The 10th Pakistan Industrial Expo runs Nov 14-16 at Expo Centre Lahore, with COMSATS and auto-parts makers pitching automation as the next step for local factories.
LAHORE: Artificial intelligence, robotics and factory automation will headline the 10th Pakistan Industrial Expo in Lahore next week, as organisers try to turn a decade-old trade fair for Chinese machinery into a showcase for smart manufacturing and technology transfer.
The expo will run from November 14 to 16 in Halls 1 and 2 of the Expo Centre Lahore. It is organised by Everest International Expo, in partnership with COMSATS University Islamabad’s Lahore campus, with the Pakistan Auto & Engineering Parts Manufacturers & Traders Association (PAEMTA) and the National Business Foundation as supporting partners.
Exhibitors will display AI and robotics, CNC machinery, industrial automation, auto parts, electrical and electronics, solar energy, industrial equipment, hardware and tools, construction and agricultural machinery, HVAC and packaging technology. Organisers say the event will feature business-to-business meetings and direct contact between companies on technology exchange and investment.
Everest International Expo chief executive Fa Wenyan said the expo had served as a bridge between Pakistani industry and Chinese manufacturing expertise since 2017, and that the tenth edition would strengthen technology transfer, local industry, investment and employment. AI, robotics and automation were rapidly transforming global industry, the CEO said, and Pakistan had wide scope to benefit.
Prof Dr Qaisar Abbas, director of COMSATS University’s Lahore campus, said the expo strengthened links between universities and industry, giving students, researchers and young entrepreneurs a chance to turn ideas into practical industrial solutions. Last year’s edition was co-organised with the University of Sargodha.
PAEMTA president Asim Rafiq said the expo would open new opportunities for Pakistan’s automotive and engineering industries, and that adopting automation, precision engineering and modern production technology could raise local output and make Pakistani firms more competitive abroad. Everest deputy general manager Zeeshan Hashmi called the decade of cooperation a milestone in Pakistan-China economic ties.
The expo comes as Punjab pushes for more manufacturing and exports. The provincial government’s PIVOT plan targets $6.8 billion in additional exports and 162,000 jobs by 2029, and Chinese firms have shown interest in EV bus plants and a 100-kanal pavilion in Punjab.
Robotics is also reaching classrooms, with an Aramco-backed programme aiming to reach 10,000 Pakistani students. For small and medium manufacturers in Lahore, Gujranwala and Sialkot, the question is cost. Automation equipment is mostly imported, and high interest rates and energy prices make large capital purchases difficult.
Trade fairs of this kind are mainly sales platforms for equipment suppliers, many of them Chinese. Whether they produce real technology transfer, with Pakistani firms learning to design and make machinery rather than buy it, depends on joint ventures and local partnerships that usually take years to build. Automation can also replace jobs in labour-intensive sectors, an issue the organisers did not address.
Entry is open to trade visitors. The expo runs from 9am to 6pm daily.
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