry leaders to consider the Institute’s remarkable past and chart the future direction of India’s foundry sector.

At the AGM, Shri Navneet Agarwal, Managing Partner of R.B. Agarwalla& Company, was appointed as the new President of IIF for the 2024-25 term, succeeding Shri D.S. Chandrashekar. The newly appointed National Office Bearers (NOB) team includes Shri Navneet Agarwal – President, Shri Sushil Sharma – Vice-President (Managing Director, Shamlax Meta-Chem Pvt Ltd, Nagpur), Shri Pradeep Kumar Madhogaria – Honorary Secretary (Partner, Yashi Castings, Howrah), Shri Dinesh Gupta – Honorary Treasurer (Director, Satyakiran Engineers Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi).

President Shri Navneet Agarwal introduced the theme for his term and said, “Engineering for a Better Tomorrow, highlighting the vital role that innovation, sustainability, and teamwork will have in determining the direction the foundry sector takes. As we celebrate 75 years of IIF, our focus is on building a future where engineering excellence leads to better outcomes for our industry, society, and the environment”.

During the AGM, Hon. Treasurer Shri Sushil Sharma and outgoing Hon. Secretary Shri S Muthukumar presented the financial statements and the 2023–24 Annual Report. Both the freshly elected and departing NOB teams received felicitations, and the departing team was honored for their leadership over a difficult year.

National Foundry Day will take place on August 17, 2024, as the kickoff event in a year-long series of events organized by IIF in honor of its 75th anniversary. To mark IIF’s milestone, India Post published a Special Cover and My Stamp on this occasion.

In the future, the IIF will hold its yearly premier event, the 73rd Indian Foundry Congress (IFC), in Kolkata from February 7-9, 2025, in conjunction with IFEX 2025 and Cast India Expo. The chairs of the event, “Casting the Future – Innovate Collaborate Perpetuate,” are Shri Ravi Sehgal (IFEX) and Shri Vijay Beriwal (IFC). Through this international networking platform, foundry specialists, equipment makers, and material suppliers will have the chance to network with peers around the world and discover new business opportunities.

Priyanka Dutta